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    Blues City Deli

    4.8 (1.4k reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 3:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Blues City Deli Photos

    BLUES CITY DELI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Blues City Deli

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    Reviews With Photos

    Menu
    Mike T.

    Sandwich Heaven What a great little deli on the corner! Sandwiches were awesome, the chip and beverage options are elite and the place just oozes sandoness Such a solid spot for grab a Sando. They come out fast and are delicious! Quirky interior with great wall eye candy.

    Benton Park
    Maria E.

    I understand why this place is so popular. The line was out the door when I went, yet U had my sandwich in hand in less than 25 minutes. It was really hard to choose what to order because their menu is huge and so interesting. I ended up getting the Benton Park and added boom boom sauce and... no words. It was spectacular. A must visit in the Lou.

    Karen L.

    Yummmmm this is one of my favorite delis in Saint Louis! They're consistently good and don't let the long lines scare you because they move fast! I prefer the thunderbird or tuna salad but you really can't go wrong with any of them. The inside is pretty small but they have a decent sized patio and tables turn fast. The staff is always friendly but efficient. This is a must if you're in the area and make sure you grab a cookie!

    Knuckle Sandwich
    Amy S.

    A STL classic! If you're in STL, you have to come here. This is one of my favorite places to grab a sandwich. This restaurant is truly a historic place that showcases the rich history of Benton Park and STL as a whole. Street parking is relatively easy to find, but it does get crowded fast. The line is quick-moving, and the wait to get your order is not long. I ordered the Knuckle Sandwich. The sandwich offered the combination of a toasted seeded bun with flavorful Italian beef. I wasn't the largest fan of the capicola, but the peppers and the smoky sauce made up for it. Excited to come again!

    Turkey Supreme
    Erie E.

    Had a turkey supreme no cheese with a side of honey mustard. Although you can't order online, the service is pretty fast. It's one of my favorite sandwich places in St. Louis. Small inside but plenty of sitting outside

    Sign
    Jennifer G.

    Love love love this place. Everyone is always friendly. Some days there is no line/wait & others theres a line out the door. Always worth the wait. I don't fully understand how their sandwiches taste soooo much better than everyone else's. My favorite is the panino fresco. The olives mixed with the cheese yum Small space so better to take it to go but there are some tables if you want to dine in. Decor is fun to look at while you wait in line to order

    Blues City Deli
    Rick K.

    It is VERY understandable that Blues City Deli has achieved a 5 star rating on Yelp. It was great. I read in my preview that the line to the counter is always there...but it moves quickly...and it is and does. I had to visit Blues City as I heard they have great Po Boys...and they do. I am used to having oysters or shrimp on a Po Boy. Not here. They are basically served with many versions of meat. I had the Benton Park Po Boy and it was incredible. The sandwich has ham, roast beef, turkey, provel, and is dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, pepperoncini, sweet red pepper sauce on french bread. My wife, being vegetarian had the Panino Fresco. It included mozzarella, provolone, dressed with homemade olive salad, tomato, onion & Italian vinegar oil on an Italian roll. This was the first time in 26 years that she finished the entire sandwich. I had a bite of hers, and it is easy to see why she she finished it. So good. I even bought a memorable t-shirt as I loved Blues City Deli. The female counter person was so friendly. She even wrote down three other restaurants to try while we were visiting St Louis. Blues City Deli is a can't miss place and if we are back in St. Louis...we will be back.

    The Muffuletta
    Greg H.

    I got the Muffuletta. The meat was tender and flavorful, and it had a perfect amount of olive salad on it. My only complaint was that filling was a bit lop-sided. The Muffuletta is on half of a 8" bread, and the ingredients didn't go to the outside of the bread, so there was a lot of meat in the middle, and nothing on edges. The line was out the door and down the side of the building, but the line moved remarkably fast.

    Outside
    Melanie S.

    I got there right at opening and was greeted by employees as I walked in. I ordered the Heather's Firecracker sandwich special. The cashier confirmed if I wanted all toppings, and offered me a water cup while I waited. Folks came in pretty quickly after that, but the food all came out pretty quickly. My sandwich was great. Really well balanced in texture and flavor. This is only my 2nd time here (first time, I had the aporkalypse pretzelwich, which was fire.), but I'm definitely a fan. The decor inside is lovely, really tells some stories about St. Louis.

    Creole Deluxe (half).
    Lynell L.

