The challenge: can you get a great sandwich in LA for less than $12?

In a recent Reddit post, a user laid down the gauntlet. Can you get a tasty sandwich in L.A. for $12 or less? If so, where?

With rising prices, it's a daunting quest, but we love a challenge. So we put on our collective thinking hats and came up with a bunch of sandwich spots that satisfy without breaking the bank.

L.A., the South Bay, Long Beach, and Orange County — we have you covered.

Roma Market (Pasadena): $6

The Sandwich at Roma Market.

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Brian Feinzimer

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Let's start with one of the greatest value sandwiches we know, just $6, at Roma Market in Pasadena. At the heart of the operation is 83-year-old Rosario Mazzeo, who wakes up early to oversee the construction of 500 sandwiches sold daily.

The draw is the simple execution of a Sicilian-style bread with its rustic, crusty outside and soft, pillowy inside. It contains a fine selection of Italian-cured meats and cheese, including capicola, mortadella, prosciutto, and provolone. One condiment alone marries the sandwich's contents: a simple drizzle of olive oil. It’s an exercise in how certain foods don’t need to be overly complicated but still achieve greatness, offering comfort with each bite.

Sandwiches by Connal (Pasadena): $9.49

The piled-high turkey grinder at sandwiches by Connal.

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Look out for the iconic mid-century white and red signage in all its glory advertising Connal’s, a much-loved walk-up window establishment. It's probably best known for its grinders, a sub sandwich whose name, it's said, originates from Italian American communities on the East Coast who used the term to describe the experience of biting into firm Italian bread.

When ordering at the window, your best bet is to choose the turkey grinder ($9.49). Once your order is called, grab a seat on the back patio and dig in. The combination of cold cuts, tomato, and shredded lettuce, dressed with olive oil and vinegar, gives the meal a festive air as a confetti of lettuce rains onto your plate. You can’t beat it.

A&J Seafood Shack (Long Beach): $11

The beef stick sandwich at A & J Seafood Shack.

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A&J Seafood Shack is another window walk-up, located at the busy corner of Anaheim and Obispo Avenues. Primarily based on Cambodian flavors, the menu goes deep with offerings such as a delectable garlic shrimp plate inspired by Oahu’s North Shore shrimp trucks and whole lobster and crab plates fried to perfection with aromatic spices.

The beef stick sandwich ($11), known in Cambodia as num pang, is a cousin of the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. It’s made with skewered, grilled beef, seasoned with lemongrass on a pillowy soft-on-the-inside, crusty-on-the-outside French roll, and packed with pickled green papaya salad-like slaw, spears of cucumber and chutes of jalapeño and sriracha mayo. A bite delivers equal amounts of sweet, spicy, and funky from the dried shrimp, fish sauce, and slaw.

Traffic along busy Anaheim will be whizzing by, and finding parking might be a bit of a chore, but once it’s just you and the beef stick sandwich, all the mundane realities of how you got there will likely fade away.

Bodega Park (Silver Lake): $11

Avocado, egg and cheese, pork bulgogi and bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches from Bodega Park.

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What do you get when you have a restaurateur like Eric Park, who constantly tinkers with a dining concept, sculpting and molding it until it perfectly aligns with the neighborhood's current-day vibe?

The answer is Bodega Park.

Several types of breakfast sandwiches are on Bodega Park's all-day breakfast menu, owing to Park’s time on the East Coast. There he attended culinary school and fell in love with Philadelphia's Italian hoagies — seen, of course, through the lens of a Korean American who grew up in Los Angeles.

The East Coast baddie-approved bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich ($11) features superbly cooked thick-cut bacon, a simple slice of American cheese, and an over-medium-fried egg. It will send you happily on your way to the rest of your (perfect) day.

LaSorted's (Chinatown) $10

The Lil Tony, only available at the LaSorted's in Chinatown, is the city of L.A. in sandwich form.

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Gab Chabrán

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Somehow, owner Tommy Brockert timed the opening of his second location of Dodger-themed pizzeria LaSorted’s in Chinatown perfectly as the boys in blue were crushing their way through the post-season last year.

While the pizza at LaSorted’s always hits, one new item stole my heart that night: the Lil Tony sandwich ($10). Currently only available in Chinatown, the sandwich features a sesame seed bun piled high with fried mortadella and drizzled with hot mustard from Philippe’s, located just down the street.

The name itself is a double entendre worthy of a Kendrick Lamar lyric. The name Lil Tony references Anthony Bourdain's favorite sandwich, as noted in his 2016 cookbook, Appetites. But it’s also an homage to Little Joe’s, the Italian American restaurant built in 1897 in Chinatown that was a hangout for Hollywood stars and Dodgers fans before a baseball game. This is L.A. food history at its finest.

My Dung Sandwich Shop (Chinatown): $5 - $8

Vietnamese cold cut sandwiches from Mỹ Dung.

