Rye Delicatessen & Bar

Goodbye Rye
Unilocalers liked you as much as a stye
but they were totally high.
Your happy hour beer flights kicked ass
your sandwiches had lots of mass
and the flavors a bit of sass.
You took over the space left by Auriga,
I love you my … meshuga

I got exactly what i was looking for ! Matzoh Ball soup for my cold and a turkey sandwich made with off-​the-​bone fresh turkey. It was the Midnight Turkey sandwich. The matzoh balls were light and perfect! Not like some places where they’re like a heavy ball of dough. The broth was a lightly seasoned homemade chicken with carrots and pieces of chicken. I have finally found my Minneapolis Matzoh Ball Soup. Thank you!
The price may seem a lot, $ 20 for a large soup and sandwitch, but it is the perfect size for two meals. So, not priced bad at all.

The food is really just OK; nothing really stood out for me wanting to try it again. Went for breakfast and had three items; the Benedict on a potato pancake was pretty nice, but the eggs were so undercooked the whites were runny. The knish was good, but nothing fab, and while the corned beef hash was flavorful and ample, it was truly dry.
Service was quick and friendly, and they have freshly squeezed juices.

I’d been here once before, a few months after they opened, but had a chance to give it another shot this winter — I purchased a multi-​course online deal that allowed my husband and I to try a LOT of different things on the cheap. Our server was sweet and friendly, but seemed like she might be a bit new — didn’t know the menu very well and service on the slow side. Here’s a recap of the food:
For the apps, we shared the Boom Shake Latka (this was good) and Poutine with Smoked Meat (weirds me out a little that describe this just as «meat») which was absolutely not what I expected — the gravy tasted like cinnamon. What? Every bite I took made me more and more confused. I expected the poutine to be the star of the meal, like it was last time I came, but we didn’t even finish it.
On to the entrees. I got a reuben — not open faced as it was the first time I came, and it actually still states it’s open faced in their online menu now… odd. Nevertheless it was nothing special — I’ve had better at the corner bar. My husband got the beef brisket, which tasted fine but was a bit dry. I’ve never had kugel before, but I found it a bit boring.
Lastly, our deal included a shared dessert. We chose the cheesecake, assuming that’s the best choice at a deli like this. Wrong. It was bad. The top was browned and it was in a thick dough crust rather than the light graham cracker that’s typical.
I wanted to like it so bad, but all in all, I’m totally unimpressed. Seems like everything I ate, I’ve had better elsewhere. So although there were some good points to the meal, I can’t say I’d make a point to come back for dinner. They do have a pretty impressive-​looking happy hour, so that’s always an option, I guess.

Full disclaimer — this is a review of their food. Not their drinks.
I’m from New Jersey, I’m Jewish, and Deli’s were very much an integral part of my life back on the East Coast.
Which is why I was so excited to try out Rye, and ultimately so disappointed afterwards.
Going in, I knew what I wanted: a Pastrami Sandwich. And it’s not even like I was holding Rye up to this impossible standard of Katz’s or Carnegie deli… I was just looking for something that was «alright».
Great service, was seated promptly and taken care of. Scanned the menu for what I was looking for but couldn’t find it, I asked the waitress and it turns out they call their Pastrami Sandwich a «Smoked Meat» Sandwich. Big no no in my book.
Here are my gripes about the «Smoked Meat» Sandwich that came out:
— Did not have enough meat.
There’s a difference between Lunch Sandwich (Smaller) and Deli Sandwich (Larger) sizes. Rye’s offering fell into the former category.
— Served lukewarm.
Pretty self explanatory.
–Seasoning just a tad shy of where it needed to be.
So close… yet so far.
I will not be coming back, and will continue my search in the Twin Cities for another Deli.