    Heard a lot about this sandwich place. Then I saw it pop up on the U.S. top 100 (or less) for sandwich shops, so I knew I had to try. I am so glad I did!! BCD does not disappoint in the least! I arrived a few minutes before they opened, and there was already a line, but the line seriously moves fast. I do advise to arrive before the lunch rush though. Most people take orders to go, so finding a seat is not impossible, but the lunch rush can make a difference. I had the half Creole Deluxe (hot sandwich), with the drink/chip combo ($4.50 add on). I did not want to put that sandwich down! It was SCRUMPTIOUS!! The meat was tender, and the bread was fresh! Everyone there was nice, and friendly. I definitely recommend this place, but if you live here in STL, I'm sure you've already been!

    Steven T.

    Yah I'm the one rare reviewer who wasn't impressed with the food at all. The place is obviously popular and the menu looks good on paper so I stopped by for a sandwich. The place is small with and outdoor patio and packed with nonstop walk ins. The decor is hipster with art and pictures on the walls. The menu has so many great sandwiches but the Sally's spicy Italian sounded great. The sandwich looked great on a sesame seeded French bread roll with a nice meat to bread ratio. The French bread had a nice nice crust that turned the wrapper into saw dust crumbs but dry/old and not a fresh texture . Upon my first bite it started out sweet and finished with a heavy acidic taste that hi jacked the whole sandwich and all I could taste was the overpowering acidity, I couldn't taste the meat at all and it was rendered to texture only. How could a sandwich look so good with all the ingredients with no layers of flavors and one super overwhelming acidic flavor ?. As I say in my reviews you can order anything from the menu and just pick the wrong item and this review could have been very different with a different sandwich

    Inside
    Byron C.

    I'm actually kinda glad that Blues City Deli is tucked away in a residential area in a part of town I might never visit again in life. Otherwise, I might eat there on a daily basis. I'd have the same physique as Precious. I'd eaten there once before, 10 or 15 years ago. I met my father for lunch when he used to work downtown. I was in the area to go to court, but not for anything inappropriate. BCD apparently hasn't suffered as a result of my infrequent patronage. At maybe 11:30 AM on the Friday before a holiday weekend, they had a line out the door but not down the block. It was kinda perfect. I was able to park on the street nearby, and I was able to dine-in. The latter was largely due to the fact that a) most people were taking out, and b) it was nice enough for al fresco dining. (It was one of the nicest days of the year, in fact.) Your mileage may vary. There's a menu in a window near the door, in case you have to stand in line. It might come in handy since there's a lot of sandwiches on the menu, and it's hard to imagine how they might taste different from each other. Some of them are nearly identical, except for an ingredient or two. I toyed with the idea of getting one of their Italian subs, which are My Thing, maybe even a Muffuletta, but it occurred to me that, while I'm sure they're good, they might not be especially different from an Italian sub you'd get anywhere else. A salami is a salami, right Diddy? Instead I went with one of their beef sandwiches, which seem to be their specialty. There's an entire section devoted to them on the menu, and they're listed as one of the most popular menu items on the app. I went with the Original Roast Beef, which, maybe I could have gone with something more interesting? Whereas the Original Roast Beef comes with LTOP, the other variations on a beef sandwich come with onions, peppers, cheeses, giardinera and what have you. The latter, in particular, would have been nice and would have brought things into the realm of the aforementioned Italian sub. The bog-standard roast beef sandwich is served on seeded bread, as if it were a Big Mac, which was thoughtful of them. It's toasted to the point where you could go upside someone's head with it, if this place were open into the evening. There's a diamond-like precision to the way the various toppings are sliced and everything is piled onto the bread. The people who work in the kitchen are true sandwich artists, unlike people who work at Subway. The amount of meat (ahem) is both generous and proportionately correct to the rest of the ingredients. It tastes like an actual roast that they cooked in an oven and sliced thin, not meat scraps that have been stuffed into a casing with nitrates and ground up gym mats. It's even a bit rare at the center. The president would not approve. There wasn't any ketchup available, that I'm aware of, though the LTOP, along with mayo, gave it a bit of a hamburger vibe. You can turn your sandwich into a combo, with chips and a soda, for roughly the price of a sandwich elsewhere. It's more convenient than it is cost effective. I did appreciate the fact that they had Coke Zero, i.e. the champagne of sodas, on tap. They also had bottled and fountain drinks from obscure and/or local brands, but what substance can possibly hope to compete with Coke Zero? It probably cures some ailments. For chips, I went with Zapp's Voodoo Heat, which I thought would be in keeping with the Cajun theme. Also, I had Red Hot Riplets the other day, elsewhere, and while the individual serving is weirdly large, they were nearly all crumbled to bits. Did I eat them all anyway, as if I'd just gotten out of jail? Of course I did. Perhaps most importantly, this place has cookies. I went with something called the Almond Joy cookie, which they seem to be steering you towards. It didn't have a reputation that I was aware of, but it should. It might be the single best thing I've ever eaten. It's like an Almond Joy candy bar, uh, procreated with a cookie. It has a substantive chew to it like a Snickers bar, and it's hefty to the point where it almost seems like a deal at the $1.25 I paid for it. They're definitely using high quality ingredients. I joked before that I won't be in the area ever again, and I won't, but if I were to visit again, it would be in part to have one of these cookies.

