This Old-School Converted Gas Station In Central CA Serves Overstuffed Sandwiches At Affordable Prices

Over the last 50 years, little has changed at Brighter Side in Modesto, California. The same smiling owner, Larry Cary, sits behind the register. The same beat-up walls, planked with reclaimed wood that's probably seen more years there than wherever it came from, are covered in knickknacks. Punkin', an orange tabby cat, still roams freely. The sandwiches are still stacked with meats, cheeses, and vegetables that bow the top slice of bread.

I'm not old enough to have been visiting the sandwich shop since the beginning, but my in-laws, who were born and raised here, have. They tell me it's the same as it always was. One of the only things that's changed is how you order. Pre-pandemic, you entered from the side and wrote your selections on a card. Now, you enter through the front and order at the register. One of my go-to's, the Annie — a hot veggie sandwich with avocado and cheese — costs $8.50 these days, while the most expensive sandwich, the Bobby Q (extra beef, barbecue sauce, and cheese served hot on a French roll) costs $10.50. That's a pretty good deal for a toasted sandwich in 2026.

In 1976, Cary and co-founder Chris Bristow turned an old gas station into a sandwich and salad shop serving Modesto's downtown workers. Largely a farm town, the city sits in the agriculturally rich Central Valley and is surrounded by California's many almond groves. The shop's opening hours — Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — still reflect this original purpose. Just make sure you bring cash, or staff will direct you to the Wells Fargo ATM across the street.

Every time I'm at Brighter Side, I split two of the three vegetarian sandwiches: Annie, Judee, or Christine. Annie (avocado, mushrooms, green onions, and pepper cheese on rye) and Judee (Jack and cheddar cheese, zucchini, green onions, tomato, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning on whole wheat) are heated. The Christine is a cream cheese and avocado sandwich with tomato on rye. All three come loaded with sprouts, which, to me, is necessary for any California-style sandwich (along with avocado). I know sprouts have a justifiably bad rap since they can harbor harmful bacteria, but growing up in the Bay Area before sprout-related illnesses began popping up in the 1990s attached a California nostalgia I still haven't shaken.

Whenever I visit Brighter Side, I also text my almond-farmer in-laws in Modesto and bring home sandwiches for them. Their favorite orders are the Genora (roast beef, avocado, Jack cheese, lettuce, and tomato on a French roll, served warm) and the Dean (ham, avocado, sprouts, cream cheese, and tomato on wheat). The Okie, meanwhile, is a nod to the many people who moved to Modesto during the Dust Bowl era and is made of tuna and egg salad on wheat bread.

Make sure your order includes a fruit salad, which is made of whatever is especially ripe and juicy — the juice might even drip down your chin. The lush, shaded backyard is a cool place to sit outside in the Modesto heat. If your dog is a good boy (which every dog is to the staff), don't be surprised if a sandwich maker comes out with a pile of turkey for them. It helps distract your dog from chasing Punkin'.