Stained-glass windows and countless welcome signs invite you into what feels like

Grandma’s kitchen. The smell of home-cooked food draws you in and the display of delicious-looking desserts catches your eye. But wait, where’s Grandma?

Suddenly you realize you are at Brent’s Delicatessen and Restaurant in Northridge, a local favorite. The family-owned restaurant has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily for the last 40 years.

The deli has an old-school feel to it with its dark wood and brick interior, which create a comforting and inviting atmosphere.

As soon as my guests and I were seated, our server brought out a plate of pickles for us to enjoy.  I found that they were—as one of my guests described them—“new pickles” and they tasted like salty cucumbers. I prefer a more sour pickle, but they did have a nice crispy bite to them.

Our server was very helpful and patient as my guests and I tried to decide what to have for lunch from a menu filled with many delicious-looking options.

We finally decided on Brent’s Special Club sandwich ($11.95), a Veggie Sandwich ($10.50), an Everything bagel with cream cheese ($2.50), and an order of curly fries ($3.75) to top it off.

As we waited for our food to be prepared behind the busy deli counter, we couldn’t help put admire the mouthwatering desserts that were on display.  We decided that leaving without dessert was not an option.

When our large sandwiches arrived, we first had to decide how we would go about consuming them.  These mile-high sandwiches proved to be a little tricky when it came to eating, but tasty, nonetheless.

I dug into my Brent’s Special Club sandwich, which included freshly-sliced turkey breast, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and avocado.  I enjoyed this sandwich; my only complaint would have to be that the bacon was a little over-cooked for my taste. This triple-decker sandwich was hearty and satisfying.

My guests enjoyed their meals as well.  The veggie sandwich was monstrous and consisted of tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and a huge pile of brussels sprouts.  The vegetables were fresh, and it was just the right amount to leave a vegetarian satisfied.

The bagel was toasted perfectly and with a few veggies from the veggie sandwich, it made a great quick bite.

Our order of curly fries were seasoned well and paired nicely with my sandwich. Unfortunately, the fries were cold when they arrived at the table, but that didn’t stop three hungry girls from eating them up.

As we finished our meals and the topic of dessert came up once again, we decided on a slice of Brent’s four layer chocolate cake ($6.75) to share.  The slice of cake was enormous; it looked like a mountain of chocolate. The cake was rich and moist and the chocolate frosting was gooey and sweet. My only advice is this slice of cake is meant for sharing, so grab a friend—or two—and large glass of milk.

Overall, my experience at Brent’s Deli was tasty and satisfying.  With so many options—from pancakes to burgers to great entrees such as Hot Roasted Turkey with Stuffing—it’s difficult to decide what to have, but from my experience, you won’t be disappointed.

Location: 19565 Parthenia St., Northridge, CA

Hours: Daily 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

3.5 stars