Best of Toronto
The Best Delis in Toronto
I had concluded some time ago that the best delis in Toronto were sadly not worth my love. On every train ride home from New York, I'd spend 14 hours lamenting the illegality of getting pastrami over the border. A loved one would occasionally bring me a pound of Schwartz's from Montreal, but the long waits in between these gifts was starting to get me down. Admittedly hasty, it took only the buzz of a good sandwich to challenge this stubborn assumption that my hometown is inherently meat deficient.
By the time the new Caplansky's had been pre-emptively hailed as deli saviour, I was ready to revisit that conviction that I was deprived by birth. Their fine smoked meat in my own downtown backyard made hopeful a subsequent journey, spanning north and south of the city. And in truth, Toronto loves deli. Quiet and elusive but sure of their history and art, these spots will serve you a sandwich well worth our love.
Words by guest contributor Emily Thomas. Photos by Alyssa Bistonath.
Caplansky's Deli
Smoked meat at Caplansky's rivals my most religious deli experiences in New York and Montreal. It is different from anything else you can find in Toronto, sliced thick and perfect with delicate fatty edges that melt in your mouth. A couple months ago I had one excellent sandwich there, but it has even improved since. My knees are weak. It has evolved into something quite glorious. More »
Centre Street Deli
The location (It's in Thornhill) and entirely nondescript exterior renders the chaos inside sudden and miraculous. Centre Street is huge and colourful with a busy and diverse crowd of regulars, loyal and at ease. The meat is hand cut by default and even the menu urges you to go for the fatty variant of their popular old-fashioned pastrami and corned beef. More »
Wolfie's
The owner is incredible, talking electronics and cracking open tiny glass bottles of coke from his 1954 pop dispenser. He is ecstatic to serve up massive sandwiches of fatty, melty smoked meat on Styrofoam plates. Past locals return to order double portions with reverence, putting it all away like serious business and quietly noting the unchanged deliciousness. This place makes me feel lucky to live in Toronto. More »
Moe Pancer's
The place swells with the pride of three generations of meat love. Fierce waves of locals pour in and out with pounds of meat like second nature. Pancer's moved down the street a few years ago and is currently undergoing a change in ownership, but their passion for the art of deli appears unyielding. I've never had pastrami placed before me with such conviction. More »
Yitz's Deli
The sights, sounds and smells of the place are indulgent, full to the brim. You will question your cravings ten times before ordering, distracted by the trays of freshly baked breads, bagels and cookies. Simply, the place is complete. They do everything well and with confidence. You will be like a kid in a candy store of meat. More »
Steeles Deli Restaurant
Steeles feels like a diner my mum or dad would have taken me in the eighties when we were in need of some comfort food. It is full of elderly patrons that show up twice a day ordering home made soup, chopped sirloin, and liver and onions. The regulars recommend the kishka and are obsessed with particular gravy that it will (and must) come smothered in. More »
Switzer's Airport Deli
Getting to Switzer's on public transit will leave a cold and empty space in your soul the exact size and shape of a Switzer's sandwich. So you break even upon arrival, but decide for yourself if their legendary Reuben is worth the wild ride into industrial Malton. In any case, rest assured the industry folk of the GTA have some fine deli at their disposal. More »
Corned Beef House
The brightness and warmth will put you in a good mood even before the spicy apple pie or homemade cheesecake. The meat is hand-cut by request and entirely satisfying. The coffee is free and the service is pleasant to the bone. Sparse but steady regulars drop in and out. You will leave with a peaceful soul and stomach. More »
Katz's Deli
The lunch rush at Katz's is hysterical. They're no relation to the New York version, but share the same loud and cafeteria-like atmosphere. The portions are huge, the corned beef is juicy and delicate, and I have never felt compelled to mention the bread before, but theirs was warmed to such crispy perfection that it's almost confusing. More »
Mutual Street Deli
Go there for the great coffee, tasty corned beef and a good-portioned sandwich for a decent price. The atmosphere is full and warm and the staff is excessively friendly (and sometimes sassy). More »
Discussion
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Before Caplansky's opened the only reasons to go to Mels were either that you wouldn't venture north of Bloor and didn't know where the Corned Beef House is located or you were too drunk to know better. Now to go there you'd have to be adverse to venturing north of Bloor and not know where Caplansky's or the Corned Beef House are located or still be too drunk to know better.
Mel's has only been in the Annex for about 10 yrs, no? Long enough to be an institution, I guess, but you'd have to be pretty young for it to have featured heavily in your youth.
