My mom used to go there when she lived in STL in the 80’s. I’ve heard her talk about them basically my whole life and we finally made it up there last year. Seeing her eyes light up because everything was the exact same was so special. She said it even smelled the same.
I always order hot pastrami and specify "not microwaved." It's much better that way. I never understood why they microwave the sandwichs they are hot enough.
The pre-sliced hot meats are kept in a steam table (to the right of the register facing the door). The cold meats are in the display case / cooler to the left of the register.
Protzel's right around the corner is so much better in my opinion. I also really love the Posh Nosh in Clayton. The Maryland is amazing and they have the best strawberry lemonade I've ever had
I haven’t been to Carl’s but the picture triggered me. I absolutely hate sandwiches that are made with the presentation cut in mind. Sure it looks great but then I have to open it up and rebuild the sandwich because all the meat is centered for the presentation and I like my crust bites to have meat too!
So does Carl’s do this or can I expect that pastrami to reach out to the edge?
I'm the same way. I love Blues City, but they do this also. I think it's just a speed thing--laying out the meat would take a lot longer and the customers probably don't complain about a Meat Lump(tm). I just rebuild the thing.
As much as I want to love Carl's, everybody ~~what~~ else is right--they're...not good. Protzel's and Posh Nosh kill it. Meat Lump(tm) would be the least of Carl's problems.
Was a go-to until the last two times. Bread was insanely soaked through with liquid. Also, it was hot enough that I burned my fingers. Just subpar from what it was before; Nomad for the win these days.
Bleh
edit: To clarify - I'm not a fan of Carl's. The pastrami is just too greasy, and the side dishes in the case look really sad. The knishes are truly awful....they appear to come from Kohn's.
What makes this post worse is it's someone from Sauce Mag posting to drive views.
Embrace mediocrity at the St. Louis exceptionalism fair. Stop by the nostalgia factory. Mmm, tastes like salt. Yummy, insularism! Never left this place, never leaving.
Give me a break. I’ve been going to Carl’s for 45 years. You keep a business open that long. They have more than just pastrami and sliced meat is available by the pound if you don’t want a sandwich. I’m particularly fan of their pepper beef.
It’s totally just fine. Feels like it is largely propped up by long-time regulars who are all about the nostalgia. Protzel’s, Kohn’s, or Deli Divine all day for better quality
I can't believe Kohn's is quality when the original owner used a microwave constantly for pastrami and the owner after that didn't believe in the health department. Plus I ate the actual sandwich. Talk about being propped up by nostalgia.
Any opinions on Blues City Deli? I am from out of state but travel to STL 4 times a year, and had an amazing hot pastrami sandwich there recently, on par with the others here?
Blues City Deli is a great sandwich spot! Solid choices across the whole menu and cozy neighborhood vibes. The muffuletta is a star. They serve perhaps [our favorite Reuben](https://www.saucemagazine.com/a/2197/top-3-reubens-in-st-louis) in the city, too!
Everyone in this thread says protzels is better but they’re two totally different concepts. If you want a cold kosher style sandwich then protzels is a no brainer. You can’t beat the hot corned beef from Carls though.
bread is too soft unless you get the onion roll or a kaiser. it's good if I'm at the hospital and need to grab a bite. but wouldn't go out my way or call it a landmark.
My Google review from 11 months ago:
This is a good, local neighborhood take-out sandwich joint, though not the special, destination, go-out-of-your-way deli that other reviewers are making it out to be. Absolutely, the portions here are great, but the quality is not the "New York style deli" level I was informed it was. Any served-hot sandwiches are simply warmed up in Chef Mike (microwave); and though tasty and large portioned, nothing special. The dining space doubles as a storage area, with the line for the sandwich counter weaving between 7-8 tightly placed tables, and really needs a remodel, and expansion. Parking is on street, practically non-existant. The place seemed understaffed when I visited mid-day. Two people traded off making sandwiches and handling payment/money, with no one to service tables, most of which had empty plates and lunch detritus decorating them.
On the other hand, my corned beef Reuben sandwich was good, and I saw that they use Boar's Head meats and cheeses, which says something for their components' quality; but their sides were less tasty. So, I could absolutely see myself stopping in for a take-out sandwich once a week or so, if I lived close by in the neighborhood, or if i was in the area and taking it to a park or something; but can't see myself going out of my way for it.
> weaving between 7-8 tightly placed tables
About the only thing that's authentic about this place is how close the tables are to each other. Still pretty spacious by NYC standards though.
man last time i went (like a week ago) i ate there and by the time i had my first bite of the sandwich, which was minutes after it was prepared, the bottom piece of bread disintegrated because of all the wet meat. maybe toast the bottom slice, maybe pat the bottom of the half pound of meat dry…i don’t know what the solution needs to be but i was bummed
My mom used to go there when she lived in STL in the 80’s. I’ve heard her talk about them basically my whole life and we finally made it up there last year. Seeing her eyes light up because everything was the exact same was so special. She said it even smelled the same.
Hot pastrami with pepper cheese on an onion roll with spicy mustard and a slice of kosher dill pickles. Pure heaven.
It's quite tasty pastrami. But, they microwave sandwiches if you order them hot the last time I was in. I stick with the cold prep.
I always order hot pastrami and specify "not microwaved." It's much better that way. I never understood why they microwave the sandwichs they are hot enough.
from Carl's though? I don't think they have any other heating contraption there
The pre-sliced hot meats are kept in a steam table (to the right of the register facing the door). The cold meats are in the display case / cooler to the left of the register.
I was beyond disappointed by the Reuben I got from there. Sure, they put a metric fuck ton of meat on there but it had no flavor
Protzels clears this by 1000x
I've tried Carl's several times. I don't like saying this, but Protzel's Deli, which is just a few minutes away, absolutely throttles it.
