Discovering the Best Deli in Each State

If you’re the kind of person who has trouble deciding on things, then you’ll have a tough time figuring out what to order at Mr. P’s, owned by the Pilleteri family since 1975. Their sandwich menu is sprawling, but standouts include ones with — pound ribeye steak, provolone, and marinade on a white hoagie bun; a classic muffuletta with homemade olive salad; and the Ashmonkey with smoked turkey, bacon, mozzarella, and BBQ sauce on a honey wheat bun. All sauces are made in-house, and the burgers, homemade sausages, and chili are also worth seeking out.

Owned by husband and wife Jason Ellis and Betty A. Sheldon and inspired by the Jewish delis Jason ate at when visiting relatives in New York as a kid, Mo’s Deli is bringing the classic Jewish deli experience to Anchorage. If you’re in the city and find yourself in the mood for a bagel with lox and cream cheese, a corned beef or pastrami sandwich, some potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce, or blintzes, knishes, or matzo ball soup (all washed down with Dr. Brown’s soda, of course), you know where to go.

At this warm and inviting Jewish deli in Scottsdale they bake more than 20 varieties of bagels and bialys fresh daily on-premises, making fresh salads including smoked whitefish salad and potato salad from scratch; and all sandwiches, noodle kugel, and chopped liver to order. JJ’s offers a huge variety of omelettes and breakfast dishes, along with all the classic deli meats on rye. Standouts among the huge variety of hot sandwiches include Reubens, French dips, and “Pnishes” (pressed sandwiches with a knish as the bun) – and regulars swear by Bonnie’s Old Style Chicken Salad, white meat chicken mixed with tarragon, raisins, celery, scallions, and almonds.

With locations in six states (the majority are in Utah, where it’s based), this deli’s Little Rock location is the best in Arkansas. Founded in 2004 by New York native Dan Pool, Gandolfo’s bakes all of its bread in-house multiple times daily, slices all meats and cheeses to order, and offers a menu that’s not quite a classic Jewish deli. You’ll find pastrami and corned beef on rye as well as bagels and lox, for sure, but there are also Italian sandwiches, meatball subs, and even biscuits and sausage gravy (because this is Arkansas, after all).

LA icon Langer’s is going strong (and serving what they consider to be the “world’s best pastrami”) since 1947. It’s grown from a small lunch counter into a sprawling restaurant but remains owned by the Langer family. You’ll find essentially perfect renditions of all the Jewish deli standbys including chicken in the pot, blintzes, stuffed cabbage, matzo ball soup, and smoked fish, but if it’s your first time, you owe it to yourself to try the pastrami. Go for their famous #19, which partners the smoky housemade pastrami with Swiss cheese, cole slaw, and Russian dressing on rye.

Featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” where host Guy Fieri fell in love with owner Rhoda Kaplan’s matzo ball soup, homemade meat knishes, kishke, corned beef, and pastrami, The Bagel Deli has been a Denver standby since 1967. All recipes are inspired by Rhoda’s “bubbe;” if you stop in for breakfast be sure to order their famous “Eggs Bagel-Dict” (Eggs Benedict on a bagel with pastrami instead of Canadian bacon), and don’t miss the homemade rugelach and “Rhally Bars” for dessert.

The “Delancey” in the name of this deli (in the Greenwich, Connecticut, neighborhood of Cos Cob) is the name of one of the main drags of NYC’s Lower East Side, and this restaurant wouldn’t have felt too out-of-place there 100 years ago. Under the auspices of chef David Teyf, this Certified Kosher delicatessen makes its pastrami, smoked brisket, corned beef, and a full lineup of baked goods in-house, and the menu is loaded with Eastern European Jewish specialties like matza babka, p’tcha (jellied broth), kasha varnishkes, and handmade kreplach. Dinner entrees include chicken Kyiv and their signature pastrami, carved tableside.