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A banh mi sandwich is one of life’s pleasures. While you can find good ones in the San Gabriel Valley or Little Saigon in Orange County, finding them in other parts of Los Angeles can be more challenging.

One under-the-radar gem is the tiny storefront of My Dung, located on Ord Street between Broadway and Spring Street. It doesn’t exactly scream neighborhood sandwich destination on first arrival. You’re greeted by fresh produce stacked outside the entrance, including bunches of bananas hanging from the outside awning. The same goes when entering what appears to be a corner store, but take a quick stroll to the back, and you’ll find a menu board with about eight different sandwiches for around $5 - $8.

Grab a seat inside or hang outside while you wait for sandwiches. When they call your number, unwrap your offerings and dig in. The perfectly crusty roll (with a helping of pâté slathered inside) envelopes the sandwich's contents, whether it be cold cuts, barbecue pork, or shredded tofu with carrot, daikon, cilantro, and cucumber providing that extra bit of roughage. The ultra-fresh ingredients, paired with the salty-savory cuts of meat, create a highly satisfying experience.

Giuliano's Delicatessen (Gardena): $8.50-$12.50

Giuliano's Torpedo sandwich.

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As you may know, we are a sucker for a good market with food that can be enjoyed in-house or taken home. There's something appealing after grabbing a bite to have the opportunity to peruse the shelves and refrigerated sections to see what tasty items we can find.

Giuliano’s fits the bill with its bustling deli counter, bakery, and grocery store. The place has been around since 1952 and has a particular type of hometown charm, which you’d see on an episode of California Gold hosted by our patron saint, Huell Howser.

After taking it all in, head toward the back, where the sandwich counter is located. You’ll find a stack of their signature Torpedo sandwiches in large ($12.50) and small ($8.50) sizes. The wrapping resembles the Italian flag, perfect for to-go orders, especially if you are in a hurry.

The sandwich contains a variety of Italian meats, including capocollo (aka gabagool) and mortadella salami, plus provolone cheese and lettuce. It's a meat and cheese rainbow, and the in-house baked bread is soft, pillowy, and heavenly. Pro tip: When paying for a sandwich, ask for the small oil and vinegar container. You'll want to drizzle the oil yourself on the inside of your sandwich.

Super Rad Sub Shop (West Hollywood): $12

The Bodega Egg & Cheese from Super Rad Sub Shop: the perfect way to say good morning to yourself.

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Along the Sunset Strip, a tiny window serves inspired East Coast meets West Coast sandwiches.

Owners Shanna Lynn Milazzo, from Queens, New York, and partner and chef Chris Olsefsky, from L.A., have blended their styles in Super Rad Sub Shop.

For the most bang for the buck, look no further than the Bodega Egg & Cheese ($12). It contains a soft scrambled egg, American cheese, and crispy bacon with just the right chew smothered in ketchup on a pillowy-soft sesame brioche bun. It feels so universal, designed for anyone to enjoy, and it's a current favorite when I'm on the go.

Lil' Pickle (Costa Mesa): $7.30 - $11

Sandwich offerings from Lil' Pickle in Costa Mesa.

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Gab Chabrán

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I was immediately charmed and intrigued when I saw the name Lil Pickle inside a retro-looking strip mall. (As a general rule of thumb, if you reference a pickle and/or an anthropomorphized pickle mascot, there’s a good chance that I will be there—a special shout-out to Dilly’s Sandwiches in Long Beach).

But the fun doesn’t stop simply with the branding at Lil Pickle; once inside, you’ll find the place covered with local sports memorabilia, ranging from little league teams to famous golf tournaments. Then there are the sandwiches; each type is priced the same, starting with a Junior six-inch for $7.30 and a Regular for $11. Some favorites include their Lil Pickle Sub, which is made with ham, salami, capicolla, cheese, oil and Italian dressing. The Natural is made with turkey, avocado spread, a mixture of avocado and mayo, and cheese on a wheat roll. Each sandwich comes packed with lettuce, tomato, and, of course, what else but a kosher pickle slice.

El Huarache Azteca (Highland Park): $8.50

Pambazo at El Huarache Azteca in Highland Park, a torta dipped in red guajillo salsa filled with choripapas (chorizo with cooked potato mixed together) that's topped with lettuce, queso fresco, and cream.

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Gab Chabrán

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Much ink has been spilled about El Huarache Azteca, including by Jonathan Gold, who included it in his 99 Essential Restaurants 2008 for the L.A. Weekly. Its namesake dish, made of an elongated masa, named after the Spanish word for sandal, is nothing short of spectacular.

The menu celebrates the cuisine of Mexico City or “Distrito Federal,” like their pambazo, a cousin of the torta, often sold on the city's bustling streets ($8.50). Here at more-laid-back El Huarache, it still carries those vibes. I had mine while sitting at one of their many sidewalk tables. The guajillo chili sauce-saturated bread with notes of sweet, smoked, and earthy flavors fused with a potato and chorizo mixture that melts in your mouth.