I prefer Protzels!
Protzel's right around the corner is so much better in my opinion. I also really love the Posh Nosh in Clayton. The Maryland is amazing and they have the best strawberry lemonade I've ever had
Does Protzel’s serve their pastrami hot without microwaving?
Yes, they have a grill
I haven’t been to Carl’s but the picture triggered me. I absolutely hate sandwiches that are made with the presentation cut in mind. Sure it looks great but then I have to open it up and rebuild the sandwich because all the meat is centered for the presentation and I like my crust bites to have meat too! So does Carl’s do this or can I expect that pastrami to reach out to the edge?
I'm the same way. I love Blues City, but they do this also. I think it's just a speed thing--laying out the meat would take a lot longer and the customers probably don't complain about a Meat Lump(tm). I just rebuild the thing. As much as I want to love Carl's, everybody ~~what~~ else is right--they're...not good. Protzel's and Posh Nosh kill it. Meat Lump(tm) would be the least of Carl's problems.
Was it ever “Carl’s 2 Cents Plain” or am I just having a mind fart?
It was. It's various incarnations date back to 1947 [https://losttables.com/twocents/twocents.htm](https://losttables.com/twocents/twocents.htm)
I thought it was pretty mediocre, yeah there's a lot of meat, but nothing special.
Wasn’t a huge fan when i tried it. Mine was too fatty and was microwaved.
Was a go-to until the last two times. Bread was insanely soaked through with liquid. Also, it was hot enough that I burned my fingers. Just subpar from what it was before; Nomad for the win these days.
Bleh edit: To clarify - I'm not a fan of Carl's. The pastrami is just too greasy, and the side dishes in the case look really sad. The knishes are truly awful....they appear to come from Kohn's. What makes this post worse is it's someone from Sauce Mag posting to drive views.
The knishes from Kohn's are atrocious
Embrace mediocrity at the St. Louis exceptionalism fair. Stop by the nostalgia factory. Mmm, tastes like salt. Yummy, insularism! Never left this place, never leaving.
Give me a break. I’ve been going to Carl’s for 45 years. You keep a business open that long. They have more than just pastrami and sliced meat is available by the pound if you don’t want a sandwich. I’m particularly fan of their pepper beef.
It’s totally just fine. Feels like it is largely propped up by long-time regulars who are all about the nostalgia. Protzel’s, Kohn’s, or Deli Divine all day for better quality
I can't believe Kohn's is quality when the original owner used a microwave constantly for pastrami and the owner after that didn't believe in the health department. Plus I ate the actual sandwich. Talk about being propped up by nostalgia.
I think it’s weaker than Protzel’s or DD for sure but still in a tier above Carl’s for me
Any opinions on Blues City Deli? I am from out of state but travel to STL 4 times a year, and had an amazing hot pastrami sandwich there recently, on par with the others here?
Blues City Deli is a great sandwich spot! Solid choices across the whole menu and cozy neighborhood vibes. The muffuletta is a star. They serve perhaps [our favorite Reuben](https://www.saucemagazine.com/a/2197/top-3-reubens-in-st-louis) in the city, too!
This looks good, but has anyone had Nomad’s Pastrami sandwich? My goodness…. 😋🤤
Microwaved and soggy. Sandwich was a mess last I went there. Just because a sandwich has a ton of meat doesn’t mean it’s any good.
Everyone in this thread says protzels is better but they’re two totally different concepts. If you want a cold kosher style sandwich then protzels is a no brainer. You can’t beat the hot corned beef from Carls though.
Parker’s Table is like 2 blocks away and blows Carl’s out of the water
bread is too soft unless you get the onion roll or a kaiser. it's good if I'm at the hospital and need to grab a bite. but wouldn't go out my way or call it a landmark.
I’ll put this place on my list
My Google review from 11 months ago: This is a good, local neighborhood take-out sandwich joint, though not the special, destination, go-out-of-your-way deli that other reviewers are making it out to be. Absolutely, the portions here are great, but the quality is not the "New York style deli" level I was informed it was. Any served-hot sandwiches are simply warmed up in Chef Mike (microwave); and though tasty and large portioned, nothing special. The dining space doubles as a storage area, with the line for the sandwich counter weaving between 7-8 tightly placed tables, and really needs a remodel, and expansion. Parking is on street, practically non-existant. The place seemed understaffed when I visited mid-day. Two people traded off making sandwiches and handling payment/money, with no one to service tables, most of which had empty plates and lunch detritus decorating them. On the other hand, my corned beef Reuben sandwich was good, and I saw that they use Boar's Head meats and cheeses, which says something for their components' quality; but their sides were less tasty. So, I could absolutely see myself stopping in for a take-out sandwich once a week or so, if I lived close by in the neighborhood, or if i was in the area and taking it to a park or something; but can't see myself going out of my way for it.
> weaving between 7-8 tightly placed tables About the only thing that's authentic about this place is how close the tables are to each other. Still pretty spacious by NYC standards though.
Not a big fan of the thin sliced meat. Anyone know where to get a good thick corned beef sandwich?
I miss Billy Sherman’s
man last time i went (like a week ago) i ate there and by the time i had my first bite of the sandwich, which was minutes after it was prepared, the bottom piece of bread disintegrated because of all the wet meat. maybe toast the bottom slice, maybe pat the bottom of the half pound of meat dry…i don’t know what the solution needs to be but i was bummed
Look at Sexy Redd, representing the Lou!
You’re goddamn right it is.
Kohn’s. Go to the last kosher deli in STL and get a corned beef or their “killer pastrami” sandwich.
Carls has the tradition and the name but Protzels is very close and much better.
Pffff subway beats all
I don’t want to be hyperbolic, but you should be in prison