The Papa family originally ran a grocery store at 244 Claremont Street in Toronto’s Little Italy. As supermarkets gained popularity, they began selling hot veal sandwiches from the back of the shop, topped with Christina Papa’s homemade Sunday tomato sauce, giving rise to California Sandwiches.
Word spread quickly, with one of the Papa daughters delivering orders by bicycle. The sandwiches eventually reached Bay Street law firms and Toronto City Hall.
Sisters Mary and Yolanda opened another location in Downsview in the 1990s, but Christina Papa had one rule: never franchise. Today, all locations remain family-owned, according to the restaurant’s website.
Known for their enormous portions, California Sandwiches serves up sandwiches that blogTO once described as “as big as your head.” The menu features fried veal cutlet, chicken cutlet, steak with onions, eggplant parmigiana, meatballs, and sausage.
Sandwiches come in large or small sizes, with optional cheese, mushrooms, onions, and hot peppers, plus sweet, medium, or hot sauce.
Beyond sandwiches, the menu includes house-marinated olives, what the restaurant calls its “world-famous” tiramisu, and specialized catering options ranging from jerk chicken and butter chicken to lasagna.
Each sandwich is made fresh to order, so expect a little wait. Nearly 60 years later, California Sandwiches continues to prove that sticking to what you do best can be a recipe for success.
