California’s best sandwich shop right now is not a classic Italian deli or a historic pastrami counter. According to a recent nationwide ranking by Only In Your State, that distinction belongs to Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher & Deli, a vegan deli tucked into Highland Park that has quietly built a following among Angelenos who care less about labels and more about flavor.
“Maciel’s in California proves that plant-based sandwiches can be just as crave-worthy as their meat-filled counterparts,” reads the official ranking. “Using house-made vegan meats and thoughtful flavor pairings, the sandwiches here are bold, satisfying, and anything but an afterthought. Even non-vegans are won over by the creativity and depth of flavor, making this shop a standout for modern, forward-thinking sandwich lovers.”
Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher & Deli
The shop was named the best sandwich shop in California and the fifth best in the US in the site’s national roundup. It was the only vegan shop to make the list. For a plant-based deli to outrank countless traditional sandwich institutions says as much about the quality of its food as it does about how dramatically American appetites have shifted.
The vegan deli that beat California’s meat counters
Inside Maciel’s, sandwiches arrive stacked high with familiar deli staples—Reubens, turkey clubs, and Philly-style subs—but every component is made without animal products. The meats are built from ingredients such as chickpeas, tofu, seitan, vegetables, and spices, an approach designed to replicate the comfort of classic deli fare while leaning into whole food ingredients.
The result is a menu that reads like a love letter to American sandwich culture. Seitan salami, smoky chorizo, tofu-based turkey, and even vegan chicken salad form the backbone of the lineup, while sandwiches like the Messy Biscuit, Reuben, and Santa Fe wrap have become cult favorites among regulars.
Founder Maciel Bañales Luna approaches the concept with a scientist’s precision.
“We focus on four things when making the meats: the taste—that is the most important thing, of course, the look, the texture, and the health,” she said in a 2022 interview with local radio station KIIS.
The shop’s identity as a plant-based butcher—rather than simply a vegan café—was intentional. According to Luna’s husband and co-founder Joe Egender, the idea was to create a familiar neighborhood staple rather than a niche vegan destination. “We see it as a neighborhood butcher-deli,” Egender told Eater. “You come and get your weekly meats, but also grab some sandwiches and aguas frescas, and hang out a little bit or take it home. We see moms and dads buying slices of turkey for their kids to make school lunches.”
From Durango to Highland Park
The deli’s origin story begins far from Los Angeles. Luna grew up in Durango, Mexico, in a household where environmentalism and vegetarian cooking were already part of daily life long before plant-based eating became fashionable. Her parents’ interests, according to accounts of her background, were “ahead of their time,” shaping her lifelong curiosity about nutrition and sustainability.
Luna’s academic path followed that curiosity. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition, later completing a master’s in health sciences and a PhD in medical sciences focused on obesity and metabolism before conducting postdoctoral research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher & Deli
Cooking remained a parallel passion throughout those years. Luna spent years experimenting with homemade plant-based meats and cheeses, eventually translating those experiments into a deli concept that merges Mexican culinary influences with classic American sandwich traditions.
Highland Park turned out to be the ideal setting for that hybrid vision. “I was really excited about the location in Highland Park,” says Bañales Luna. “It’s so vegan-friendly and has such a strong Latino community.”
BECOME A VEGNEWS VIP: Get exclusive product deals, freebies, and perks galore!
When the shop opened in 2022 with backing from restaurateur Dustin Lancaster, it became Los Angeles’s first full service vegan butcher shop—a concept that blends the ritual of a traditional deli with the creativity of modern plant-based cooking.
For diners arriving for the first time, the surprise often comes not from the ingredients but from the familiarity. A towering sandwich, dripping with sauerkraut and vegan Russian dressing, tastes exactly like what it aims to replicate: a deli classic. The difference is that the pastrami layered inside was made from plants, not animals—a culinary sleight of hand that has turned a neighborhood vegan deli into one of the most celebrated sandwich counters in the country.
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
JUMP TO ... Latest News | Recipes | Guides | Health | Subscribe