I’ve been sitting on this review for awhile. Being from NYC I was really excited to find this place. I was looking forward to a bite of home. I’ve only been here twice and I really wanted to like this place more, but they need to improve on a few things. I think they have a fantastic happy hour from 1 – 7. Great deals on food and drinks. Although for a place to call themselves Rye, I don’t understand why they would choose a Canadian Whisky as their house Rye. They’re so rarely taste like an actually Rye because they blend so many things in it. Old Overholt would be a better option, and it’s cheap. If your calling yourself Rye you should have decent Rye whisky as your house brand. Good tap list with good happy hour choices. In keeping with their name it’d be nice to see a Rye beer on tap.
Funny I really wanted the deli debris plate and my wife didn’t. She wound up liking it and me not so much. It was kinda a Jewish interpretation of nachos, I thought everything would be served separately. It was good, just not what I wanted. The chickpea fritters, aka Falafel were super dry and not flavorful. Their egg cream was made with Ghirardelli syrup. If your going to make a NYC drink you have to make it with Fox’s U Bet. Google it, get it. The Ruben egg rolls with Sriracha dressing is highly recommended. I also found the Pastrami to be a bit dry. Maybe it was supposed to be I never had Montréal style before. I also found the knish to be a bit odd, but I forget why.
I found the service to be attentive and friendly. We asked another waiter to ask our waiter for something an he said” I can get that for you”. I love this kind of service. It says we want your patronage. Not «that’s not my job».
I do feel like they’re trying and I hope they keep improving. We will be back to try again and see how it goes. Hopefully we’ll have a better experience.

I tried Rye for the first time with a Groupon after living too close for too long without a visit. My husband and I stopped by during my lunch break and luckily we made the noshes and sides happy hour. The restaurant was fairly quiet during the day but large enough for a crowd and clean and well decorated. I ordered the matzo ball soup and beet salad and shared a latke. The soup was good but nothing I would go out of my way for as chicken broth didn’t have a well developed flavor. The beet salad was delicious. It comes with farm fresh goat cheese and a drizzle of clover honey. Although it is simple it is easily one of my favorite items on the menu. The latke was a bit disappointing. I am used to latkes having a delicious onion flavor amongst the potato but I was missing that entirely here. It reminded me more of a hashbrown. On a more recent visit, we shared a poutine with smoked meat. No criticism there. Overall, I have enjoyed most of the food and all of my experiences here.

Oh Rye how I so wanted to love you truly madly and deeply but let’s just be friends.
This place is possibly the closest bar I can walk to so I had high hopes for it and have been giving it extra chances for over a year. Well I finally decided that I will only go to Rye for happy hour. Luckily Rye has two happy hours 2pm-​7pm and 10pm-​close. By only ordering happy hour food you won’t feel so bad if you get something overly salted or tasteless. Also you’ll get a pass on the sandwich sticker price shock experience.
The mac n cheese is my favorite hhour nosh followed by the poutine. If I’m feeling like wine, beer or a mixed drink there is always a deal on each of these at happy hour!
Happy hour only, got it? Ok go!

We went for brunch on a Sunday. You order at the counter and they bring you your food. I had their version of a breakfast burrito made from a pita – delicious! My husband enjoyed the French toast, and our daughters were delighted with their eggs – my 16 year old was even able to get her gluten free toast, which is why I would say 5 stars! The only problem I have is that because you order at the register and the menu is up above, they are a bit rushed so it’s difficult to ask menu questions.

Minneapolis has a few secrets. Here’s my kiss and tell about Rye:
+ Late night happy hour has something for everyone! Local beers, reds, whites, cocktails, and a few bites just in case you take advantage of the libations.
+ Service: Friendly, attentive, low key.
+ Atmosphere: The vibe at Rye is good anytime of the day. The patio is lovely during the day or on a comfortable night. Don’t worry if Mother Nature is not cooperating and you still want to hit a place with a good vibe. Head inside, where you’ll find a nice variety of seating options (bar, café, dining room).
One more comment. I have a thing about beet salads; I love them. Rye has a beet salad served with honey. It is now on my list of yummy beet salads.

