Natalia and Cristoforo’s
351 NW Jackson Avenue
Natalia and Cristoforo’s is the rare Italian deli that actually is an Italian deli. Seriously, it feels like going to a potluck in the basement of the Holy Rosary Church in Cleveland’s Little Italy. With quality meats beyond basic salami—think mortadella, sopressata, and capocollo—they offer enormous sandwiches at reasonable prices. You can also take some home to make your own or wow dinner guests with fancy charcuterie at half the price of Market of Choice.
Old World Deli
341 SW 2nd Street
The sandwich, as I understand it, was developed around the concept of thick moist bread and a high stack of fillings. Some people may countenance this thin bread half a slice of cheese nonsense, but I subscribe to the old school. If you come from where I do and expect your sandwich to run deep, Old World is your place. This is a high sandwich-to-dollar ratio type of place too, so feel free to bring the whole family.
Baguette
121 SW 3rd Street
Baguette is a Vietnamese sandwich shop serving up flavorful delights including vegetarian choices, as well as chicken and pulled pork options. They’re pretty much the only banh mi option in town and they have enough variety to give you a full flavor spectrum, but not so much that by the time you finish reading the ingredients of the last sandwich, you’ve already forgotten what was in the first. Freshly sliced carrots, cilantro, and cucumbers are main players in this sandwich game, and are deliciously complemented by a number of marinades and sauces.
Café Yumm
2001 NW Monroe Ave.
Café Yumm may at first glance confuse you; is it just a place that serves burritos unwrapped and dumped in a bowl? Yes… and no. Yes, that is essentially what a yumm bowl is, but it’s more than that. From their oddly delectable yumm sauce, so their flexibility on customization, the yumm bowl has a ton of potential. I like to do a Large Yumm Baby with light yumm sauce, extra cilantro and sour cream and add the jalapeno salsa. Trust me, I’m an unnamed newpaper source. But seriously, this place is great. They do a crazy good garden burger too.
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