    7th Street Sicilian with combo (soda and chips)
    Ellen K.

    I say if you come to St. Louis, you have to try the meat-- in BBQ and sandwich forms. I love the sandwich scene in STL (Adriana's, Gioia's, etc). And Blues City Deli is one of those places to mention when people ask what are the must eat places in STL. It encapsulates the city's history, hospitality, food. It says a lot when the owner of an iconic deli is at the cash register and greeting the customers. We got the 7th Street Sicilian (11.75) with the soda and chip combo (5.45) today. In the past, I've had the Muffuletta and Mike's Spicy Beef N' Cheddar. Yes, prices have been up. I recall when it used to be $8-9 before tax and tip with generous portions of meat. But the equivalent of this sandwich in a coastal city e.g. SF / Seattle would be $15-19 and STL restaurant and cafe prices and generally equivalent to coastal cities.

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    1 month ago

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    Vince V.

    Thank so much Tony! We hope to see you soon.

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    Page 1 of 35

    Ask the Community - Blues City Deli

    Any vegan options?

    They have vegetarian options but no vegan (unless you ask them to hold the cheese). Check out the menu on their website.

    Do they have any gluten free bread?

    Hello ! Not at this time. The bakery we use do not have gluten free bread. We can do any of the sandwiches we offer in a gluten free form. Many customers ask for our sandwiches on lettuce as a salad. Hope this helps.

    Question for the masses- how dog friendly is BCD? We're looking for some great places to eat during an upcoming vacation but don't want to be turned away due to our 4 legged companions.

    I was at the BCD on Monday. There were several tables for outside dining.

    I know BCD will put sandwich contents on a salad. But is there any way BCD can provide a gluten free menu concerning sauces and dressings? Pretty sure I got “glutened” before - I think it was delta sauce.

    Hi Henry I just happened to see this. We can put the sandwich contents on a salad. Its a big hit with the customer 's. As far as sauces there in no gluten in the delta sauce. You are correct and we will work on a "gluten free" hand out for the… 

    Do they have gluten free options?

    Hi this is Vince Valenza the owner of Blues City Deli. You can do any of our sandwiches as a salad. Unfortunately as of now we do not have a gluten free bread option. I hope that changes in the future. Hope this helps.

    Will the community please give me their #1 reason why I should drive from Kansas City to indulge in their #1 choices to order at Blues City Deli?

    Thursday or Saturday to come see the live music and eat the special with funky fusion chips and a cold beer. You can't beat it. Eat there then go for cocktails in the Christmas themed bar Miracle at 2700 Indiana. Once done head to Clementines for… 

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    Ninth Street Deli at Howards

    Ninth Street Deli at Howards

    4.3
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    0.4 mi
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    Coming from Chicago, we've had some seriously good sandwiches over the years, and Ninth Street Deli…read morecan go toe to toe with any of them any day of the week. From the second we walked in, the guy at the front was extremely friendly and greeted us immediately, which set the tone right away. The food was beyond exceptional. The bread was phenomenal, the ingredients were incredibly fresh, and you could tell the meat was sliced thin and prepared with care. Everything tasted high quality and made fresh to order. The service was amazing from start to finish. Definitely one of the best sandwich spots I've had in a long time. Highly recommend!

    Ceci is great! She is the 3 stars! I haven't had Ninth St Deli since they had a location…read moredowntown, but I remembered I had a good sandwich. This location is on the edge of Soulard near the brewery. It's a bar with another room with tables and a kitchen that serves Ninth St Deli. Ceci came to our table and brought menu's and chatted with us about the location. She was great, so enthusiastic about everything. She explained sandwiches and offerings and took our order. I got the pick two with half a hot sandwich and chili. The food came, and it was decent. I thought the sandwich could have used more chicken. The chili was ok, too. Ceci was so great she made the experience great.

