Looking to try the top delis around?
Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the most popular delis in Detroit, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to satisfy your cravings for sandwiches piled high with corned beef, turkey, pastrami and more.
1. Mudgie's Deli & Wine Shop
Topping the list is Mudgie's Deli & Wine Shop. Located at 1300 Porter St. in Corktown, the artisan deli, bar and café is the highest rated deli in Detroit, boasting 4.5 stars out of 735 reviews on Yelp.
Mudgie’s says it makes everything from scratch, from the ketchup to the corned beef. Piled high with meat that's roasted in-house, look for sandwiches like the Beefy Bleu (beef brisket, pickled red onion, fire-roasted tomato and crumbled blue cheese on a hoagie bun) or the Tempeh of Doom (grilled tempeh, avocado, roasted red pepper, sprouts and provolone on ciabatta). Stop in for brunch every Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for eggs Benedict, bread pudding or a sausage gravy skillet.
Wash it all down with a cocktail, boutique wine or choose from a selection of more than 100 beers.
2. Hygrade Deli
Next up is southwest Detroit's Hygrade Deli, situated at 3640 Michigan Ave. Calling itself "Detroit's best kept secret," the family-owned deli says, "If you die tomorrow, you must try the corned beef today!" Yelpers agree, giving the eatery 4.5 stars out of 99 reviews on Yelp.
Open for more than 65 years, Hygrade Deli offers breakfast items like corned beef with eggs and toast plus housemade soups, sandwiches and salad plates. Standout offerings include the chicken breast salad, an entree featuring assorted cold cuts with potato salad and coleslaw, the hot pastrami sandwich and the toasted triple-decker sandwich with turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Thousand Island dressing.
3. Mike's Famous Ham Place
Mike's Famous Ham Place at 3700 Michigan Ave. is another top choice in southwest Detroit, with Yelpers giving the deli 4.5 stars out of 49 reviews. The landmark spot has been serving hungry patrons since 1974 and promises "off-the-bone goodness."
Ham is the leading attraction at the old-school deli, which has a straightforward menu featuring whole hams, a sandwich of thick-sliced ham stacked high on a kaiser roll, ham with eggs and toast, and pea or bean soup with, you guessed it, more ham.
4. La Pecora Nera
Head downtown to La Pecora Nera, an Italian deli café at 1514 Washington Blvd. that's earned 4.5 stars out of 43 Yelp reviews. The café — with a name that translates to "black sheep" — is housed in a casual space with two long communal tables and racks of olives, pizzelle, Italian sodas and other pantry items for sale.
On the chalkboard menus, look for subs like the Italiano (genoa salami, ham, turkey, mortadella, spicy capicola and provolone), the chicken parmigiana and the caprese, along with salads and gelato. Recently, the deli switched to earlier hours and added breakfast sandwiches to the menu, per WDIV.
5. Lou's Deli
Over on the west side, Lou's Deli is a Detroit staple at 8220 W. McNichols Road, boasting 4.5 stars out of 29 reviews on Yelp. In business for more than 50 years, the classic deli also has locations on West Seven Mile Road in Detroit and on Greenfield Road in Southfield.
On its website, the deli says it's "turning back the hands of time to give you old-fashioned quality at old-fashioned prices."
Menu items include wings, dozens of sandwiches, subs, six homemade soups and deli trays. Colorfully named signature sandwiches include the Big Louie with a full pound of corned beef, the triple-decker Eva's Nachus (roast beef, egg, lettuce, tomato and Russian dressing) and June's Jammin' (hot pastrami, coleslaw, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing).
