I love everything at Stalzy's! The bread and rolls are excellent, fish fry is delicious, the reuben with turkey pastrami or the Brooklyn breakfast sandwich are tied for favorite sandwiches, and don't even get me started on the bloody mary, pickled beets, German potato salad, and potato pancakes. My mouth is watering just thinking about all the delicious options! read more

If you are a coastie, this place offers a great Brooklyn-style breakfast sandwich. All fresh and local ingredients with rich flavors. Yum!

I have been itching to try Stalzy's since it opened a few years ago, but somehow never got around to it. Until yesterday. I shouldn't have bothered. My sister and I stopped in for lunch around 11:30 on Sunday. The place seemed fairly slow at the time. It had a hip, relaxed vibe that I immediately liked. The person who took care of us was very friendly, and, when both of us ordered the Reuben, happily informed us that Stalzy's was famous for that particular sandwich. I noted the meat slicer being put to use behind the counter: this is going to be GOOD, I thought to myself. This must be REALLY good if it takes this long to make a Reuben sandwich, I thought to myself 30 minutes later when our orders had not yet arrived. Just past the 40-minute mark, we began looking around the (still sparsely occupied) dining room in bewilderment, trying to catch anyone's eye to see if perhaps our order had been forgotten. Finally, I heard a bell ding: sure enough, our anxiously awaited sandwiches made their way to our table. My sister noted the smell of bacon. I bit in and surmised that the meat was heavily smoked. Not only was it horrifically salty, but the smoky flavor was overpowering and did, in fact, result in meat that tasted somewhat more like beef bacon than corned beef. Further, although the meat was sliced ultra-thin, it was tough and chewy. But the worst insult came when I took apart the sandwich...and gagged. I have NEVER seen so much globulous, disgusting fat in one sandwich (see photo). As a person who assiduously trims most (if not all) of the fat off her meat before consumption, I was completely nauseated. So there you have it: two bites and DONE. Easily the WORST Reuben sandwich I've ever tasted in my life. In retrospect, we should certainly have sent the sandwiches back, although I did not want, under ANY circumstances, to find out what ELSE Stalzy's might be "famous" for. Since the sis and I were also now in a hurry, we didn't want to wait around any more. We hit up the nearest fast food restaurant and called it a day. I wouldn't go back to Stalzy's on a BET. GROSS. read more

Stalzy's Deli - Like Reubens full of over-smoked, salty meat and fat globs? This is your place! PS: corned beef sliced WITH the grain = SHOE LEATHER. DUH. - Delis Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

It took us many years before we encountered this little gem in Atwood neighborhood. I have little knowledge about Jewish deli so it took us a while to figure what to order. I really appreciate that the staff explained the menu to us with great patience. They make bread, corned beef, pastrami and sausages themselves and provide the meat to other restaurant in town. You can also purchase bread or meat to go. We had "Brooklyn Breakfast" (beef pastrami sandwich) and a Challah French Toast. Very delicious. Quite a refreshing taste from other more regular brunch places. The portion is a bit small, though. People in our group had Stalzy's bloody Mary. Pretty fancy. Apparently they are quite good that a friend of us ordered a second one. I hope to return sometime in the future to try out Saltzy's non-brunch food. Note: Cash only. Seat yourself before your order. read more

Stalzy's Deli - Brooklyn Breakfast - Delis Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I tried the pork Schnitzel sandwich and mushroom barley soup today. The sandwich was excellent! The breading was crispy and the pork was flavorful and tender. The soup was delicious with large pieces of mushroom and carrots. Highly recommended and I'll be back. It's also just a cool place, it's got an actual deli as you can see in the pics. read more

