Viral Basturma Brisket Sandwich from Yerord Mas Takes Los Angeles by Storm
21:33 12 May, 2026An Armenian restaurant called Yerord Mas in Los Angeles has gone viral thanks to one standout dish — a towering basturma brisket sandwich that has captured the attention of food lovers across the city.
Tucked inside a corner of a Glendale strip mall, the restaurant occupies a former donut shop that now smells of smoke, spices, and freshly baked bread. Yerord Mas is a small bakery and deli that has suddenly found itself on the radar of Angelenos after years of building a following through pop-ups and ghost kitchen operations.
At the center of its buzz is chef-owner Arthur Grigoryan’s signature creation: fluffy pita stuffed with intensely flavored basturma-style brisket. The sandwich, which blends Armenian cured meat traditions with Texas-style brisket techniques, became viral online long before the restaurant opened its permanent location.
Food critics from Los Angeles Times have since reviewed the restaurant, highlighting how Grigoryan reimagines basturma by combining Armenian, Egyptian, and Lebanese culinary influences. The restaurant officially opened in January in a former donut shop space, following years of pop-up events and experimental kitchen formats.
According to The Infatuation, the now-famous sandwich was refined over nearly a decade of experimentation. Grigoryan, who trained in Bordeaux and previously worked in the kitchens of Nancy Silverton, brings a high level of technical precision to a deeply personal culinary project rooted in Armenian diaspora heritage.
What to order
The signature basturma brisket sandwich, priced at around $38, is large enough to share between two people. Other highlights include smoked pork and a vegetarian kyufta, which round out the compact menu and offer alternatives for different dietary preferences.
Los Angeles Times notes that the sandwich’s impact comes not only from the richly seasoned meat, but also from the airy pita baked over an open flame and the long smoking and curing process behind the brisket.
Whether Yerord Mas becomes a long-standing Glendale institution or remains a cult favorite, it has already become part of a broader movement in Los Angeles’ Armenian food scene. Outlets like Eater LA describe it as a potential leader of this evolving culinary landscape — proof that ambitious, heritage-driven cooking can thrive even in the most unassuming strip mall spaces.