This true family operation and a Rehoboth Beach must-visit is run by brothers Frank and Louie Bascio, their mom Diane, their aunt Joanne, and Louie’s wife, Robin. At Frank & Louie’s, they offer a full lineup of Italian sandwiches made with top-quality meats and cheeses; homemade bread, Italian cookies and pastries, and pies; prepared foods including lasagna, meatballs, and chicken parmesan; and a huge variety of sliced-to-order charcuterie and antipasti. All sandwiches are served on warm, crusty ciabatta rolls drizzled with olive oil; whatever you do, don’t try to order yours with lettuce, onion, mustard, or mayo, because they’re not available.

Boca’s destination for all things Italian since 1985 has been V&S (short for Vinny and Sal), including homemade Italian sausage and mozzarella made fresh throughout the day. You can customize your cold sub or opt for their V&S Special (with sopressata, mortadella, and provolone), and standout hot sandwiches include porchetta provolone and broccoli rabe and a spin on meatball parm with American cheese, hot cherry peppers, and red onions. A wide variety of Italian entrees are available to go and be sure to pick up some cannoli or homemade Italian cheesecake on the way out.

This New York-style deli in the heart of Atlanta is renowned for its sandwiches; in fact, they offer more than 100 varieties. The brainchild of owner Claudio Furguiele, Reuben’s starts their sandwiches with bread that’s baked fresh daily, and meats are provided by Boar’s Head and Thumann’s and sliced to order. Standout sandwiches include the Jack Stack (with jerk and blackened turkey, pork sausage, bacon, provolone, pepper Jack, and spicy mayo), the Classic (roast beef, corned beef, turkey, slaw, and Thousand Island dressing), and, of course, a classic Reuben.

When you’re strolling along Honolulu’s Waikiki Beach at sunset and suddenly get an insatiable urge to eat a pastrami Reuben, CJ’s is the place to go. Founded in 2003 by Robert and Suzan Bach and named after their children, Chelsea and Jeremy, CJ’s is a New York-style deli with a Hawaiian twist. Traditional NYC specialties include bagels and lox, matzo ball soup, hot pastrami and corned beef sandwich sandwiches, Reubens, and cheesecake. But this is Hawaii, after all, so don’t miss the loco moco made with a half-pound Black Angus Harris Ranch burger patty (also the foundation for their spectacular burgers), coconut haupia French toast, and their famous kalua pig Reuben, truly a mashup for the ages.

Boise’s Das Alpenhaus is a classic German deli, the only one of its kind in the region. Founder Jamie Webster was raised in a German family and spent time living in Thüringen, and along with his friend Greg Hanson, they’re bringing a taste of the Alps to Boise. There’s no set menu; instead, daily items are written on a chalkboard and specials change daily and are cooked to order. Expect to find bratwurst on a crusty German roll, pork schnitzel sandwiches, currywurst, and giant pretzels with housemade Obatzda cheese. Friday night dinner specials include käsespätzle with ham, sauerbraten, and chicken schnitzel with potato dumplings and gravy.

A Chicago fixture since 1942, Manny’s is one of the last of a dying breed: cafeteria-style delis where you grab a tray, get in line, order from the counter, pay, and take a seat to eat. The experience is certainly old-fashioned, and so is the menu of Jewish deli staples made according to recipes that haven’t changed in decades. The deli sandwiches are massive and overflowing with corned beef, brisket, hard salami, and fresh-roasted turkey. Daily specials include beef stew and noodle kugel on Sundays and chop suey (!) and kasha and noodles on Thursdays. And daily dinner specials include roast beef, baked whitefish, and meatloaf. This is old-school dining at its finest and a Chicago must-visit.

In Indianapolis, Shapiro’s has been serving Jewish deli fare for four generations of the Shapiro family. You don’t see menu items like chopped steak, Swiss steak with gravy, stuffed cabbage, and pineapple upside-down cake too often these days, but at Shapiro’s, they’re timeless standbys. The most famous menu item is their signature peppered beef sandwich, made with beef round that’s been cured, peppered, smoked, and seasoned with a touch of sugar and paprika.

The old-school storefront looks like it was plucked right out of the ’60s, with the only nod to the present being a sign proclaiming the place “Home of the KILLER SANDWICHES.” B&B has been family-owned and operated since John Brooks opened it way back in 1922. It’s a full-service butcher shop and grocery, but as the sign implies, the sandwiches are spectacular.