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I love me a big juicy pastrami sandwich on rye. Been meaning to get to Stalzy's for some time to get one which many seem to believe is the best pastrami sandwich in town. My two prior lunch attempts where foiled by a big crowd and a cash only policy, respectively. This time, I planned ahead and went to miss the lunch rush and with cash in my pocket (actually with my wife who had cash in her purse). Straying a little from my purpose, I ordered the "Brooklyn breakfast" which is pastrami and an egg with cheese between two slices of grilled rye bread. A side of potato salad was mandatory. My wife had a corned beef reuben with a side of pickled beets. There was a clear star in this meal - - the pastrami. It was awesome. Served warm with just the right amount of fat and seasoning. (Apparently, you don't get all the pastrami you can eat if you work there. I know. I asked our server). Five stars for the pastrami and I would give it more if I could. The supporting cast was pretty good too. The space is clean, casual and the service is very good. It appears that they really care about the quality of their food. The potato salad was good and had a tangy flavor which was a little unusual for me but was a nice change. My wife loved her pickled beets. Everything was fresh and neatly plated. Portion sizes were fair for the prices. The prices are on the high side which I can understand given the quality of the meats and what I'm sure is the significant amount of time needed to prepare them. It seemed that most of the sandwiches are between $6-12; sides, $2 each. Sandwiches are served a la carte with a pickle spear. For our two sandwiches, sides, and a cup of coffee with tip, lunch came out to a little over $30. In retrospect, seems a little high as I did leave a little hungry. But the pastrami. Oh, the pastrami... All told, four stars. Five would be deserving if it were a little less expensive or there was a lot more pastrami. read more

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I'm always looking for good pastrami, so while visiting Madison, I decided to try Stalzy's, based on Yelp reviews of the deli. It's peppery and fragrant. It appears to be made from brisket, rather than New-York-authentic beef navel, but otherwise it's solid. The server was friendly and helpful. I'd go back again. read more

Delicious, if a bit pricey. You have got to try this local sandwich place. I especially reccomend their triple decker sandwiches and their salmon bially. read more

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I just had the worst corned beef sandwich in my life. Paid over $10 for a grease laden, fatty corned beef sandwich. I will never return to Stalzys. It must have gone down hill since the fire. read more

Stalzy's Deli - This is the fat laden corned beef I just paid over $10 for - Delis Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Favorite Deli in town. Haven't been back since they reopened, but I'm excited to do so.

Why haven't I reviewed Stalzys in the past? I don't get here as much as I should but everytime I come, I leave a huge fan. They have the best corned beef and pastrami in the city hands down. I don't recall where they get their rye bread but the combination of salty cured beef and the rye (with the help of some brown mustard) is a lunch made in heaven. Order at the counter and grab a seat. At times, the wait can be longer than it should for the food to arrive but by the end of the meal, any misdeeds have been long forgotten and I leave a satisfied and full customer. read more

Still looking for a great corned beef sandwich in Madison. I had high hopes for Stalzy's Meat-Bread-Meat sandwich (what more do you need?). $15 is a typical price for an extra-lean sandwich, but that wasn't what this was. Too fatty for me at that price. read more

Stalzy's has been a super addition to willy street and Madison overall. We needed a place that serves solid corned beef. Their pastrami is really nice - a bit heavier coriander flavor (less pepper) than normal. The rachel sandwich is a can't miss here. Their brunch is the best kept secret in Madison. I'm not going to give it away, but make it a point to go. read more

Yay! I'm a fan. Only place in Madison where you feel like you are at an authentic NYC diner. They won Madison's best sandwich for a reason; IT'S THE BEST! They won for their Rachel, which is a Ruben but with slaw instead of kraut and pastrami instead of corn beef. But you can get it what ever way you like. My favorite is the Hawkwind burger with a side of house made coleslaw. This way you can dip the side of chips into the slaw. Stalzy's is artistic in their approach and make everything to order, so don't go if you are in a hurry. Slow food movement at its finest! read more

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The food here is excellent. Breakfast - Corned beef hash is the best I have ever had, fantastic. The coffee is very good too, which is important to me when it comes to brekkie. The place has a great atmosphere, very clean and we are always treated well by the staff. Double smoked beef brisket is excellent, again some of the best I have ever had. All said, I love this place. Prices are a bit steep, but everything so far has been done right and I hope this place is around for a long time read more

Stalzy's Deli - Stalzy's Deli - Delis Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Visiting family and someone recommended this place for breakfast. I was nervous because some of the reviews about slow and inconsistent service but our experience was all positive. Takeout breakfast order for 5 people was ready in half hour which I expected would take longer so was surprised. Everything was wrapped well so it stayed warm. Returned again the next day for dine in and the same--food was fast and consistent. The halla bread & French toast are amazing! Service was fast and overall good. They accommodated a gluten free vegetarian diet. read more

This is more of a 3.5 star place in my book. I like the atmosphere in this nice corner spot in the Atwood area. There's some great artwork and some awesome bathroom decor as well. The bread is excellent. Ideal for a sandwich really with just the right crisp and sourness to it. I had a really yummy biali here as well. On top of that they serve Just coffee, a really solid Madison local. Where things kind of fall apart for me a bit is the pastrami itself. It was pretty salty for my taste. It was noticeable enough to make what should have been an awesome sandwich a little subpar. Would definitely come back to give it another shot but the salty pastrami was enough for me to round down to 3 stars. read more

