Cafe Metropol
Downtown News


Restaurant Review

East of Little Tokyo, nestled among Downtown's Artist District, you'll find what may be the best gourmet sandwiches and espresso drinks in the city.

Café Metropol offers a morning menu of breakfast sandwiches, pastries, granolas, yogurts and fresh juices. The smooth and creamy cappuccino, made with a combination of the finest Italian beans to achieve a perfect brew, is a must.

The mostly European-style menu offers more than a dozen gourmet sandwiches, such as the Greek Hero, with assorted fresh vegetables, imported feta cheese and kalamata olives, topped with thinly sliced Westphalian ham. The sandwich is served on a fresh French baguette drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. There is also a delicious Capri (a vegetarian favorite), as well as a thinly sliced roast beef with horseradish cream, a lemony salmon filet, and a popular marinated and grilled chicken sandwich. All sandwiches are served with a generous organic salad of mixed baby greens.
Among the panini, which are served on baguette and grilled, is the Marceaux panini, which combines imported prosciutto and goat cheese with roma tomato, thin slices of cucumber and sweet red onion, served with Gurken (German pickles). Café Metropol also offers soup, gourmet salads and Italian-style thin-crust pizza.
Café Metropol, at 923 East Third Street, is open Monday through Saturday for breakfast lunch and dinner. Catering, take-out and delivery ($15 minimum) is available. Call (213) 613-1537.