Their pork tenderloin sandwiches are available in three sizes and are some of the best in the state, their burgers are top-notch, and their iconic “Dad’s Killer” sandwich (roast beef, turkey breast, smoked ham, corned beef, pepper cheese, Swiss cheese, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, kosher pickles, mustard, Miracle Whip, and Italian dressing on an Italian hoagie roll) was voted the city’s best deli sandwich by Des Moines Register readers.

Around since 1986, Cinnamon’s is a family-friendly establishment that takes its sandwiches seriously. In addition to classics like a club, a BLT, a ham and Swiss, and a grilled cheese, Cinnamon’s constructs such serious examples as the Angel on a Haystack (smoked turkey, sprouts, honey mustard, tomato, and cheddar on wheat), the Turkey Avocado Cream Cheese, and the Heart Attack Stack (corned beef, bacon, Swiss, horseradish, and sweet hot mustard on rye). There are also some traditional salads (Greek, Caesar, etc.) and a selection of soups – which are served in a bread bowl.

In business for more than 30 years, this roomy, comfortable New York-style deli offers a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, and homemade desserts. At Stevens & Stevens, you can’t go wrong with corned beef or pastrami on rye (named the Henny Youngman and the Woody Allen, respectively), hot ham and Swiss, BLT, or the signature Yellow Submarine (hot salami, pepperoni, turkey, pastrami, ham, and provolone with Italian dressing on a French roll). Order a side of pasta salad (bowties with sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, almonds, basil, and balsamic dressing) and banana cake with butter toffee and brown butter frosting for dessert.

Shreveport’s oldest continuously family-run business and its best sandwich shop, Fertitta’s was founded by John and Mary Fulco in 1927 and is today run by their granddaughter Agatha Fertitta-McCall. Agatha is just as much of a community fixture as her restaurant, whose claim to fame is the Muffy, her spin on New Orleans’ iconic muffuletta sandwich. This version is made with cotto salami, Danish spiced ham, sliced mozzarella, mustard, and chopped olive salad, and it’s served hot. It may not be as famous as the one served at New Orleans’ Central Grocery (the muffuletta’s birthplace), but it’s certainly delicious.

This adorable, quaint shop can be found in cute, quaint Portland. Rose Foods bakes its bagels fresh in-house daily and serves them with a variety of toppings. Take your pick from spreads (including olive, herb, horseradish, lox, or vegan cream cheeses), fish (including lox, whitefish salad, and salmon roe), and add-ons including onion, cucumber, and avocado; or buy it all by the pound. Be sure to stop in on Fridays, when fresh chocolate chip cookies are also offered.

One of the oldest continually operating restaurants in America, Attman’s, an authentic Jewish deli on Baltimore’s “Corned Beef Row” since 1915, is a true icon of the city. Founded by Harry Attman and today run by his grandson Marc, Attman’s still serves corned beef and pastrami made just as they were more than 100 years ago, as well as a huge variety of combination sandwiches and Jewish deli staples like beef hot dogs, matzo ball soup, Reubens, knishes, and cheesecake. It’s also one of the best places in town to try coddies, a Baltimore regional specialty of a cod cake on a cracker with mustard.

A Boston must-visit since it first opened its doors in 1968, Sam LaGrassa’s is a sandwich shop like few others. LaGrassa still runs the shop to this day, and he hasn’t compromised on quality one bit: breads are baked by local bakers to exacting specifications, meats are prepared in-house fresh daily, and all sauces and dressings are made from scratch. For a taste of what put them on the map, try anything with the house-made Rumanian pastrami (especially the Reuben), a Cuban made with herb-crusted roast pork and honey-glazed ham, a classic tuna melt, or the Loco Chicken (with a pan-fried chicken cutlet, pastrami, jack cheese, bacon, Bermuda onion, chipotle mayo, barbecue sauce, and hot cherry peppers on a round roll).

