St. Paul's pastrami lane is really its whole deli and counter culture: the cured meats, the melts, and the corner rooms that have been doing this since before it was fashionable to call it that. This list runs from Cecil's actual pastrami to the sandwich counters that share the same DNA.
№ 01
Bangkok Thai Deli
St. Paul $$
333 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55103 · +16512244300
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Pad see ew arrives with restraint here, less sweet than the pad Thai on the same menu, which is the point for regulars who treat this St. Paul storefront as their default takeout order. Cream cheese wontons round out a menu built for speed and consistency rather than spectacle. It occupies a former fast-food box, a detail that says more about the neighborhood's turnover than the kitchen's ambition.
What to orderpad see ewe, cream cheese wontons, pad Thai
№ 02
Cecil's
St. Paul $$
651 Cleveland Ave S, Saint Paul, MN 55116 · +16516980334
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The pastrami sandwich is the reason this St. Paul deli belongs on a pastrami list at all, built on fresh baked bread with the kind of unhurried counter service that lets a table linger. Corned beef sits alongside it as the other draw. This is a deli in the old sense, not a chain's version of one, and it reads that way from the moment the bread smell hits.
What to orderpastrami sandwich, corned beef sandwich, fresh baked bread
№ 03
Nelson Cheese & Deli
St. Paul $
1562 Como Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108 · +16516471288
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Specialty hot dogs share the case with sandwiches and salads at this no-frills St. Paul counter, where the fresh-built lunch runs efficient rather than fussy. Regulars return for years at a stretch, treating it as the metro's default lunch stop. Street parking nearby keeps the in-and-out logic intact. It is not trying to be more than a well-run sandwich counter, and that is the appeal.
What to ordersandwiches, salads, specialty hot dogs
№ 04
Finnish Bistro Coffee & Cafe
St. Paul $$
2264 Como Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108 · +16516459181
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A lefse scramble anchors the brunch menu at this St. Paul cafe, Scandinavian heritage folded into an egg dish rather than treated as a museum piece. The counter-order system routes diners to patio seating when the weather allows it, though service pacing has drawn complaints on busier mornings. Coffee is the other steady draw for anyone ducking in from the street.
What to orderlefse scramble, coffee, eggs
№ 05
Day by Day Cafe
St. Paul $$
477 7th St W, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · +16512270654
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Breakfast runs all day at this St. Paul cafe, pancakes and eggs served in a room big enough to hold a patio crowd in summer and a dining room the rest of the year. The kitchen's pace and the staff's patience get more credit than the food itself in most accounts, though the all-day breakfast format alone sets it apart from rooms that cut off the griddle at eleven.
What to orderpancakes, eggs, coffee
№ 06
Lost Fox
St. Paul $$
213 4th St E, Saint Paul, MN 55101 · +16514934694
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The Breakfast Burger draws the strongest praise here, a garlic aioli doing real work on a plate that shares menu space with Brunch Poutine and a pulled pork sandwich finished with house made coleslaw and a sweet edge. This St. Paul cafe also runs a dog-friendly coffee counter with flavored lattes, making it as much a coffee stop as a sit-down brunch room.
What to orderBreakfast Burger, Brunch Poutine, Pulled Pork Sandwich
№ 07
St. Paul Meat Shop
St. Paul $$
1674 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105 · +16516982536
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The house grind and the meat sticks by the register are the entry points at this St. Paul counter, but the Shepherd's Pie is the dish that justifies the prices, built from cuts the shop clearly takes seriously. This is a butcher counter with a prepared-foods program attached, not a deli chasing pastrami trends, and the quality argument holds up across repeat visits.
What to ordermeat sticks, house grind, Shepherd's Pie
№ 08
St Paul Cheese Shop
St. Paul $$
1573 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105 · +16516983391
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A cheese melt paired with tomato soup is the order that keeps people coming back to this St. Paul counter, the soup's consistency doing as much work as the sandwich itself. The room is small, the parking easy, and the order-ahead system keeps the line moving at lunch. It functions as a straightforward sandwich stop rather than a destination, and it does that job well.
What to ordercheese melt, tomato soup, sandwich
№ 09
Hey Bear!
St. Paul
791 Raymond Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55114
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An egg biscuit sandwich built on a light, fluffy biscuit with a well seasoned sausage patty is the headline order at this St. Paul coffee counter, with the SEC sandwich drawing its own following. The coffee program gets separate praise from the biscuits. It reads as a new addition to a St. Paul block that has been filling back in with small businesses.
What to orderegg biscuit sandwich, SEC sandwich, coffee
Frequently asked
What is the best pastrami sandwich near me in St. Paul?
Cecil's is the strongest answer on this list, with a pastrami sandwich built on fresh baked bread and the kind of deli counter that does not rush the table. The St. Paul Meat Shop is worth a look too, though its strength is prepared meats and cuts rather than a classic pastrami sandwich specifically.
How is the Insider Score determined for these St. Paul delis and cafes?
The Insider Score is built from the pattern in the public review record for each restaurant: consistency of the signature dishes, how the room actually operates for a walk-in, and repeat praise over time. No restaurant pays to be listed and no placement here was purchased.
Are any of these restaurants actually in Minneapolis?
No. Every restaurant on this list operates in St. Paul, a separate city from Minneapolis with its own downtown and its own deli and cafe tradition. None of these rooms should be filed under Minneapolis.
Which of these spots is best for a quick counter lunch rather than a sit-down meal?
Nelson Cheese & Deli, St Paul Cheese Shop, and the St. Paul Meat Shop are built for fast counter service and quick pickup. Cecil's and Day by Day Cafe are the better choice if the goal is a sit-down meal with table service.
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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.