Rye’s biggest problem is that it suffers from a lack of consistency. I’ve dined at Rye several times and the quality of the food never seems the same from one visit to the next. And the dishes themselves are either hit or miss (depending on what you order).
I LOVE the Reuben egg rolls. Greasy, deep fried goodness. And the accompanying dipping sauce (Sriracha + thousand island = yum!) is wonderful and has a nice spicy kick.
I also really enjoy the Chicago style beef sandwich which is made with brisket, but the meat is where the inconsistency tends to rear its ugly head. The first time I had this sandwich the meat was lean and tender. Ordered it again a few weeks later and the brisket was super fatty and a bit on the grisly side.
Other items just aren’t good. Period. The deli debris, which is basically just a deli-​inspired spin on nachos, are terrible (if you’ve ever had «bad» nachos, you’ll understand) and the poutine is super salty.

So after we went to the Sculpture Garden, we were trying to go get ice cream at Sebastian Joe’s and we were so hungry! So we stopped by this restaurant just to get a quick bite to eat and it was so worth it!
It was Happy Hour so I ordered a plate of fried cheese curds with honey mustard sauce and also fried kreplach. Kreplach is a brisket filled dumpling that they fry up and serve with sour cream. Both of the dishes were AMAZING and Luke got this Reuben burger which had a beef patty, covered in saurkraut, corned beef, russian dressing and then cheese. I had a bite and I could have died because it was so good!
In the next week or so, it is going to be July 4^th as well as restaurant week. The food updates will continue!

As an Asian person living in Minnesota, I give you mad props for your Reuben Egg Roll in Siracha (Cock Sauce) dipping sauce.
Creative, and strangely delicious, however blasphemous.

Let me first premise this review by stating that I ordered something atypical for a Montréal-​stye deli — corned beef hash with eggs sunny-​side up. Why «atypical»? Because, really, what do French Canadians know about corned beef hash? Nothing (no offense!).
So, yes, my review is negative because of a poor ordering decision on my part. I did taste my friend’s reuben/​some sort of smoked meat sandwich and that was pretty good. I expect I’ll go back at some point and give them another shot, but next time order something a bit more «standard deli fare», so to speak.
ANYWAY. When we went, the place was pretty dead. I don’t know why it took so long to get our food out with it being so dead, but it was surprisingly slow service for how not busy it was. However, I could have easily overlooked this if my food had been good.
Tell me this: since when is it ever ok to use unfried french fries as «hash» for corned beef hash? How do I know they used unfried french fries? Because they were elongated pieces of unfried potatoes. In other words — unfried french fries.
You are probably thinking that this should not be a big deal… I mean, a potato is a potato despite however it’s cut, right? WRONG. Corned beef can be pretty greasy (Rye’s version seemed to be a bit heavy on the greasy side)…what do you think absorbes all of that grease? The potato. What happens when you bite into an elongated potato the size of a small finger? You get a mouthful of grease. Yummy. And since the dish was more potato than corned beef, it was a pretty disgusting, unappetizing, and disappointing experience.
I have lived in both New York and the South. I grew up going to amazing Jewish delis and eating proper southern food (although corned beef hash isn’t necessarily southern), so I KNOW what is acceptable and what isn’t. With the slop I got at Rye, I should have done the right thing — sent it back and gotten a refund.

I am really really surprised to see all sorts of negative reviews for Rye. To be fair, I was apprehensive because I do get slightly nervous about eating at places that are different and not specifically gluten free-​friendly (I am fairly good at sussing out what I should avoid on menus, but even still). I recently had their brunch and it was really tasty. Their latte flavor selection is very small but it contains the classics (vanilla, hazelnut, chocolate, caramel) and the lattes are quality.
Restaurants that allow you to view the kitchen and watch the production always get a kudos from me, and I had the luck to be seated by the window that allows you to ‘spy’ on the line. I was really impressed by the butchering I watched-​a lot of places don’t butcher their own meat anymore, let alone allow you to see the process. It’s really affirming. I mean, yes they are a deli so they should butcher their own meat, but you’d be surprised by the corners some places cut. Not at Rye.
Now I feel like Bo Dietl. Slicing up the truth about freshness!
The atmosphere was mellow; there were several groups of friends chatting, but there were also people studying. All the staff were really nice. I particularly got a kick out of one of the guys that was busing tables. He was blond and had a lot of jokes-​always fun to be out to eat and run across someone lighthearted.
Closing remarks: I wish there were more gluten free options but really, I feel that way about 99% of the restaurants I eat at. Nobody did ask if we needed condiments or refills on anything, but frankly they don’t even have to bus your dishes. Most cafes that have a similar vibe have bus bins out and are pretty hands-​off in that regard. All in all, I’m impressed and will be back. I hope that at least a few of the negative reviewers will give Rye another shot.