A certified culinary powerhouse in Ann Arbor, Zingerman’s owns a full-service bakery, candy shop, coffee roastery, creamery, classic American roadhouse, and even a working farm. Still, it all got its start back in 1982 when Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig opened a deli in a historic building near the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

Visit today and you’ll have the opportunity to stock up on a massive variety of meats, cheeses, and pantry items and a truly mind-boggling array of deli sandwiches. We’ll save you the trouble of figuring out what to order: go for the Reuben, stacked with their famous Black Angus corned beef, Emmental Swiss cheese, artisan sauerkraut from The Brinery, and housemade Russian dressing on toasted hand-sliced rye from their own bakehouse.

One of the last true Jewish delis in Minnesota, founded by Cecil & Faye Glickman in 1949, Cecil’s Delicatessen remains the gold standard for sandwiches and traditional Jewish fare in the Twin Cities. All of their soups, bread, and desserts are scratch-made in-house, and their array of classic deli sandwiches (as well as six varieties of Reubens) are joined by truly great burgers, hot dogs, pancakes for breakfast, and potato knishes. Be sure to try their famous root beer float.

A great bagel, just a stone’s throw from Biloxi Bay. Lil’ Market founder Oren Zweig spent months working on his bagel recipe after not being able to find a decent bagel in the area, and he hit the nail on the head. His bagels are hand-rolled and kettle-boiled the old-fashioned way, and come in styles ranging from classic (everything, poppy) to modern (jalapeño cheddar, cranberry pecan), and all cream cheeses and deli meats come from Boar’s Head. Along with bagel sandwiches (try the one with Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese for a true taste of New Jersey) and breakfast bowls, Zweig also serves a fine selection of deli sandwiches.

Founded by Italian-born Charlie Gioia, Gioia’s Deli is a stalwart in the Little Italy neighborhood known as The Hill since 1918. It was named an American Classic by the James Beard Foundation in 2017. Its Italian sandwiches and thin-crust St. Louis-style pizzas are all worthy of renown in their own right, but its hot salami, a thick sausage inspired by Italy’s salam di testa, is what put it on the map. Made with a blend of pork, beef, and secret seasonings, it’s sliced and served hot on garlic bread, and is one of St. Louis’ most iconic bites.

A Missoula standby for more than a decade, Tagliare Delicatessen gets its bread fresh daily from a small local bakery, and many of its meats and cheeses are imported directly from Italy. They all come together to create some of the finest Italian sandwiches you’ll find anywhere. Standouts include the Sublime (prosciutto, hot soppressata, burrata, fresh walnut pesto, spicy garlic aioli, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula) and the signature Megadeth (ham, finocchiona, hot soppressata, pepperoni, hot capicola, smoked mozzarella, pepperoncini, tomatoes, and “feisty slaw”).

Denver natives Bill and Jade Lesko founded this eatery in the small town of McCook in 2015. Città Deli started as a simple Italian sandwich shop but quickly evolved into something more. Today, it’s serving the community as a true New York-style Italian deli that offers fresh salads, soups, gourmet sandwiches, specialty grocery items, a variety of pasta, Italian entrées, and a selection of beer and wine. Top-quality imported meats and cheeses are sliced to order and turkey into spectacular sandwiches, and entrees include lasagna, manicotti, jumbo stuffed shells, and meatballs. Don’t miss the cheesecake for dessert.

Located inside Reno’s Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Manhattan Deli is New York through and through. Appetizers include latkes, blintzes, chopped liver, matzo ball soup, and pickled herring; sandwich options include corned beef, pastrami, and tongue (also available by the pound); and entrees include stuffed cabbage and a knish topped with pastrami and cheddar. But it doesn’t stop there: burgers and hot dogs are also offered, as well as Italian dishes including linguine & clams, spaghetti bolognese, and New York-style pizzas.

Biederman’s Deli is as famous for its sandwiches as for its wide variety of local beers on tap. It’s a friendly, low-key half-pub-half-deli that’s been going strong since 1973, and locals (including Plymouth State University students) love the wide variety of specialty sandwiches made with Boar’s Head meats, but they can also customize their own with a choice of 13 different types of bread (including wraps and croissants), 18 types of meat, 10 kinds of cheese, and countless toppings and condiments. The most iconic creation here is the Balboa, your choice of meat and extra cheese, served hot on a sub roll with garlic butter.