Went here for Oktoberfest fest on a windy cold 43 degree day. The weather looks liked it kept people away. Went here for beer and the live band. Karben4 brewery supplied the beer. The fest food looked good but we already ate. For Oktoberfest I thought a Latin American jazz band was strange. The weather and the out of place band led us on our way. read more

Stalzy's Deli - Oktoberfest 2014 - Delis Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I like their roast beef sandwiches. Zippy sauces and clean tables. Service was ok - your order at the counter and they bring it to you. Not much interaction. Very good variety of drinks (yes! Sprechers Cream Ale). 12/2015: Food is still really good...unfortunately - the staff always seem confused about the menu and act as though this was their fourth choice of places they wanted to work... read more

After scouring downtown Madison after work on Friday for a place still serving sandwiches (why is this such a mission?), Stalzy's pulled through for us. When we walked in and looked up at the menu, we knew it was meant to be because I was with my best friend Rachel, and that's one of their best selling sandwiches. If I were to turn her into a sandwich, I'm not sure that I would include pastrami, slaw, Russian dressing, and rye...but it was pretty flipping amazing. I'm not even a big slaw fan, but it really hit the spot on this sandwich. I'm salivating writing this review right now, wow, I loved this sandwich so much. I'm really happy they had the turkey pastrami as a choice, for the non-pork eaters like me. Big portions, reasonable prices, good location, can't go wrong here. read more

Great place for a truly classic deli sandwich. My partner turned me into this place for one of the best places for a Rueben- and he is right! Plenty of house-cured corned beef and just the right amount of fat(yes, good deli meat like this comes with some, and they don't go overboard like other places) to chew on. Don't forget to take home some bialy! read more

Ordered haddock fish fry a month ago for 7 ppl. Dan couldn't have been more helpful in helping make sure I had enough for everyone and walking me through the menu. The fish was perfect, excellent potato pancakes with apple sauce and great tarter and coleslaw. Today we ordered reubens and it was the best darn Reuben I've ever had! My new go to place for takeout! read more

We came for lunch but couldn't resist the all-day breakfast options. Sharing the salmon bialy and confit hash, both were outstanding, sizeable, and not at all options I had expected walking in. It was quite busy and a bit slow, but overall worth it and a decent value. read more

This place is amazing! Due to Covid-19 issues they are currently carry-out only, with limited hours. Well worth a visit (order on-line) to pick up by appointment. I personally highly recommended: - the fish fry& walleye, potato pancakes, slaw and a roll. - the house made pastrami and corned beef rock - all the bread is house-baked; the rye and sourdough are marvelous. Check out the website for full current menu (including grocery items) and ordering info. read more

Went here for my mom who loves their bread, and decided to pick up lunch too. It was so good. The portions are alot larger than expected and everything was hot, ready and waiting for us. It was so easy to order and pick up. Food like this could even entice me to ride my bike around the lake, and that's saying something. Support this local business during Covid. read more

Yelp suggested you are closed. For those that read the comments: They are open for curbside pickup. Opened yesterday. I ordered pastrami, corned beef, smoked salmon, best darn German potato salad in the Midwest, Sauerkraut, and of course a couple pounds of bacon. Welcome back Stalzy's! Our family has missed your food! Looking forward to one day sitting in the new space and having a beer. read more

great rueben sandwhich - hard to find a great rueben or italian bee but stalzy does it right- we ordered lunch and sat at olbrich by the lake and enjoyed a tasty rueben made to perfection. When we picked it up, they put the food in our trunk and off we went - the sandwhich was hot, i had to actually wait a minute to start eating it- and once i started, there was no stopping! read more

Been super impressed since the re-opening and dealing with these challenging times. Really nice to order a great meal and throw in other supplies like bread, cheese, sandwich meat etc. Fish fry is really good, both the walleye and haddock. Love the pork schnitzel too. Easy online order system and curbside pick up. We've been won over. read more

Jeez Louise, Madison, keep your pants on. Nine bucks for a good reuben is reasonable. And a good reuben is exactly what I had at Stalzys. The corned beef was a great victory of flavor and texture. The rye was lightly grilled, possibly in real butter, providing a little crunchy richness. I got a small container of potato salad to go, and it rivaled what I used to buy from the family-owned Polish deli in my hometown. Bring cash money. read more

