Deli-licious: Ashkenaz Deli

By Molly Durham in Food on Mar 2, 2012 9:20PM

Italian delis aren't the only places with stacks of delicious meats and awesome sandwich deals in Chicago. While we're clearly big fans of those, other types like Jewish deli Ashkenaz Deli hold their own.

Tucked away on a corner in the Gold Coast, Ashkenaz is pretty unassuming. You might not notice it when you walk by. But it's tasty, small, and from what we can tell, pretty authentic. In addition to their sandwich selections, which include Vienna beef pastrami, roast beef, lox & cream cheese and salami, they've got soups, sides, meat platters and meats and cheeses available by the pound. Traditional Jewish options in their "Family Recipes" section include gefilte fish, potato pancakes, stuffed kishke(beef intestine), noodle pudding and cheese blintzes.

We recommend doing the half sandwich, soup and either a side or soft drink combo. They pack what's pretty much a whole sandwich worth of meat onto half of the bread, so for $8.50 it turns out to be a good deal. The pastrami on rye was one of the best sandwiches we've had in a while. It's spicy, piled high with meat and packed with flavor, making it extremely filling. The matzo ball soup was as comforting as we had hoped, somehow satisfying despite probably being one of the most bland options they have. The potato salad was tangy and had a sharp mustardy bite.

Side options seem endless: whatever kind of non-lettuce salad you'd like, you can pretty much get. Bean salads, potato salads, macaroni salads, and two forms of coleslaw all make your decision tough. But we have a feeling you can't go too wrong here - everything we tasted was solid.

In the warm months they have outdoor seating, so it is the perfect spot to stop in on your way home from work, after shopping or after any type of touristy downtown thing.

Ashkenaz Deli is located at 12 East Cedar Street