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Hidden Gems The Riversider | April/May 2022
Butch’s Grinders WORDS: KEN CRAWFORD PHOTOS: ZACH CORDNER
In 1982, the Mission Inn was dilapidated, the Tyler Mall was only one story, and the Raceway was a main economic driver. Pine Center, at the bottom of the hill where Pine Street splits from Palm Avenue, must’ve had 50 tenants between then and now. Alpha Beta, a church or two, a gym, a bartender school, a skateboard shop, and a donut store have all come and gone. Butch’s Grinders has been there for 40 years—standing alone on the corner through it all. There really is a lot to say about this little shop. It’s got a great location; close enough for the downtown crowd to come grab lunch, but far enough away that you can park a work truck without having to navigate downtown traffic. I’m not trying to diminish the food by saying it’s just sandwiches. Of course, you can get soup or a salad, but it’s a classic sandwich shop. There are no exotic spices or bold fusions. We all know what grinder shops sell, and Butch’s does it as well as anyone in town. I don’t need to do a food review. If you want a suggestion, however, my younger kid would recommend the meatball sub. I like the cold roast beef. Get the squaw bread if you’re lucky enough to be there before they sell out. The food is good, but that isn’t why I was so happy to get this assignment. My dad worked at California School for the Deaf for four decades. He had several jobs there, but when I was a little guy he was a dormitor y counselor and worked a split shift. He’d go in early and get the students ready for school, then he’d come home for a few hours, and then return later in the day when school was over to super vise homework and get the boys back to bed. That gap in his shift allowed him to spend time with me during the day after preschool or kindergarten. We did a The Riversider Magazine
Butch's Ultimate Italian Grinder
lot of things around town. We hiked by the river, explored the endless hallways of the abandoned Mission Inn, and climbed the Tank at Fairmount Park. My favorite activity and most vivid memory of hanging out with my dad during those years was climbing Mt. Rubidoux. We’d go to Butch’s and buy sandwiches, and my dad would put them in his backpack. We’d park at the trailhead on 9th, and start our trek to the top. First stop was the empty water tank that was where the up and down roads meet. You could climb inside and throw rocks, or listen to the echo of your voice. Then my dad would run a little ahead of me and hide in one of the dugout bridges on the Boy Scout trails and do his best bridge troll impression: “Who’s that walking on my bridge?” he’d yell as I crossed above him. When we got to the Peace Bridge, we looked across the city to try and find our house and identify familiar landmark s like the cemeter y and the courthouse. We’d eventually get to the cross on top of the mountain where we’d unpack our sandwiches from his bag and eat while we watched the pilots practice landing at Flabob Airport. I remember how close they got to the mountain—how loud those little engines were as they flew by again and again. It’s nice that Butch’s hasn’t changed much in 40 years. I like to grab a sandwich and eat it at Bonaminio Park, while my kid has soccer practice. I look across the park to the mountain and think about eating sandwiches up there with my dad. It still tastes the same. It’s just a sandwich, but that list of things in town that are pretty much the same as they were when I was a kid is getting pretty short. These local, family-owned businesses are special.
You can get a good sandwich in a lot of places, but you can only get Butch’s on Pine and Tequesquite in Riverside.
Butch’s Grinders 4602 Pine Street (951) 781-8511 butchsgrindersriverside.com @butchs_grinders
