The first step in the door and a wave of freshly cut rotisserie washed over me. Everything felt old and somewhat broken. There was a huge line of people of all ages when I got there, but I did not understand why. It did not seem like anything special.
When Carl’s was first created in 1969 it was owned by Bill Carl who people referred to as the “only real delicatessen maitre d’ in all of St. Louis.” He was famous for serving up Hoffman’s Diet Creme and Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray sodas and he used to commonly say, “We’ve got any kind of canned soda you want.” Carl was meticulous with his customers and put their needs in front of anyone in his way.
After 53 years, Carl turned over his beloved deli to Matt Lewis. Lewis claimed from the beginning that he would not change a thing about the deli to keep the authenticity and ingenuity the same. Lewis started as a busboy and after his time he had been able to gain the experience to run the deli.
Although they are known for their pastrami sandwich, Carl’s menu has an endless amount of options for the customers to choose from. They even had some unappealing and unique choices like beef tongue, and the unpopular baloney. When I was ordering they were thorough in telling me all of the added condiments and sandwich toppings. Not only did they have an array of sandwiches, they also had soups and salads.
Sitting at the table waiting for the food, I noticed sports memorabilia and other images covering every inch of the walls, as well as an award for the 2012 Best of St. Louis Best Delicatessen.
The portions of thinly sliced meat in the sandwiches is enough to feed an army. To bite into the sandwich was somewhat of a struggle, but it was all worth it. The spicy, freshly cut taste was the definition of a thriving deli. I began to understand why the line was so long.
From owner to owner, Carl’s is still serving up the best sandwiches of St. Louis.