Downtown Cary now has a new spot for East Coast-style sandwiches. Pastrami Tom's East Coast Deli & Grill opened this week on West Chatham Street, offering pastrami, Reubens, Cubans, and other deli classics in a fast-casual format. Guests place orders at the counter and then take a seat while staff deliver the food. Owner Tom Scheidler, a longtime Triangle caterer, partnered with chef Eddie Passiglia to bring Northeastern deli flavors to Cary, with an initial menu featuring sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, and large desserts.
The lineup leans hard into deli standards — Reubens, Rachels, roast beef, Cubans and Italian subs — plus a build-your-own sandwich option alongside burgers, soups and salads, as reported by the News & Observer. That coverage notes soups at $5, salads between $9 and $13, half sandwiches starting near $10 and burgers from about $14.50, while desserts like "Grandma Midge's" ice cream pie and Maine whoopie pies run roughly $4.50 to $5.50.
What’s on the menu
Pastrami Tom's keeps its full sandwich lineup and ordering details on its website and its Toast ordering page. Those menus spell out specialty sandwiches, build-your-own options and sides like crinkle-cut fries and house-made chips. The Toast menu lists items such as a Reuben (from $10.50), a Rachel (from $10) and a veggie burger starting at $14.50, along with a range of salads and soups. Both the site and the ordering page also show the restaurant’s West Chatham address and current hours for takeout and dine-in service.
Owner, chef and the concept
Scheidler, a Cincinnati native who runs a local catering business, developed the fast-casual concept to plug what he saw as a gap for East Coast-style delis in the Triangle. Chef Eddie Passiglia, who is from Long Island, leads the kitchen and is set to guide rotating seasonal items. Scheidler’s background feeding college and professional teams, along with the team’s stated plans to expand, were outlined in local business coverage from Business Debut.
What it means for downtown Cary
Pastrami Tom’s adds to a steady trickle of new spots and moves in downtown Cary, following the arrival of Lawrence Barbecue on Cedar Street and the recent opening of The Refreshery at Meridian East Chatham, as detailed by the News & Observer. The paper also notes that a planned full-service restaurant, Lloyd’s, is slated for a former 1950s service station at Chatham and Academy. For shoppers, office workers and nearby residents, the deli brings another quick-service lunch option built around hefty sandwiches and shareable sides.
Pastrami Tom’s is taking walk-ins and online orders through its Toast portal. For hours and updates, check the restaurant’s website, and find full menu details on Toast. Expect counter ordering with food run to tables, rotating seasonal specials and a dessert case full of East Coast treats. For anyone downtown, it is set up as an easy stop for takeaway or a quick sit-down sandwich.