The legendary Harold’s Deli is a Garden State icon. Its wide variety of Jewish deli staples are all essentially perfect, from the smoked fish platters to the old-school dinners including Hungarian goulash and hot tongue in sweet and sour gravy. But there’s one image that comes to mind when we think of Harold’s: towering, absolutely massive deli sandwiches. Seriously, one sandwich can easily serve five people! Bring your friends and get ready for a Jewish deli experience for the ages.

An Albuquerque stand-by for expertly-made deli sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items since 1992, DG’s Deli & Market is a funky restaurant that has a 50s-inspired drive-in vibe and is especially popular among UNM students and workers at local hospitals. All sandwiches are made-to-order with Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, and salads including potato, tuna, Cajun macaroni, and coleslaw are all made in-house. Party subs up to six feet long can be ordered in advance, and weekday breakfast burritos are especially popular.

New York’s Lower East Side was a place where Jewish delis used to be dime a dozen, but the historic immigrant neighborhood is all but bereft of them now. Thankfully, Katz’s Delicatessen has been going strong there since 1888, and very well might be the best, and most famous, Jewish deli in all of America.

Guests are handed a ticket as they walk in (usually after queuing up outside) and head on up to the counter, where they place their order and watch as their iconic homemade hot pastrami, corned beef, brisket, turkey, garlicky knoblewurst, or tongue is hand-sliced by skilled countermen and piled high on rye; no adornment is necessary except perhaps for a schmear of mustard. Stellar soups, latkes, hot dogs, knishes, and steak fries round out the menu. Eating at Katz’s is a quintessential New York experience.

Founded by Sheila Dalton and Matt Neal in downtown Carrboro in 2008, Neal’s puts a decidedly Southern spin on the classic deli concept. Chicken noodle soup, housemade pastrami sandwiches, Italian subs, and Thumann’s hot dogs are joined by Southern specialties including house-smoked duck and andouille gumbo, muffulettas, pimento cheese sandwiches, and some of the best biscuits in town. Hot dogs topped with cheddar, fried apples, roasted carrots, turnips, and homemade cookies round out the eclectic menu.

The insanely popular Country House Deli in Bismarck, is a place where they bake all their own bread, make all their soups (including their signature beer cheese soup) and deli salads from scratch, and use only the highest-quality available ingredients in their lineup of deli sandwiches. Founded in 1976, the place offers great build-your-own sandwiches as well as a full roster of specialty sandwiches including the Country House (summer sausage, salami, Colby cheese, Muenster cheese, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and house sauce) and the Atomic Sub (ham, pepperoni, salami, smoked turkey, pepper Jack, banana peppers, jalapeños, lettuce, tomato, Zing Sauce, spicy ranch, and chipotle honey sauce).

Since 1964 this locally legendary deli is a must-visit for anyone looking for a great Jewish deli nosh, Slyman’s is still family-owned, and still famous for its corned beef sandwiches. They’re absolutely towering, and one sandwich can easily feed four to five people. Corned beef is also available unadorned on rye, with Swiss, in a Reuben, in a hash, in an omelette, or as a $5 “shot” side dish, but you really can’t go wrong in whatever form you have it. Pastrami, roast beef, and turkey are also delicious, as are the burgers, hot dogs, and daily fresh-made tuna salad.

A low-key, friendly sandwich shop, Trencher’s Deli has quietly become a Tulsa mainstay for its thoughtful, quirky menu of inspired soups (including ndambe, a vegan Senegalese black-eyed pea stew) and sandwiches. All bread, meats, and desserts are made in-house, and standout sandwiches include a vegetarian beet Reuben, tawook (marinated chicken or tofu, roasted tomato, pickles, and garlic puree in a house-made pita), Cuban, Stram Don (thick-cut pastrami, coleslaw, Russian dressing, and Swiss on an Italian roll), and the Swizzle (fried chicken cutlet, spicy coleslaw, and spicy mayo on a bun). Also, we’d be remiss if we didn’t compliment them on the naming of their signature salad, the Salad Jessy Raphael.

