Minneapolis does not have a deep pastrami bench the way it has a Jucy Lucy one, so this list widens the lens to the counters and delis actually doing the work: cured meat, hot dogs, and the sandwich culture around them. Some of these rooms are old-school delis, some are dive bars, and none of them are chasing a New York deli's reputation on purpose.
№ 01
Uncle Franky's
$
728 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 · +16124552181
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The Chicago dog is the order here, snapped casing and the full garden of toppings, alongside a brat that holds its own against the dog. Uncle Franky's runs counter service in a no-frills room, the kind of stand where the menu runs long on hot dogs and burgers and short on pretense. It is a Minneapolis staple for a fast, greasy meal, not a sit-down occasion.
What to orderChicago dog, brat, burger
№ 02
Heather's
$$
5201 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55417 · +16124458822
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The salmon dinner and a tuna melt anchor a menu built more for brunch than for deli meat, but the patio is the real draw on a warm Sunday. Heather's operates as a neighborhood room with attentive table service, fresh ingredients, and a following that treats it as a standing weekend appointment rather than a discovery.
What to orderSalmon dinner, Tuna melt, Espresso
№ 03
Wise Acre Eatery
$$
5401 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419 · +16123542577
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Eggs benedict and pancakes lead a counter-service breakfast built around a farm table concept, with a small market of produce and meats attached and a CSA program on offer. The open kitchen lets diners watch the line work. Service can slow when the room fills on weekends, but the sourcing is the point.
What to ordereggs benedict, pancakes, breakfast sandwich
№ 04
Emily's Lebanese Deli
$$
641 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 · +16123794069
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Tabouli and hummus are the benchmark dishes at this small Lebanese deli, with shawarma rounding out a menu built on decades of steady repeat business. The room is tight, better suited to a couple or a small group than a crowd, and the cooking reads as close to home kitchen as a restaurant gets.
What to ordertabouli, hummus, shawarma
№ 05
Mayslack's
$$
1428 4th St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418 · +16127899862
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The roast beef sandwich carries the name recognition, though opinions split on whether the meat itself earns it; the wings, especially on the seventy-five-cent night, draw the steadier praise. Mayslack's runs as a dive bar first, a kitchen second, the kind of Northeast Minneapolis room built for beer and a game more than a plated meal.
What to orderwings, roast beef sandwich, beer
№ 06
Marty's Deli
$$
400 NE Lowry Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55418 · +1612-886-3952
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The egg and cheese sandwich with hashbrowns is the reason lines form before the doors open. Marty's Deli runs counter service in a room that functions as much as neighborhood gathering point as breakfast counter, and the wait is treated as part of the routine rather than a deterrent.
What to orderegg and cheese sandwich, hashbrowns, classic deli sandwich
№ 07
Caffrey's Deli & Subs
$
3008 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16128225551
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The meatball sub and the sandwich known as the Adult Club draw diners from well outside Minneapolis proper, potato salad included as a side worth ordering twice. Caffrey's is counter service and takeout-forward, priced at the low end, and the sandwiches carry the kind of reputation that survives a drive across the metro.
What to ordermeatball sub, Adult Club, potato salad
№ 08
O'Donovan's Irish Pub
$$
700 N 1st Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403 · +16122278463
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Colcannon and fish and chips anchor a menu built for groups before a game or during a ticketed brunch event, soda bread rounding out the Irish staples. O'Donovan's runs a patio and an inside room both suited to large parties, with service that reads as consistently attentive across busy stretches.
What to ordercolcannon, fish and chips, soda bread
№ 09
Luna & The Bear - Kitchen & Libation House
18 W 26th St, Minneapolis, MN 55404 · +16128863081
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Burrata and jam opens the meal, roasted chicken and seasonal vegetables carry it through, in a New American room set inside an older building with detailed interior work. Luna and the Bear leans on its patio for a relaxed dinner setting and has drawn attention during restaurant week promotions for generous portions.
What to orderburrata and jam, roasted chicken, seasonal vegetables
№ 10
The Lowry Cafe
$$
2207 Lowry Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55411 · +16126772233
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Pancakes, eggs, and hash browns make up the classic diner order at a counter with a lot of natural light and a straightforward look. Service has been reported as friendly, though the room's cleanliness and the pancake's doneness have drawn some inconsistency. Diners should call ahead, since closures have been reported.
What to orderpancakes, eggs, hash browns
№ 11
Marino's Deli
$
1946 Johnson St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418 · +16127810970
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Spaghetti and meatball, served with two slices of house-baked bread, headlines a menu that also runs sandwiches and cannoli. Marino's Deli is counter service in a compact neighborhood spot, the kind of place regulars discover slowly and then return to for the full range of the menu rather than one dish.
What to orderspaghetti and meatball, sandwich, cannoli
№ 12
Egg on a Roll
201 N 5th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +1612-223-5529
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The goat cheese breakfast sandwich draws comparisons to the late Bachelor Farmer's version, high praise for a counter with no seating. Egg on a Roll runs fast and cheap, built for a grab-and-go morning order, with fillings that read as fresher than the bread that holds them.
What to orderbreakfast sandwich, goat cheese sandwich, egg sandwich
Frequently asked
Is there a real pastrami deli tradition in Minneapolis?
Not really, at least not one on the scale of the old Jewish delis of New York or Chicago. Minneapolis and St. Paul's deli culture runs more toward Lebanese, Italian, and general sandwich counters, plus the sausage-and-cold-cut tradition at places like Kramarczuk's in Minneapolis. This list reflects that reality rather than forcing a pastrami frame onto rooms that do not serve it.
What is the best deli or sandwich spot near me in Minneapolis?
It depends on the neighborhood and what is being craved. Marty's Deli and Marino's Deli both run tight, counter-service rooms with loyal local followings; Caffrey's Deli & Subs draws diners across the metro for its meatball sub. Check the Insider Score attached to each listing, which reflects the review record, not a payment. No restaurant on this list paid for placement.
How is the Insider Score calculated?
It comes from an analysis of the public review record for each restaurant, weighing volume and consistency of praise for specific dishes and service patterns. It is not influenced by advertising or by any fee; no restaurant pays to appear in this guide or to receive a particular score.
Are any of these restaurants in St. Paul or the suburbs?
No, all twelve rooms on this list operate within the city of Minneapolis. St. Paul and the suburban ring, Edina, St. Louis Park, Bloomington, and the rest, each have their own deli and sandwich traditions worth covering separately, and this guide does not mix the two cities together.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Marit Solheim
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Marit Solheim is the Food Editor at Top of Minneapolis. Born and raised in the Longfellow neighborhood of south Minneapolis, she spent six years on the line in downtown kitchens before she started writing. She covers the institutions and the chef tier in both downtowns and holds the desk to one standard: know which city you are standing in.