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    Inside
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    Planet Sub

    Planet Sub

    4.1
    (69 reviews)
    2.1 mi
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    I love that place only air in dinning room. But assume food. It's cheap n good when I'm in St…read moreLouis I Always eat there

    I have been a loyal customer of this establishment for many years--I even have text records to…read moreprove how frequently I've ordered. But today was the final straw. This restaurant consistently messes up simple orders. I'd estimate that only about 50% of the time do they actually get my order right. The other half? I end up having to call, explain, and get a replacement. That is not an acceptable track record, especially from a business I've gone out of my way to support. I always order the same simple sandwich--nothing complicated--and today was no different. As you can see from the attached receipt, it should've been straightforward. Instead, the sandwich was made incorrectly again. This marks the third separate time the same mistake has happened. Enough is enough. Yes, the manager was polite and offered a refund, and I appreciated that. But let's consider the bigger picture: I have back-to-back meetings from 12-4pm. I ordered ahead online like I always do. I picked up the sandwich, brought it back to my desk, and then realized it was wrong--again. Not only was my time wasted, but I also paid extra for specific toppings that weren't even included. I choose to support local businesses in the Downtown Saint Louis area, but it's incredibly frustrating when the quality is inconsistent and mistakes are frequent. Sadly, it also seems like the food is only right when the manager makes it, which is disappointing for a business that should pride itself on consistent service no matter who's preparing the food. This experience has made it clear to me that my time, money, and loyalty are better spent elsewhere.

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    Tempeh with pizza sauce and yummy veggies.
    Tempeh with pizza sauce and yummy veggies.
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    Jimmy John's

    Jimmy John's

    2.7
    (46 reviews)
    2.2 mi
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    Today I walked from my office to Jimmy John's! My go to choice today was the Turkey Tom. This…read moresandwich, features turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, but you can add a bunch of items from the freebie menu. So to customize my sandwich, I chose cherry, peppers, cucumbers, pickles, and cheese! I chose to make it a combo which peak which features a drink and chips. The restaurant was very clean and had other coworkers stopping in to get a bite. The service was fantastic, and the gentleman told me about the rewards club, which I was not aware of! My sandwich was so fresh and delicious! I enjoyed my sandwich when I got to the office outside with a coworker and she ordered the Italian which she stated was also very delicious!

    I forgot to bring my lunch to work on a Monday and was looking for something really quick and easy…read more Jimmy John's is quick and easy because you can order your food online and just run in and pick it up. I had never been to this downtown location and I was concerned about parking once I got there but decided to give it a go. I ended up parking at the top of the block 1/2 in a space and 1/2 in front of a hydrant. I dashed in and thankfully once I spotted the shelf the order was there and ready. I grabbed in and dashed back to the car. If I had to be here any length of time though this wouldn't have worked and there would have been nowhere to park on the whole block even for just 2 minutes. That said my order, a veggie sandwich add bacon came out correct even with lots of customizing. My pickle was delicious and perfectly quartered as requested. I'd obviously go back but I'd have to think twice about it due to the parking situation!

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    Jimmy John's

    2.2
    (50 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $

    I recently visited this Jimmy John's location, and unfortunately, the experience was disappointing…read morefrom start to finish. The customer service was noticeably indifferent, as though every interaction was an inconvenience for the staff. My order which should have been straightforward was somehow prepared incorrectly, and the sandwich I received lacked both freshness and flavor. The ingredients tasted as if they had been sitting out far too long, and the overall presentation suggested a lack of care and attention. What made the visit even more frustrating was the staff's unwillingness to correct the mistake. Instead of offering a simple remake, I was met with dismissive responses and an attitude that bordered on unprofessional. For a place that prides itself on speed and quality, this location delivered neither. Given this experience, I have little desire to return. There are far better options nearby where customers are treated with respect and served food that actually meets basic expectations. Jimmy John's, at least at this location, failed on both counts.

    I placed an online order @ Jimmy John's during the week of Christmas 2021 for lunch at work. I…read moreordered about six different sandwiches and they were all made correctly and ready when I got there. I went through the drive thru and had paid in advance so really easy and no muss no fuss! I wouldn't hesitate to do this again.

    Photos
    Online Order Pickup
    Online Order Pickup
    Large Drink and Chips
    Large Drink and Chips
    Chips

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    Chips

    Blues City Deli - sandwiches - Updated August 2026

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