This LA Shop Makes Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Without the Crust

Thrillist Video

When you arrive at PBJ.LA in Los Angeles’s Grand Central Market, prepare to be blasted by the nostalgic days of your youth. Why? The food stand only makes one thing: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with the crust cut off, just how Mom made it.

“Part of the concept was kind of a modern take on peanut butter and jelly, and part of it was a throwback to this old American idea of mom making you a PB&J on Wonder Bread, and cutting the crust off for you because you’re a kid, and you don’t like the crust,” explains owner Brad Greenberg.

The menu offers everything from the ubiquitous-yet-classic version -- a sandwich filled with peanut butter and grape jelly -- to much more modern takes, like the Old Fashioned. Modeled on the cocktail with the same name, the Old Fashioned is one of PBJ.LA’s most popular sandwiches: two thick slices of white bread are stuffed with roasted salted pecan butter, bourbon bitters apple jam, and topped off with a sprinkle of orange zest, before heading to the crimper machine where the crust is sliced off in one quick chomp.   

Stepping even further outside the box, PBJ.LA also has savory versions on the menu, like the Italian: this elevated take on the classic starts off with a dollop of roasted sage pine nut butter, basil cherry tomato jam, and a couple slices of buffalo mozzarella. It’s then garnished with arugula leaves and drizzled with balsamic reduction and olive oil.  

Even the drinks on the menu pay homage to the PB&J, utilizing a combination of nut milks, fruits, and even more exotic flavors like lavender and yuzu lemon.

Check out the video above, and then make a beeline to PBJ.LA (with or without you mom).

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Amy Schulman is an Editorial Assistant at Thrillist who was a big proponent of the cream cheese on cinnamon bread as a child. Follow her on Instagram