Shameful. This place will not be open 6 months. Ridiculous prices (cash only so they can get an ATM fee out of you), small portions, rude staff. Their ATM was broken which necessitated a 3 block drive to get cash and come back. Who doesn't take cards nowadays? We paid 30 dollars for 2 sandwiches, 2 drinks and a bag of chips. Yeah, you read that right. The pastrami is beyond fatty and served on some completely average bread which was garnished with a long black hair. The burger was tough, overcooked but still managed to be small and greasy. Long story short avoid this place at all costs. Hipster faux deli. read more

Best sandwich shop in town, and it's not close. Love the tuna melt if I'm dining in or the turkey/cheddar if I'm taking to go.

Nope. Uh-uh. Not gonna happen. I've been here once. I got a pastrami and swiss with mustard on rye, my standard order for a Jewish deli. A Jewish deli sandwich is supposed to be enormous, overflowing with meat. This was not. It was about half the thickness that I would expect. The real problem was the pastrami. It was so salty that it wasn't edible-- not bordering on inedible, not just a touch too salty, but completely inedible. I won't be going back. read more

While in Madison I wanted to find an authentic Jewish Deli. I searched yelp for the "Jewish Deli" and found this place. The name sure sounded to me like the proprietor was going for Jewish, so...Stalzy's it was. The layout of the place was really cool. It had a few booths and a little lunch counter. It could only go down from here in my book, and it did. If Yelp allowed reviewers to title their reviews, I would title this one, "What the Fu£k is a Bialy?" Seriously, what's a Bialy? I'm sitting in the booth across from my buddy and he asks me what I'm going to have. I tell him, without even picking up a menu that I have my heart set on lox and bagels. Then he says something so despicable I can hardly being myself to repeat it. I mean I'm going to repeat it for you guys but I just want you to know how annoying it is for me to do. He says, is a "Bialy" the same thing as a bagel? I told him it was probably some hipster way of saying bagel. I had already made up in my mind that I wasn't going to play this game. I've lived this long without saying venti or grande, I wasn't calling a bagel a Bialy. I told the cashier I wanted a bagel and lox. He said, "You mean a Bialy." I said, "you don't have bagels?!?" He said, "Nope, only bialies." Then he pointed his stubby little sandwich maker to this dusty bread abortion. A bialy was a half bagel/half English muffin. This was no Jewish Deli. I opted for eggs, sausage and bacon with a side of latkes. The thought the food was great but It could have been attributed to the fact that it took the cook just under and hour to prepare my very basic order. I would have liked to have tried some of their other dishes but I didn't get a chance. This deli is less Jewish than Einstein's Bagels but it's worth trying. read more

I'm a Jewish transplant to Madison. I grew up eating in Jewish delis. So I have pretty high standards when it comes to my corned beef, pastrami, matzo ball soup, pickles and latkes. I give Stalzy's 3 stars for going to the trouble of making their own corned beef and other meats, and because the only other attempt at a Jewish deli in Madison is Ella's, which is more like a crazy funhouse ice cream parlor that happens to also serve mediocre corned beef sandwiches. But I'm sorry, a proper deli corned beef sandwich has a minimum of a 1/2 pound of meat on it. You want a smaller sandwich? Get a half sandwich. Stalzy's sandwiches don't come close to measuring up in this regard, and while they make their meats in house, I just wasn't overly impressed. As for y'all Madison folks giving 4-5 stars, hit up Jake's in Milwaukee or Manny's in Chicago, and then come talk to me. Actually the folks who run Stalzy's should check those places out too. read more

