Congratulations to A.P. Deli & the Battees! A.P. Deli is a longtime client. The article is here & below. This is at least the 2nd year in a row A.P.’s won this award. A couple of weeks ago, two other clients, Dill Pickle Food C0-op & Ravenswood Animal Hospital won similar awards (here).
Chicago’s 24 best new, notable and nostalgic corned beef sandwiches
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You may have noticed a lot has changed on the corned beef beat since I started covering what happened to the big Jewish delis in Chicago in 2018.
I ranked the 17 best corned beef sandwiches from 31 restaurants I’d visited by then the following year. By 2020, most remained open for takeout on St. Patrick’s Day, despite the first pandemic dining room closure mandate, which took effect the night before.
Last year, you could get 24 great corned beef sandwiches across the city and suburbs, and even a free sandwich from Manny’s, then running its unsuccessful customer mask challenge.
This year, we’ve seen more changes on the corned beef beat. Boeufhaus, which ranked in first place for best corned sandwich, has finally reopened in the Humboldt Park neighborhood after a two-year pandemic closure, but hasn’t added corned beef sandwiches back to its menu. ChiTown Sandwich Club seems to have closed in Lakeview East. City Mouse is long gone, along with the whole Ace Hotel in the West Loop. Harrington’s is back, but with catering only from a new location in Portage Park. Perry’s Deli has given up its last vestige at the Bacci Pizzeria in the Loop. Rye Deli & Drink in Greektown has temporarily closed, promising a new menu this spring.
I’ve added three new entries to my list: Romanian Kosher Sausage Company, The Chicago Diner and Wyler Road. Romanian, by the way, would have made the best ranked list in 2019, but at the time, we only included restaurants with some on-site dining. Further proof that nothing stays the same.
The best, new, notable and nostalgic corned beef sandwiches (plus a little pastrami) in Chicago and the suburbs, in alphabetical order:
Original corned beef at A.P. Deli
Joe Eddy Battee created a corned beef recipe for side hustle sandwiches at the corner store his father opened in 1984 on the South Side of Chicago. They made the Black-owned business a destination. The extended family now has three locations that offer generous helpings of the luscious meat. To maximize the delicious mess, get fries tossed in A.P. sauce — the deli’s take on mild sauce.
$13.21. 1759 E. 75th St., 773-288-4931; 10758 S. Michigan Ave., 773-821-8480; 15033 Dixie Highway, Harvey, 708-596-2270; apdeli.com
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