Here’s a hole-in-the-wall Portland classic that’s been around for more than a decade, offering an unusual mix of food. Sandwiches are the main focus, with such offerings as the Colossal Combo (roast beef, turkey, ham, and salami), the BAE (bacon, avocado, and egg salad), and one featuring kimchi and bulgogi. That last one might give a hint to the other feature of the menu, something not usually found at delis: an array of Asian dishes, including a teriyaki chicken plate, a kimchi spicy pork plate, and a veggie potsticker box.

Unlike some classic Jewish delis which focus either on meat or dairy plus appetizing (essentially, stuff that goes with bagels), Philadelphia’s iconic Famous 4th Street Delicatessen does it all, and it does it very, very well. In business since 1923 and lined with gleaming glass cases beckoning diners with smoked fish, knishes, salami, kugel, cakes, cookies, and more, Famous 4th Street just looks the way a Jewish deli should, and it doesn’t disappoint. Dig into an overstuffed corned beef sandwich with some potato latkes on the side, and go to Jewish Deli Heaven.

Founded by Long Island native Michael Gabriel in 2016 and today run by executive chef Ryan Audette, The Provisioner uses simple, high-quality ingredients to craft a daily-changing selection of mouthwatering sandwiches. One look at the menu will make it obvious that there’s a high-caliber chef here: the flagship Provisioner hero stuffs a fresh-baked ciabatta with five-hour braised beef, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and jus; the T-Bird comes with fresh roasted turkey breast, house-made stuffing, cranberry sauce, melted cheddar, and mayo; the Carnegie piles house-made corned beef (there’s a theme here), melted Swiss, sauerkraut, and homemade Thousand Island on thick-sliced rye; and the Saratoga is a ciabatta with BBQ sauce-smothered breaded chicken cutlet, bacon, and melted cheddar.

There’s also a wide selection of Italian-style cold sandwiches made with imported meats and cheeses, but everything that can be made in-house is made in-house. Also, don’t sleep on the macaroni and cheese, wings, and Mexican street tacos.

This casual Polish-inspired deli makes a wide variety of traditional Polish foods from scratch according to old-world recipes. Handmade pierogi are filled with potato and cheese, sauerkraut, and ground pork; cabbage rolls in tomato sauce, homemade kielbasa, and hunter cabbage stew (bigos) round out the menu, along with a few traditional deli sandwiches. Go for the sampler plate to get a taste of everything.

Lead’s Big Trout Deli, located at the edge of Black Hills National Forest, is a classic, no-frills sandwich shop making sandwiches stacked with your choice of turkey, ham, salami, or roast beef and 12 types of cheese. Be sure to try their Moose Tracks ice cream (vanilla with peanut butter cups and fudge) for dessert, and come back to try their signature pork tenderloin sandwich.

Since opening in 2008, Mitchell Delicatessen has become such an essential part of the Nashville lunch scene that they even sell their own branded merchandise. They specialize in sandwiches made with high-quality ingredients and offer a hot breakfast bar, fresh salads, and homemade soups. Most of their meats are cured or smoked in-house, and they make their sausages. There are also plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, including ones with locally made seitan and tofu. The Turkey Avocado (made with braised chicken and Benton’s bacon), French dip, Italian, house-smoked BBQ beef brisket, and BBA Asian tofu sandwiches are especially popular, as are weekend-only breakfast burritos.

Dan Weinberger is a second-generation deli man; his father founded Weinberger’s in Chicago in 1952 and eventually opened five delis in the area. Dan opened a deli of his own in Grapevine, just outside Dallas, in 2002. Along the way, he learned how to construct the perfect sandwich, and Weinberger’s has since become beloved for its massive selection of wildly creative examples. You can, of course, create your own, but you can’t go wrong choosing one of their specialty sandwiches, which include seven varieties of Reuben, Italian beef, seven styles of cheesesteak, the Dagwood (American cheese, lettuce, ham, Muenster cheese, turkey, red onions, Swiss cheese, roast beef, mayo and tomato salt and pepper on a toasted onion roll), seven Cubans, banh mi, smoked pot roast, and Jersey-style sloppy Joe.

