**** (4 stars)
Great place for breakfast or lunch. The omelets and hash owns are terrific. Also great deli meats. The bagels aren't a highlight for me, though. Very attentive and friendly service.
Bagel Restaurant & Deli
3107 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60657
**** (4 stars)
This is the deal, a NY style Jewish delicatessen. All the sandwiches you’d imagine, and more. Plus free pickles!
The half sandwich combo offers any sandwich, plus any soup or salad. The chili counts as soup, and boy it was delicious. Pastrami had just the right amount of fat, and the rye bread was super fresh.
Excellent friendly service.
Bagel Restaurant & Deli
3107 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 477-0300
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bagel-restaurant-and-deli-chicago
Interior
Bar
Exterior
Chiles Rellenos
Enchiladas
Duck tacos
**** (4 stars)
This is a pleasant family style restaurant serving all the standard Tex-Mex dishes. The place is surprising large, with the dimmer, more intimate area being on the bar side. They did a great job with the decor and acoustic treatments.
La Casa De Isaac & Moishe
2014 1st St
Highland Park, IL 60035
(847) 433-7400
https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-casa-de-isaac-and-moishe-highland-park-2
New York on rye
Deli case
Interior
Interior
***** (5 stars)
This is the deli you’ve been looking for. Its extensive menu offers all the genuine New York style Jewish delicatessen standards, in every conceivable option.
Speaking of New York, try the New York sandwich: meaty pastrami on seeded rye (or whatever your preference) with their not-to-heavy cole slaw, and a perfect amount of Russian dressing. Order the half sandwich unless you want to take some home. My favorite (included) side item is the potato salad, but you can also upgrade to fries (three kinds) onion rings, and a lot of other stuff.
The serving staff has been here forever (and a few of the clients look like they have too), so it’s just like you remember it from however far back your memory goes. A great deli.
Nate’n Al Delicatessen
414 N Beverly Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 274-0101
https://www.yelp.com/biz/naten-al-delicatessen-beverly-hills
*** (3 stars)
This simple cafe offers Vienna all beef hotdogs in the atrium of a venerable old building. It’s a nice place to stop for a bite while enjoying the ornate trim of the historic building.
Pittsfield Cafe
55 E Washington St
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 641-1806
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pittsfield-cafe-chicago
***** (5 stars)
This little gem in the Farmer’s Market section of the French Market offers just two seats at the counter and four tables across the aisle. The muffulettas are huge, and stuffed with a mild olive salad, served on excellent crunchy bread. The cheese plates–available with three or five cheeses–feature your choice of top quality cheeses, and are served with grilled bread and crackers. The spinach salad is huge, and may be one of the most healthful choices in all of the French Quarter. Service is very friendly.
Alberto’s Cheese & Wine Bistro
1100 N Peters St
Bay 11
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 522-0507
http://www.yelp.com/biz/albertos-cheese-and-wine-bistro-new-orleans
**** (4 stars)
Here’s a popular place for New York style food, from bagels to pizzas to sandwiches. I was there for an authentic deli sandwich, and I left satisfied.
My choice was hot pastrami on rye with swiss cheese. The tender pastrami was piled high, but not so ridiculously high that it was impossible to eat, like many in NYC are. I liked the addition of cucumber slices and onion to the yellow mustard and mayo.
It came with a giant dill pickle and some rather granular potato salad I didn’t care for; next time I’ll pick a different side item.
The place has only two tables, so arrive early or expect to get your sandwich to go.
NYC Bagel Deli
515 N Dearborn St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 923-9999
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nyc-bagel-deli-chicago-3
**** (4 stars)
This is an excellent choice for a quick sandwich at Midway. Even if you’re flying out of terminal B, it’s only a short walk down terminal A.
Manny’s is essentially a fully equipped delicatessen, so the sandwich you’ll get here will be far above normal airport quality. Each is prepared to order, so allow few extra minutes, but it’s worth it.
There is more seating available back at the juncture of terminal A with terminal B, a place the visitors to the nearby food court rarely find.
Manny’s
Chicago Midway International Airport
Concorse A, 5700 S Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60638
(773) 948-6300
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mannys-chicago-2
Interior
Italian Beef
Pepperoni with Basil Pizza
**** (4 stars)
This homey little counter service Italian place off the lobby of River View Plaza is a great spot for lunch or dinner.
The price for a ten inch pizza is great, and it has a very authentic crust such as you’d get in Napoli.
You can get any kind of pasta with any kind of sauce, but I haven’t yet found a combination that excites me, although the serving size is large enough for two or more.
I like the Caesar salad, which isn’t tossed, but has a tasty dressing.
And the very best item is the garlic bread, a generous serving with lots of garlic butter, fixed in the pizza oven so the edges have a slight char. The sandwiches, such as the Italian Beef, are served on the same bread.
There’s a pleasant outside patio where you can enjoy the view of the Trump tower–if you look straight up.
Bongiorno’s Italian Deli & Pizzeria
405 N Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 755-1255
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bongiornos-italian-deli-and-pizzeria-chicago
**** (4 stars)
I was very impressed by this creative concept. At first it does look like a CiCi’s pizza, with its salad and pizza buffet.
But the real treat is at the back, where you can get a sandwich, panini, pizza or ice cream with virtually any combination of ingredients you can imagine, made to order. For sandwiches alone, with about a dozen breads, a dozen meats, and a dozen toppings, there are a lot of possibilities.
You can order at the counter, but it’s fun to use the two touchscreens to assemble exactly what you want. Then it’s promptly made and delivered to your table. I selected rye bread, ham, turkey, swiss, fat free mayo and banana peppers. The sandwich turned out great, and all the ingredients were fresh and delicious. It was accompanied by a very tasty and zesty potato salad.
This is a great place for families, because there’s something for everyone, but it’s also one of the better places in town to get a sandwich, and I’d actually rate it above any of the sub shops and delis in the area. In fact, the only thing I didn’t like about it is the bright fluorescent lighting.
And at $7.99 for lunch, it’s hard to imagine a better deal.
Melange
8261 S John Young Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 704-3821
http://www.yelp.com/biz/melange-orlando