My wife and I had a $ 30 voucher for Rye and it was a Saturday near Uptown, so we decided to hit the deli.
You enter the establishment and there is a large counter where you order you food and a huge menu looming over the mélange of coffee makers, kitchen, deli fridge, etc.
I ordered a Montréal Smoked Meat sandwich on rye with lettuce, tomato, and onion added extra. I ordered a Steel Toe Provider, a nice light beer, and it comes with a nice coleslaw. My wife got the hummus and bagel chips the the extra oil left off and a Diet Coke. A side of pickle helped to fill out the meal. Good pickle.
We chatted at our booth and sipped on my beer for 5 minutes and then the lunch came out. About 4 inches of smoked meat piled on a beautiful soft couple slices of rye. I have been to Montréal and had their smoked meat sammies, this one was a little dry on the meat side, and I didn’t really taste the «Spicy» mustard I added some of their sweet mustard that adorns the table and it helped moisten it up. It could have used a little more «Smoke» flavor as well.
The coleslaw was dry as well, but in a good way. I hate really wet and gooey coleslaw. My wife enjoyed her hummus and chips and brought quite a bit of it back home for next week’s lunches.
We ordered some chopped liver from the deli case on the way out, and it was a lovely pâté. Good stuff.
The staff was very nice and my wife had her soda refilled many times.
All our stuff with 2 beers was exactly $ 30. Score!

Do you know what happens when you brine turkey too long?
I do after visiting Rye and trying the turkey sandwich on their menu. Basically the turkey has no texture and is somehow dry at the same time. When you chew on it the turkey meat turns to a gummy substance. Add to that the fact that the bread it was on basically compressed to nothing-​ness and you wind up with a mouth full of mush. The sandwich was supposed to have some lemon aioli on it but I never got a hint of lemon.
The pickle plate was unimpressive, two pickle spears, two pieces of red beet and two pieces of a lighter colored beet. The one bite of one of the pickle spears reminded me that I don’t like a brined/​fermented pickle (I much prefer a vinegar pickle). Rye should visit Foxy Falafel to learn what a proper pickle plate is.
Dining companions liked the pastrami (Montréal smoked meat) sandwich and the borscht but were not blown away by either of them. It was remarked that the borscht needed more seasoning.
Dear Rye,
If you want to charge $ 12 for a sandwich it should be good.

I was in the mood for a good reuben. This one made the grade for me. The beet salad with it’s honey drizzle and tangy pickled beets were the perfect mix of sweet & sour. Two thumbs up on the cappuccino. I thought their pickles were perfectly salty, didn’t think they were overly done at all.
Two misses for this dining experience… first, the cheese cake. Pardon my palate if I totally get this wrong, but it was almost a ricotta cheese consistency, on the less sweet side. Service ranged from attentive to MIA in the span of one meal.

When Rye first opened in the neighborhood, they experienced a number of issues that led me to believe the eatery would be closed by the end of the summer. Thankfully, my prediction was wrong and I can happily report that Rye is quickly becoming one of my favorite late night happy hour spots.
This reality is predicated on the fact that their bar staff is second to none and their late night menu is unique and impressive. Rye’s late night atmosphere is also notable. Absent from here is your typical «Affliction T-​shirt» types that commonly ruin most descent bars in Uptown… At Rye, expect mature and good-​natured clientele that enjoy late night drinks with descent finger food.
Things I would highly suggest:
–Sandwich: The Jubano’s combination smoked meat and braised brisket makes for a wonderfully filling yet refreshing meal.
–Infused whiskey… Of particular affection is their «Pastrami on Rye» infused whiskey. It is smokey yet smooth (perhaps it is the smoked meat infusion that takes away the characteristic ‘burn’ of whiskey?). Whatever the case may be, I would strongly encourage following the whiskey shot with a ‘pickle back’. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Long story short, Rye may have been bumpy at first but it looks like smooth sailing ahead…

