21 Classic St. Louis Delis and Sandwich Shops

Crusty flour-dusted ciabatta is the base for the restaurant’s signature sandwich, the roasted pork. Thin slices of rosemary-kissed pork tenderloin; creamy, prosciutto-like country ham; and crisp pickles are accented with rustic grain mustard. Perhaps the best part of the sandwich is when the liberally slathered housemade garlic mayonnaise squishes out through the bread’s little cracks. – Cheryl Baehr

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Everyone loves the “Mom’s Special” at Mom’s Deli, with its layers of turkey, roast beef and ham shaved so thin it’s like prosciutto. Mom’s piles on crisp lettuce, thick slices of tomatoes, onions, pickles and Mun-chee cheese. (Don’t ask, just enjoy.) – Cheryl Baehr

Photo credit: Caroline Yoo

Gioia’s Deli began its life as a grocery store back in 1918 before transitioning to a deli, and thank goodness it did. Gioia’s is now famous for its hot salami, or salam de testa: a thick, soft salami made from beef and — yes — pork snouts. The more familiar Italian meats are terrific, too, like the “Italian Trio,” a dreamlike blend of mortadella and Genoa salami, peperoncini, onions and cheese on toasted garlic bread

Photo credit: Johnny Fugitt

LeGrand’s — one of St. Louis’ very last Tomboy grocery shops is a bona fide family-owned supermarket that’s been making sandwiches seriously since the late ’90s, and now has 46 to choose from. The chip selection is huge (50+ options), with such oddball favorites as Uncle Ray’s Dill Pickle and Oke-Doke Onion Rings. – Nicholas Phillips

Photo credit: Nicholas Phillips

If the name Vitale sounds familiar, it should. Owner Mike Vitale is the son of Pete and Grace Vitale, founders of Vitale’s Bakery on the Hill. Vitale’s offers nine different sandwiches including “The Pete,” an Italian sandwich is Vitale’s version of what he grew up eating on the Hill: ham, salami, roast beef, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and house-made Italian dressing.

Photo credit: Cheryl Baehr

Located on the corner of Soulard’s picturesque and peaceful Pontiac Park, 9th Street Deli offers several must-try sandwiches — the meatball sub, with Provel and marinara sauce, and the “St. Louisan,” comprised of mortadella, capocolla, salami, ham and Provel, are good places to start.

Photo credit: Madelaine Azar

If you want to make a great sandwich, it helps to use the “best salumi in the country.” That’s not our call, by the way (though we’re inclined to agree). In 2011, the notoriously difficult-to-please Forbes food writer Larry Olmsted declared that Salume Beddu is “making products to rival the best of Europe.”

Photo credit: Lauren Milford

Kirkwood Deli & Grocery looks like any other suburban corner market — the sort of place you go to pick up a six-pack of Corona and a lotto ticket. However, if you look more closely, you’ll see a sandwich board advertising the “Best Gyro in Town.” With little more than the sort of electric griddle you use in a home kitchen, Kirkwood Deli serves not only gyros, but a comprehensive sandwich selection, using all Boar’s Head meats.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

The deli, opened in 1974 by Dee and Tom Ruma, is now headed up by their grandson Brock Ruma, who as a toddler starred in Ruma’s television commercials. The Italian deli is known for its signature sandwiches, including the “Gerber Special,” a hot, open-face ham sandwich with melted garlic butter and Provel cheese. Another perennial favorite is “Dee’s Special,” named for Brock Ruma’s grandmother: cold roast beef and ham.

Photo credit: Katie Moulton

The Gramophone opened as a music venue in 2008, and as the Grove neighborhood began to change, so did the Gramophone. To capitalize on the neighborhood’s changing demographics, they closed the curtain on their music program and rebranded as a deli and neighborhood tavern. The sandwiches have a classic feel, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring. The “BBLT,” for instance, is like a traditional BLT pumped full of growth hormones — it’s served on Texas toast with a triple portion of bacon.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Nora’s is a welcoming neighborhood joint with touches here and there that make it more than just another deli. Notably, Nora’s smokes many of its meats in-house. It makes a difference. The sandwich “For Pete’s Sake” features slices of pork loin smoked over apple wood. This is topped with even more pork (bacon), melted Brie, caramelized onion and applesauce.

Photo credit: Jennifer Silverberg

Adriana’s On The Hill has been a sandwich institution for the past 25 years, family-owned and run by Adriana Fazio and her daughters, Suzanne, Dianna and Tia. For a long time the deli largely catered to the neighborhood’s meat-eaters — the menu features plenty of salami, roast beef and pepperoni — but in recent years they’ve become known as the best spot in the Hill neighborhood to grab a vegetarian sandwich that will have even the carnivores drooling.

Photo credit: Tara Mahadevan