We tried Stalzy's again last night, for its Friday fish fry and again the only thing that had the "wow" factor was the price. Since we live in the neighborhood, we decided to do take out. It was $20 for two pieces of walleye. The fish was nice size, unfortunately we could not eat it. It was way too salty. After a few bites, it made us sick. It is unfortunate because the pan-fried breading seemed like it would have been quite good otherwise. But at last, the only flavor was table salt. The fish comes with two "potato pancakes". Only these were not like any potato pancake I have ever had. Let me just add a disclaimer here, I grew up eating homemade potato pancakes. So the "pancake" was more like a mushy crepe, burnt black on both sides. Amazingly even with the char, it was still mushy. I would compare most closely to the sponge bread served in Ethiopian restaurants, only not as good. Like the fish, it was uneatable. So we are left with the coleslaw and rye bread (not toasted). Also included, was what I can only think was an attempt at condiments. One pre-squeezed, very thin lemon that was less a wedge and more like a sliver was included in our styrofoam to-go box. Along with what I think was once tarter sauce, only it was hard to tell because again it looked as though someone had already had used most of it. Although, there was some extra drizzled and dried down the side of the cup. So for all of this, we dealt with the ATM fee, a very pretentious counter girl who gave us attitude about taking our food to go, and tried to overcharge us. Again, Stalzy's missed the mark, and has one less neighborhood customer. So disappointing, I so want to love this place. If you are in the neighborhood, try The Victory across the street, or Daisy's Cafe a block away. Save your money and skip Stalzy's. read more

Just had the fried walleye. I wasn't expecting a deli to rocket to my fish fry short list, but here we are. The fish had an excellent breading, good flavor and firm texture. Additionally, it comes with a good potato selection (i have a weakness for pancakes, and these, by default, come with both sour cream AND applesauce), and a generous bread and garnish plate with a spectacular cole slaw. I highly recommend the friday night fish fry for anyone craving such fare. read more

This place is awesome. We were vendors at Stalzy's fall flea market. This was the first time I ever heard of the place. They pride themselves on being a model of a New York style deli. I've never been to New York, but I'll say, save the airfare and eat here. You'll be amazed how clean the place is. Also the staff is more friendly than a bunch of glazed eye Christians at a Billy Graham revival. They really made you fee welcome. The menu choices are vast. Burgers, sandwiches, beer... Stalzy has what you'd expect in a higher end deli. No other place in Madison has such good sandwich choices. Being a deli, I ordered a Pastrami Ruben. Simply the best I've ever had. Great quality meats, bread and toppings. They make there own pastrami. Pure bliss. The only downfall to some might be the prices, but when you figure the sandwich was large and in charge, and busting with quality, 9 dollars isn't that unreasonable. I'll definitely come back again. I think the only way a trip to Stalzy's could be more like a trip to New York is to arrive in a yellow taxi reeking with curry. A++ Stalzy's! read more

This was my first trip to Stalzy's. I tried the Corso, their Friday special. It's a great deli sandwich with a ton of flavor. They later on hefty portions of deli meat. The bread is fresh and light with a crunch. You can tell it's homemade. This was a great sandwich that was light and fresh. I can't wait to come back! read more

Stalzy's Deli - Delis Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Went back to Stalzy's again to give them another chance after being one of their first customers a few years ago...My first experience was less than stellar..As a matter of fact, it was pretty bad...Having come from the North Side of Chicago, a predominantly Jewish area, the Deli's were plentiful and I grew up experiencing the finest in Corned Beef...Went to New York and had the best of New York's Corned Beef fare...so, I have a great reference point... I ordered a Corned Beef Sandwich for $9.00 and a side of Potato Salad (one of the best Potato Salads I'd ever had actually). When I got the sandwich, first off it looked a little light as far as portion size but oh well...When I took the first bite, the first sensations were simultaneous, dry, incredibly salty, fatty and rubbery and I almost gagged...The meat appeared to have been put on a grill prior to serving and was so fatty and tough that it was inedible... I am so sorry my experience was so bad that I felt it necessary to WARN EVERYONE in a review (which I never have done before) that if you are expecting Corned Beef with any distinction, you'll find it distinctively NASTY... I will never come back and will make a point of letting my friends know to not bother...I have no idea how these guys can stay in business serving that GARBAGE disguised as Corned Beef...SACRILEGIOUS... I guess I'm stuck with either Ella's Deli (fair) and Jason's Deli (size is great, taste is lacking). There's always places that 'get it' in Chicago...Road Trip Time... read more

Food Just say no. I ordered the grilled cheese with turkey. It was so salty that it was barely edible. The sandwich was pretty small for $5.50, I was hoping that the sandwich would be somewhat filling. I did not make it a platter meal because the side options were terrible. Four out of seven are mayonnaise based salads. The other three are pickled or vinegar. Sauerkraut is prevalent throughout the menu. I understand every establishment has to have a style or niche but there was nothing that appealed to me. Service The service was pretty slow. They do not take names or numbers for the orders. So every time something comes up in the window they stop at every table and ask who it belongs to. It is pretty annoying when you are six orders back from the front of the line. I have no intention of heading back. read more