Even before I met you, I wanted to like you, I was willing to love you! I wanted to brag about you to my NY friends. Yes, we too have a fancy Jewish Deli. I swore I would visit weekly, eat pastrami on rye, bring my mom, and buy all of your groupon offers in multiples of 18. Yet, after four visits I am disappointed.
The place itself is quite nice, you got good chairs and nice variety of seating, including the bar area, and the outdoor seating. I believe there is a parking lot for customers. The staff was great, very friendly and courteous, provided good recommendations and overall, I have no complaints about the workers. The happy hour has some great deals… and the white fish salad was delicious… However the rest is not soo peachy …
Here is some constructive criticism
Now, the idea… and the problem areas
What are you? A deli? A dive bar? A restaurant? You gotta figure this out. A deli with a bar and waiters is somewhat confusing. Are you a Jewish deli or are you trying to just another place that has corned beef and white fish salad on the menu? I ordered the «deli debris» expecting a selection of meats, cheeses, bagels, perhaps a side of pickled something… yet, I got a nacho plate, except the nachos were replaced with bagel chips and it was spicy. Like a typical mexican restaurant spicy! I understand that perhaps there is a need to cater to a greater group of average folk, but come on there is no place for nachos in a jewish deli! Your zaide would have been mortified! And you know I am right about this one.
The deserts… were displayed nicely in a case… and I ordered an éclair. What I didn’t realize that my éclair would come from the very same case in which it was displayed… along with a few pickled salads, smoked fish and perhaps few other things. Needless to say it was one very fishy smelling éclair…
I stopped during the happy hour once, ordered a plate of kreplakh, and they were amazing. We liked them soo much we placed another order, yet, the second was
quite different from the first. They were not crispy or tasty at all, I think perhaps it was made from a different batch. It didn’t taste anything like the first order we got, a mere 20 min ago. As chef Ramsay would say, consistency is important.
I’ll be back, get this together, I will be your loyal customer, just be truly a Jewish deli, people do crave the particular atmosphere and the comfort food they know.

Hey guy, try Rye! This is a cute little addition to the Lowry Hill neighborhood. Even though I do love Lyle’s and Seb Joe’s one can only consume so much ice cream and tater tots. The Lowry is fine, if a bit snobby. Rye falls somewhere in between.
For those looking to nosh, there’s plenty to choose from at the deli. They weren’t anticipating opening day volume, so when we arrived round 9, they were already out of corned beef, chopped liver, matzo soup, and a lot everything else. Fortunately, what we wanted was still available. We settled on the Mezze plate, egg cream, and Arnie Palmer.
The Mezze plate came with tabbouleh, hummus, israeli salad, cucumber pickle and bagel chips. The bagel chips were great crunchy wafers of bagel and not over-​salted. They went great with the creamy creamy hummus. The hummus was the greatest thing on the plate. The pickle was very mild and not at all bracing. Just refreshing. Tabbouleh and israeli salad were ok, I felt they could use more salt.
The egg cream is a classic Brooklyn soda fountain drink. Contrary to the name, there is no egg but it was created as an alternative to the proto-​milkshake, which contained an egg. Rye’s version was Ghirardelli chocolate syrup, seltzer, and cream added together in a glass and served with spoon. You have to froth it quick and hard with the spoon for a few seconds to mix it all up. Very thick and creamy with a slight bubbly mouth feel. Definitely a treat if you’re in for something sweet but nothing heavy.
Prices are on the medium side. Rye is not a cheap-​ass deli — after all, we are in Lowry Hill! — but the quality of the food is higher. Sandwiches were around $ 9 – 11, so definitely up there but as I noticed they were slicing their meat generously. I also noticed that the sandwiches are pretty spartan in terms of fillers, so don’t expect fancy stuff like lettuce or tomatoes. Lots of local sodas — Spring Grove and Joia — and a small but interesting selection of beers like ones from He’Brew (get it?).
The other half of Rye is the bar. It’s pretty sleek and dark, a nod to the current trend in bars. I’ll have to stop for a nightcap soon!