Salt Lake City’s Feldman’s Deli, where “New York chic meets ski chalet comfort,” is a traditional Jewish deli that’s been racking up accolades since 2012. All sandwiches include a half-pound of meat that’s sliced fresh to order, and standouts include corned beef, pastrami, Reubens, and their signature sloppy Joes (with corned beef, pastrami, Thousand Island, and coleslaw on Jewish rye). They also bake some of the best bagels west of New York City (ready to be loaded up with lox and whitefish salad), and entrees include homemade pierogi, stuffed cabbage, chicken paprikash, and brisket.

No matter what you call them in your city, heroes, hoagies, or subs, in Vermont, they’re called grinders, and few places do them better than Gill’s. Founded by Ned and Veda Gilligan in 1964 and today run by their three daughters, Gill’s has since become a beloved institution where the owners are on a first-name basis with regulars. All grinders start with long rolls that are baked fresh daily by a local bakery, and your choice of a wide variety of meats (from salami to tuna to meatball to Maine crabmeat) are piled up with cheese, shredded cabbage, tomato, pickles, onions, and mayo or seasoned oil (lettuce is by request only). Whatever you order, you really can’t go wrong.

This funky retro-style Jewish deli is just a few blocks from the state capitol in downtown Richmond. At Perly’s, you’ll find great bagels with smoked fish, latkes, and knishes, sure, but the quirky specialty sandwiches are where they really shine. They include the Jewbano (tongue, brisket, zucchini pickles, Havarti cheese, yellow mustard, and cherry pepper relish hot on a pressed sub roll) and the Jewish Sailor (hot pastrami, pickled red cabbage, smoked beef sausage, red onion, chopped liver, and deli mustard on toasted rye) alongside killer tuna melts, Reubens, pastrami-topped patty melts, and a hot dog topped with a rye-crusted fried pickle, egg salad, red onion, lettuce, and hot sauce.

Be sure to start with the Jewish Egg Rolls filled with corned beef, kishka, and sauerkraut or Schlubby Fries topped with dill Havarti, pastrami, Russian dressing, pickled onions and peppers, and pickled jalapeños.

An East Coast-style deli in the heart of Seattle’s Pioneer Square, Tat’s pulls in crowds every morning for its breakfast sandwiches and every lunchtime for its huge selection of hoagies, hot subs, and Philly cheesesteaks so good they’d fit right in in Philly. You can’t go wrong with the Italian (capicola, pepper ham, Genoa salami, and provolone with hot and sweet peppers), but if you’re in the mood for a hot sandwich opt for the Italian roast pork, hot beef, hot pastrami, meatball, chicken parm, or crispy chicken bacon ranch.

The Hermosilla family has been in the deli business since opening their first market in Pittsburgh in the 1920s, and today they run a beloved deli and market in Fairmont. Visitors can take them pick from more than 20 meats, 25 cheeses, and more than a dozen toppings and condiments, but if that’s a little overwhelming choose one of their signature sandwiches, including the Deluxe Italian (Genoa salami, capocollo, sopressata, and provolone), Kickin’ Roast Beef (with green onion cheese and horseradish sauce), pastrami or corned beef with Swiss and homemade Russian dressing, or homemade chicken, tuna, or ham salad. They also specialize in party trays of antipasti and cold cuts.

Just about everything on the menu is made from scratch at Stalzy’s, where they take the time to do things right, purchasing primarily Wisconsin ingredients. Bread, including bagels, rye, sourdough, baguettes, challah, and brioche buns, are baked fresh daily (and sold wholesale to lots of restaurants in town), breakfast is served all day (try the smoked brisket hash), and bacon, pastrami, smoked salmon, corned beef, and other deli meats are made in-house. The burgers are also spectacular, and if you stop in on Fridays you’ll be treated to a walleye or haddock fish fry with potato pancakes or German potato salad, coleslaw, and bread.

This friendly deli scores points immediately by baking all their breads in-house — white, whole wheat, marble rye, brioche bun, gluten-free, and more. The menu puts them to good use, with sandwiches ranging from an almost-classic Reuben (they add mustard as well as Russian dressing) to an apple-bacon-cheddar melt to the more unexpected tofu bánh mì and Oaxacan BBQ chicken. Salads and mac & cheese (“straight-up” or build-your-own) fill out the bill of fare.