I looked at the map first and you got my hopes up. "An entry east of Coxwell??"
This is hilarious, as noted by another, Mel's had been in the Annex 10 yrs. or less. I remember when it was Pizzadelic. I agree with another post, you guys are losing your credibility with basic errors like this. Or perhaps you have become a creative writing site.
It is reassuring, however, that some people are passionate about deli in this city!
As far as you Mel haters, I'm amazed that you still don't understand that the results are based on a reader poll. And for all you haters out there, we get lambasted when they're not mentioned elsewhere like the Best Poutine results:
http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_poutine_in_toronto/
And, btw, instead of just criticizing. Please consider adding something constructive to the discussion. What are your favourite delis in Toronto?
When it first arrived on the scene, I eagerly tried it and was disappointed (at the time, mainly by the incredibly shitty, surly service). I tried it again a few times recently and while the level of service seemed to have improved marginally, the smoked meat sandwich is inconsistent at best. The last time I was there this summer the meat was dry and tough, like jerky, and the sandwich was thrown together.
Pass on Mel's folks...go to Dominion for 24 hour food.
Mel's truly is horrid.
Their meat, sandwiches and soups are SUPER tasti, and the portions feed a family of four. SERIOUS; I am not kidding.
I live downtown and often make the trip there.
I'm going to go out on a limb and take that comment one step further:
"I'm from Montreal and Toronto has no good [restaurant type] anywhere. If you really want a good [food item] you won't find it here."
Well if you are a Montrealer I'll assume you intend to insert "strip bars" and "lap dance" to the statement above as well.
Back to the topic of Deli In T.O., I have to agree, Mel's sucks.
The best places in Toronto for deli IMHO are Centre Street (old fashoined MSM), Pancers (Pastrami and Corned Beef) and the newbie Caplanskys (his own smoked meat). When I worked downtown the Corned Beef House sufficed, but now I would hike over to the Monarch or wherever Caplansky ends up.
BTW the reason you don't find homesick Torontonians in Montreal is that they all return home once they've graduated.
No big deal. I welcome the upswing of healthy, pro-vitality food source restaurants. You can take your old-man, artery clogging, depression-ridden, diabetes-prone, medicare-killing, life-shortening food sources with you to Quebec. I have lived in European-style cities before and witnessed their mind-numbing, past-looking-traditional, bi-polar inducing, health-condition-deteriorating circumstances. Not far to the day of vegetarian and pro-biotic, wine & juice bar, organic-lean-meat-sourced, down-home localized meal prep places. Not long now. Try not to have a cardiac on the way back to Montreal.
You fucking pussy.
This is the 10 BEST DELI'S!!!!
If Blogto does a "Best lavender infused vegan treat tea houses" then you can speak up.
For fucks sakes.
Centre Street Deli brings me back to the days of Cote St Luc and Snowdon deli etc. Really great!!
If literally everything in Toronto is so horrible regarding food, where on earth do you people eat?
I've enjoyed Mel's dozens of times at several points in the day and I think their food is wonderful!
Also George's (one on Bathurst and one on Dundas) has some killer smoked meat. Mmmmm.
It is, ironically, quite stunning just how wrong that is. <i>Pace</i> an enormous chunk of Montreal's indie music scene, among lots and lots of other aspects of anglophone Montreal life in and around the Plateau.
Anecdotally -- it's always fun to watch the Toronto-supplied Godspeed folks try and deflect talk about their Toronto backgrounds. Toronto grads literally litter Montreal's hipster universe. Just don't expect any of them to admit it.
Inside the place is the real deal ..hope you like the 'coke' decor kinda random coke stuff everywhere like dutch dreams only no cows.. the smoked meat is the best I have had out of the this bunch and closest to almighty Schwartz's .. haven't tried Caplansky's Deli though. Spicy mustard is nice too and staff is freindly.
I didn't vote for this pole... because I wouldn't know where to find that on this vast, huge site of distracting tidbits of awesome.
Hey, dudes, where does one find these poles of opinion finding goodness?
They have the BEST deli sandwiches and lunch specials ever.
Such a great meal at a reasonable price.
I see that everyone is talking about the best deli's in T.O.
Moe Pancers Deli is still going strong and has the best corned beef and pastrami in the city making it in house everyday.
Priced accordingly with there competitors. New items as well as tried and true. Always a good place to go. I believe that it is "the go to" deli in Toronto