Thorndale Delicatessen

Another old school piece of Chicago gone!!!
Oh how I will miss the corned beef sandwiches that I used to split with my 5 year old son and eat at the school across the street in the summer some 20 years ago. I will mourn the intensity of the pickled herring, the freshness of the rye bread, the sparkly-​eyed laughter of the owners, the attitude back for attitude, the Chicago style banter, the day old donuts, the terrible coffee, the joy of neighborhood that newbies just don’t get.
I wonder what God-​awful-​Starbucks– like– crappy– cookie-​cutter nonsense will replace another blessed old time Chicago joint.
Thanks guys, for the memories!!!

Well, Michael S. you’ll be relieved to know that the Thorndale Deli is closing as of December 31, 2008.
Unfortunately, for me and anyone else who’s a fan, we won’t be able to get our delicious handmade sandwiches anymore. Or the yummy potato salad. Or the scrumptious macaroni salad.
I’ve stopped here for a bottle of water before going to the beach at Thorndale and have grabbed a sammich when returning from the beach. I’ve stopped in to get chips and a sandwich on the way home from work. It is/​was a great deli that I wish we could keep in the ‘hood. Dominick’s deli ain’t got nothing on Thorndale Deli.
Good luck to Mr. Shaw and his family and thanks for the good grub!

My Lox-​O-​Meter went red here. $ 33.00/lb. for Nova and $ 36.00/lb. for regular lox? In Edgewater? That’s chutzpah at chazar prices. (Yiddish for «gumption» and «greedy pig»). The Bagel, a few «L’ stops south and in far more expensive Lakeview, sells extremely very good enough lox for $ 7 PER POUND CHEAPER.
They had only plain or onion bagels; nothing else.
And, I didn’t much like that one piece of Gefilte fish costs $ 3.98!!! I asked the guy about that and he said, «yes, but we use Lake Superior White Fish.» BFD.
Oh yes, one more thing: the very limited counter space here where you can eat if you can afford to buy anything was populated entirely by a bunch of loud men speaking nearly unintelligible gibberish at (not to) each other; they looked and sounded like they were transported from the barber shop scene in «Coming to America.»
Not so inviting.
I know I sound like an elitist fifth generation American, but I know my delis and this one has had better days. Plus, the linguisitc barrage of adulterated English ruined any possible ambience here and really was repulsive. If I owned that place, I wouldn’t let low brows overpopulate my establishment.

A Yiddish gem in the heart of the Midwest. Just like back in the old country and trust me, Bubbe would approve.
I can’t think of anything I have had that I did not like.

I likes everything about this place. I grow up in this neighborhood and this is my favorite sandwiches place. No other sandwiches place could compare to this place sandwiches or service.
Great food and great service.
Turkey
CornBeef
Baked sweet ham
Potato salad
chop liver
tuna salad
salmon salad
and so on
It’s very good stuff. And excellent chatter especially one of the owner name Don. They are all down to earth people that serve anyone and listen to anyone.
The sad news is this deli will close end of this year. Closing the day before Christmas. 52 years of business. So sad to see it goes.
Definitely have to try it if you haven’t already because this type of deli and foods will probably never come back ever again.

I’d heard this place made a killer egg salad sandwich, so I headed over there to give it a try. Creamy deliciousness. Quite tasty. And it’s nice to see an oldskool deli like this in a sea of homogenous fast food places. They need an outdoor seating space, and it’d be perfect. Great option for a sandwich and a little Sunday Tribune reading time.

I have no idea how this place has stayed in business with the Dominick’s right down the street, but I am always really glad they are. Fresh deli sandwiches, made to order, and a root beer in a can (for me anyway, you can get whatever you want to drink). I think a lot of passers-​by assume it’s just a Food Mart… if only they knew what they were missing.

OK, I’m sold. Like totally.
I’m a little disappointed in myself for not picking up anything from here (short of in a bottle) sooner, but now that I have, it’s going to be something regular. I’ll admit, I was a little put off by the pronounced Old Man Smell… and well, if anything would shake a 5, it’s that. No offense to the many older men who bathe regularly, but this place is a grab-​and-​go.
Anyway, after seeing the reviews here, I had to try the food. After all, it HAS been around for over 50 years. Have to be doing something right, I guess… Sure enough. Kind of like the food-​flashback in Ratatouille, it was like the kickass homemade stuff in my grandma’s kitchen when I was a little kid. I got the egg and tuna salads, and they are both phenomenal. Big chunks, lots of texture, tons of taste. You definitely know what the salad is made around… not just glops of mayo and mustard. And the donuts, although not their own, are fresh from a place in the burbs, and the chocolate-​frosted cake one I had kicked the hole of any I’ve ever had from the Dunk.
Very reasonable prices, too. Can’t wait to try some fresh-​carved lox with that chive cream cheese Ted R suggests!

Fantastic old style Chicago deli! Hidden away in Edgewater, it has been faithfully serving our neighborhood for over 50 years! It is one of our best kept secrets! Egg and Tuna Salad is to DIE FOR! I used to pass by on my way to the L– had to stop and get a bagel on my way for breakfast and a sandwich to take for lunch. Have gotten my family hooked on their sandwiches also. Huge scoops of egg, tuna, or anything else. Do not let the wrapping fool you, this place can compete with downtown delis any day!

This is THE place to shop for store made, old fashioned kosher style (European Jewish style) deli foods — and those stores are too rare in 2008 Chicago.
Of course we start with the Corned Beef. Where else? It is excellent.
The sliced turkey is real turkey (not a processed roll). The turkey is also cooked right there in the back of the store.
Roast Beef is Vienna — OK, but nothing unusual or special with the RB.
Thorndale makes its own Kreplach — like mom made (if your mom was Russian or a Litvak as its meat filled and not liver). Buy 12 frozen and take them home to fry with onions or heat up in Chicken Soup — the family will love you either way.
The LOX is as good as I have found in Chicago. Outstanding. Try a sandwich made at the store with their chive cream cheese and their light bagels that do not overwhelm the lox and such.
I suggest if you are buying a half pound or more of lox — that you have the hutzpah to ask them to carve it fresh on the spot and «ignore» the pre sliced lox waiting in the counter. Buy the NON salty type — it is salty enough. The salty type is IMO nothing but the taste of salt. But that debate goes back 1000 years or more. Moses ate non salty.
Almost forgot the chopped liver — don’t tell your doctor and try some.
They do deli tray catering. If the order is large enough they deliver too.
For a dozen years (now more) we have been buying several meat and fish trays for our Hanuka party and every year we hear rave reviews from our guests (YUP — Corned Beef — Turkey — Lox Platters with the trimmings — to include 8 ounces of guilt and a lb of chopped liver and why not? some herring too).
Good Appetite