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 »
Coleman's Deli
Coleman's is busy and quiet, full of families and bagels and home made soup in a mug around dinnertime. Their meats are piled high and hand cut for a couple extra dollars. "Big Moe" is the favorite, hot beef brisket with onions and horseradish. More »
Mel's Montreal Delicatessen
Mel's is a sacred institution amongst anyone that spent youth in the Annex. The 24-hour smoked meat everything (sandwich, pasta, poutine - they put it all over the place) is a cheap and welcome antidote to the tired, drunk or stressed out. Synonymous to my student years is that vague and familiar yellow glow at 3 am. 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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Mel's ahead of Pancers? Mels on a list of good Deli?
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 is a sacred institution amongst anyone that spent youth in the Annex"
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.
The map shows the Centre Street Deli out in Scarborough.
I looked at the map first and you got my hopes up. "An entry east of Coxwell??"
Mel's at #5 is total proof your list has zero cerd. Please educate yourself on what a quality meal is
Guys - please stop freakin' out about Mel's. These are the results from our reader poll. We didn't rank them #5. You did.
"Mel's is a sacred institution amongst anyone that spent youth in the Annex"
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.
Mel's a best deli? This is what happens. This is what happens when you leave the BEST OF rankings in the hands of several thousand (obviously undiscerning) souls. This is what happens.
It is reassuring, however, that some people are passionate about deli in this city!
@Ryan - Good catch. The map has been updated. Centre St. Deli is now in the right place.
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?
I second Tim's comments. Wash off the hate, people. Input the love.
At least all of the hate for Mel's has postponed the inevitable "there are no good delis in Toronto" comments. Just like all the "there are no good Mexican, poutine, or pizza places in Toronto" comments that dominate every discussion about food in this city.
Tim's assertion that the presence of Mel's is due to this being a reader poll only underscores the fact that people have no judgement when they're drunk or stressed out.
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.
Tim, I suspect packaging these "Best Of" pieces as opinion, rather than survey results, is what leads to all the shocked negativity. Does it say in the piece that these are survey results? I can't find it.
Mel's truly is horrid.
I'm excited about Caplansky's ... it's only a few blocks from where I'm moving. Mmm.
The best deli of Toronto..... is in Mississauga, and it's called "Peter's on Eglinton".
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.
"At least all of the hate for Mel's has postponed the inevitable "there are no good delis in Toronto" comments. Just like all the "there are no good Mexican, poutine, or pizza places in Toronto" comments that dominate every discussion about food in this city."
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."
"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.
Hey, you're never going to find an ex-Torontonian in Montreal who's homesick; on the other hand...
siboire! to All ex-montrealer's: Yes it is difficult to get real good poutine in the city. Just get over yourself. Or go to MTl more often so you can get your poutine fix...that's what I do! Better yet: start your very own poutine place or make it yourself. s'pas dure criss!
Back to the topic of Deli In T.O., I have to agree, Mel's sucks.
OK, I won't blame you, I will blame the readers who chose to put Mels as their favourite deli in your poll. I voted, but I happily educated myself before I voted. Clearly others didn't. I attribute it to people who go to Mels late at night when they are loaded, to people who don't venture north of Bloor and to people who don't know deli.
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.
Ahh the disenchanted mutterings of the old-school restaurant critics lamenting their pseudo-traditions.
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.
"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.
BTW.
Centre Street Deli brings me back to the days of Cote St Luc and Snowdon deli etc. Really great!!
I love how many people complained about the list, as I doubt any of them bothered to contribute to the poll.
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.
Aww sippy - I love you!
BTW the reason you don't find homesick Torontonians in Montreal is that they all return home once they've graduated.
It is, ironically, quite stunning just how wrong that is. Pace 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.
In my opinion one of the best deli's in the city is right in the heart of downtown Toronto. The Corned Beef House has such a great sandwich and the vibe in that place is amazing. Try and get a table during luch hour if you arrive after 12 noon. The only thing wrong with this place is that they close to early and they do not stay open late on the weekends
If you can get to wolfies its a gem. Looks dirty as hell from the outside and the parking lot is hideous.
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.
Zane (Meat Smoker Extraordinaire) truly deserves to have Caplansky's on this list. He's working hard to bring us the true love of meat - and he is succeeding.
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?
I have been going to Zupa's Deli at Peter and Adelaide Streets for 25 years and it has amazing corned beef on rye! Everything on their menu is wicked. Huge portions.
I heard that both Mel's and Coleman's have closed their doors for good. Can anybody confirm this?
Correct, both Mel's and Coleman's have closed. Zoulpy's, another old fashioned deli on King East, also closed recently.