By 
You may have already seen videos of the viral $38 basturma brisket sandwich from Yerord Mas Bakery & Deli, an Armenian restaurant located in a Glendale strip mall. I already clutched my pearls when I went to Langer’s Deli and paid a whopping $30 for the #19. But how good can a sandwich be to justify a $38 price tag?
Born and raised in Echo Park, Arthur Grigoryan moved to Paris to study at none other than Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating, he spent two years immersed in the world of fine dining, working at restaurants like Drouant by Antoine Westermann, and Chateau Siaurac in Bordeaux. When Arthur returned to Los Angeles, he worked for Nancy Silverton at her two Italian institutions, Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza.
During a trip to Franklin, Tennessee, in 2017, Arthur had a lightbulb moment: fusing Texas-style barbecue with his Middle Eastern roots. The name, Yerord Mas (III Mas), refers to the 3rd district of Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, where Arthur’s father is originally from. For the brisket sandwich, Arthur takes Australian wagyu brisket, smokes it Texas-style, and coats it with a blend of aromatics and spices inspired by basturma, the Armenian cured-meat seasoning.
Arthur started selling the sandwich as a pop-up in 2018 out of his Sherman Oaks residence, then at the Smorgasburg Food Market: basturma brisket, Swiss cheese, sliced Persian cucumbers, and chaman spread hugged by Egyptian flatbread using Arthur’s mom’s recipe, who grew up in Egypt.
In 2024, Arthur and his wife Takouhi were making the sandwich, alongside other Middle Eastern fusion items from a ghost kitchen in Glendale. Back then, the sandwich was priced at $24, significantly less than its current $38 price tag.
Opened in January, Yerord Mas sits near the Glendale-Burbank border in a former doughnut shop, among strip malls and industrial warehouses.
The strip mall parking lot, shared with a laundromat and a liquor store, was tiny and a headache to navigate, so I parked on the adjacent street, where there was plenty of parking next to the warehouses.
Given the name, you would think Yerord Mas Bakery & Deli is a place where you can pop in for breakfast or lunch, but it opens at 5 pm, making it a dinner destination instead. There is no option for takeout either, as the sign plastered on the door clearly states.
A lovely middle-aged woman took my order at the counter. When I requested water, she pulled out a $4 bottle of Evian, one of the world’s most expensive bottled waters. She told me they didn’t have tap water and asked me if I still wanted it. I said yes. Besides the basturma brisket sandwich, I ordered the pistachio hummus.
In the tiny kitchen next to the dine-in section, a cook was slicing the whole smoked brisket while Arthur was assembling the sandwiches.
Basturma Brisket Sandwich
The rich, unctuous basturma-rubbed brisket and the airy Egyptian flatbread disappeared almost as quickly as they entered my mouth. Here, Arthur swapped the Swiss cheese for a cheesy white sauce called Grand Cru Gruyére Mornay, similar to a bechamel sauce. This detracted from the two stars of the sandwich — the brisket and the flatbread — and made it heavier. The cucumbers added a refreshing tang, helping cut through the richness of the fatty brisket.
All this to say, I was absolutely stuffed afterward. This sandwich alone made up for a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a lot of meat! Additionally, most people were either taking the other half to go or were splitting it. Because I knew how hefty it was going to be, I made sure to not eat for the day. My fingers, as well as the table, were covered in flour from the flatbread.
“Wow! You finished everything! I’m impressed. Most people don’t finish it,” said the woman who took my order as she wiped a dusting of flour off a table.
When you factor in the intensive labor that goes into this brisket sandwich—from smoking the meat to the handmade flatbread—it makes sense for the sandwich to be priced at nearly $40. The whole sandwich was definitely over half a pound of brisket.
Yerord Mas has been given multiple seals of approval from Texas BBQ fanatics. While the two meats are prepared differently, I personally prefer the brisket at Moo’s BBQ. As soon as the brisket from Yerord Mas entered my mouth, it was gone, whereas the fatty cuts at Moo’s BBQ were chewier and allowed me to savor each bite longer. I also wasn’t a fan of pairing the brisket with the thick white sauce.
Given the commotion this sandwich has caused due to the price, you would think not a lot of people would make the trek to this isolated stretch of Glendale, but I was wrong. “Do you actually sell out of brisket?” I asked the woman. “Oh! Every day. The first weeks we sold out by 6pm. Now, we’re selling out by 8pm.” Arthur was coming in and out of the restaurant, keeping an eye on the smoker outside.
If you’re planning on going to Yerord Mas for the sandwich, don’t think of it as a run-of-the-mill deli sandwich you’d get alongside a bag of chips. Rather, think of it as an indulgence in some of the best barbecue you’ll find in Los Angeles. Upon stepping into Yerord Mas, your nostrils will be inundated with the smell of smoked meat.
Pistachio hummus
When the hummus arrived, the freshly made, puffy flatbread seemed to have a life of its own, breathing in and out.
Since I’d just eaten the sandwich, I only took a few bites. If you love hummus, this is not your usual store-bought hummus, which typically delivers a more powerful punch of flavor. This Egyptian-style hummus had a thinner texture and a strong earthy profile, with a faint nuttiness from the pistachio. The hummus itself was not too big of a portion, so I finished it in no time with the fork.
Overall thoughts
Despite Yerord Mas’ casual façade — you’re given a number once you place your order and there are only two unshaded tables outside — there was nothing casual about this nearly $60 meal.
I love a good strip-mall joint, but if I’m going to spend that much money on exceptional hummus, a brisket sandwich, and premium bottled water, I’d rather do so in a more upscale setting than next to a refrigerated display case with a view of a liquor store. Additionally, some customers hovered uncomfortably close to my table to get a better look at the drinks in the display case. I also didn’t notice a restroom in the tiny space, and if you’re going with a group, the tables inside are too small to accommodate more than two people.
I appreciate Arthur’s creativity and his refined takes on Armenian dishes, both of which are evident throughout the menu. However, unless you’re making the trek for the sandwich, Yerord Mas is not a place I would go out of my way to revisit. Given the prices and the modest setting, I’d much rather head to my beloved Mini Kabob in Glendale and eat out of a Styrofoam container when my Armenian food cravings kick in.
Yerord Mas Bakery & Deli: Instagram
Address: 6800 San Fernando Road. Glendale, CA 91201
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
