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Deli-licious: Sacco Bruno

By Molly Durham in Food on Jan 11, 2012 7:00PM

For any sandwich freak, Sacco Bruno is most definitely a place you can get your freak on. If you seek a classic Italian sub, but don't have the good fortune to live anywhere near Little Italy, it's ideal.

This place is a bit hidden in Bucktown on Armitage, a short hop from the Western Blue Line stop. Sacco Bruno ("brown bag" in Italian) has the essentials: great sandwiches and meats and cheeses available by the pound. A shelf full of olives and pastas greets visitors when they walk in the door, but it's meager pickings. They've also got a small bar in the back, an unexpected addition to a local deli.

Sacco Bruno offers 21 different sandwich options, ranging from classic cold ones like the Italian and pastrami on rye, as well as a bevvy of toasted options like "Mamma's Meatball Grinder" (3 meatballs with ground beef, pork and veal) and "Tino's Famous Oven Roasted Ribeye Italian Beef" (ribeye shaved and stewed in seasoned Italian beef). If these don't offer enough Italian meat for you, we're not sure what would. Sandwiches are pricier here than other delis we've covered: $7 for most 6-inch subs and $12 for the 12-inch.

The bread in their Italian sub is chewy rather than crunchy, which takes some focus away from the awesome insides of this sandwich. The meats (mortadella, salami, capicolla and proscuitto) are a bit spicy and the sandwich has the right amount of them. The Italian sub has the standard provolone and lettuce, but red onion and dressing rather than giardiniera, which can be added for an additional fee (we recommend doing it, for the additional heat).

They also offer salads and pizza, but we're not sure why anyone would stray away from the sandwich options, since they're a-plenty and satisfying. Sacco Bruno may lack the extras like homemade sauces and the sense that you've found a hidden gem, but it has seating in a bright, window-filled space, a location convenient for North siders and an Italian sub that should appease any combination of laziness and craving.

Sacco Bruno is located at 2151 W. Armitage Ave.