Westwood Specialty
Establishment
neighborhood
Diddy Riese
926 Broxton Ave., Westwood
Diddy Riese is right in the middle of Westwood near the UCLA campus, and while you’ll have to battle a block-long line of college kids to get in, their famous ice cream sandwiches are more than worth it. The ice cream they use is standard Dreyers, but the cookies are made in-house with family recipes. The employees make the sandwiches on-site, so you can pick your own flavor combinations (kids will be psyched that they can actually use two different cookie flavors if they want), and the portions are very generous. Probably the best part of the entire operation is the college-approved prices: Sandwiches are $2 each.
Fat Sal’s
972 Gayley Ave., Westwood
Because of its proximity to UCLA, this East Coast-style sandwich shack caters predominantly to the college crowd, and it shows. Everything is unapologetically glutinous, and stuffed with fries, mozzarella sticks, or onion rings; for tri-state area transplants, the sausage and pepper hero is an authentic taste of home. There's also something called the Big Fat Fatty (chicken fingers, marinara sauce, fries, mozzarella sticks, burger patties, bacon…) on the menu—if you finish it in 40 minutes, the fatty is free and you get a sandwich named after you. Many have tried but none have succeeded. There's a second location in Hollywood.
Simplethings (Closed)
10874 Kinross Ave., Westwood
From their yummy fried chicken sandwich to the delicious salted caramel 'cutie' pies, this is the place to indulge. There's soda floats, beer, and wine to boot. (Simplethings also has locations in West Hollywood and Burbank.)
Ike’s Place
1151 Westwood Blvd., Westwood
This Bay Area export definitely knows its customer—hungry and/or hungover college kids and serious sandwich junkies. They’re famous for their sauces and outrageous sandwich mash-ups: we like the Tony Soprano (an extra saucy Italian sub) and Menage A Trois (crazy cheesy BBQ chicken). Make sure to get yours on crispy Dutch bread—you're going to need it since they tend to overstuff.