Like a lot of people, I've driven past Side Door Deli plenty of times, noticed the signage, and…read morethought, I need to check that place out. I'm a sucker for a good NY-style deli, so I finally made the trip. It's a little out of my way from the south side, but I'm glad I made the effort.
Side Door Deli is tucked into an office complex, which sounds a little strange for a deli, but once you're inside, you'd never know it. The place is clean, comfortable, and has none of that "office building restaurant" feeling.
I went with the Reuben, getting both corned beef and pastrami on marbled rye. Naturally, I paired it with a Dr. Brown's root beer. The sandwich was good, although I thought they were a little light on the meat. The meat is Boar's Head, so don't expect the kind of enormous, overstuffed deli sandwich you might get at some old-school New York joints.
They have a pretty impressive selection of sides, and everything is made in-house. I went with the macaroni salad, which surprisingly had carrots in it. Not exactly what I was expecting in my macaroni salad, but it actually worked and was pretty darn good.
The service was excellent. Everyone was extremely friendly, and the proprietor even came by personally to check on me and make sure everything was OK. He asked if it was my first time visiting, and he gave me my drink "on the house". That kind of personal attention goes a long way.
A couple of things to know before you make the trip: they're closed Sundays and close at 3 PM during the week, so this is definitely more of a lunch spot than somewhere you're going to grab dinner, but they do serve breakfast in the mornings, so keep that in mind.
Overall, Side Door Deli is a good little neighborhood deli that's worth checking out if you're in the area. I'd like to make it back and try some of their other sandwiches and sides.
Good food, friendly people, clean spot. Just get there before 3.
