Carson Street Deli & Craft Beer Bar

My son has been after me for some time to go here so I took his advice and went. This place is remarkable! Upon entering there is a small bar area along with table seating. You place your order at the bar when it is for dine in or take out.
The counterperson then told me to help myself to whatever drink I wanted from the refrigerators in the back. As I headed back there I saw all types of beers from various Pittsburgh locales like Voodoo brewery to name one.
They also have a small meat counter where you can see some of the fresh meat they prepare and serve. The menu is expansive ranging from deli specials, salads, sides, soups, non-​alcoholic beverages, and even a kids menu. Want to make it up yourself? Well they have create your own sandwich menu. Price is determined by what you choose but very reasonable. They also do catering.
So I decided to choose the «Dizzy Lizzy.» This wrap comes with curried grilled chicken, fresh slaw, dried cranberries, and slice almonds on a pita wrap. You get all this for $ 8.75. But wait. Between the hours of 12 – 4 you can get ½ sandwich, choice of side or soup for the price of a sandwich! Among these sides they offer in addition to traditional you can find crab cake, broccoli carbonara, and baba ghanouj. I opted for the traditional cole slaw.
I had my food served to me in no time and although it was a bit messy I loved every bite of it! After that I wanted a small dessert. Their sign says «baked goods from three fifty.» I asked if that was the price and was told that three fifty is where they get their desserts from. They even have cheesecake. I opted for the pumpkin pecan cupcake which was just enough for me. When I was done I went up to pay and asked how to dispose of my garbage. The counter person told me no worries, they would do it for me. My whole check came to under $ 15.00 but it was worth every penny.
I know this place probably gets crowded later on with the bar scene and the tremendous array of beer varieties they carry. The best time to visit would be on a weekday since it is much easier to park and get served but you can’t go wrong anytime. The food is fresh and made to order. My son recommends next time I opt for «the club» sandwich which consists of smoked turkey, baked ham, blt, cheese and mayo on Italian bread. I think I will take him up on that suggestion next time.
The Carson Street Deli and Craft Beer Bar is located in the Southside directly across from the Amazing Café in the 1500 block of E. Carson St.

This is my favorite deli in Pittsburgh! When I first started coming here, it was a simple deli with some 6-​pack options. Now, they’ve made some additions to the menu and have drinks on tap. My favorite sandwich here is the reuben and it is actually my favorite reuben of all time. I’ve tried a couple other sandwiches on the menu but the reuben still holds the spot for favorite. However, you really can’t go wrong with anything you get. It’s also nice they give you the option to create your own sandwich in case you’re in the mood for something simple. Every time my husband and I come here, we also always get the rice pudding. It’s not made there, but it’s from another local business. So good! I really love this place and wish I worked closer so I could stop here for lunch more often.

Super helpful staff. Great beer! Even better sandwich! We shared the Balboa, just a mound of amazing Italian meats, a slice of provolone on some amazing bread… Topped off with roasted red peppers (as if the sandwich had to be made any better)… Along with some really solid potato salad!
Highly recommend this place!

Came here with my boyfriend. He got the Po Boy sandwich and I got the grilled salmon salad. The sandwich was decent but also were comparing it to po boys in New Orleans so that’s always hard to compete with. The salmon was wonderful– perfectly seasoned and cooked. The salad was a salad — typical stuff. What we really enjoyed was the service from our server James and we will definitely be back. The menu looks amazing and there’s a lot more sandwiches and food we want to try! Not to mention beer selection. Good thing we’re within walking distance. :)

Nice, casual atmosphere, 3 little pigs sandwich is awesome. They have plenty of beer options on tap and many craft brews served.

Awesome selection of delicious sandwiches and a great selection of local craft beer on tap. Plus, an excellent selection of bottled beers for there or to go. Favorite sandwiches are #1the Dizzy Lizzy, a curried chicken with slaw, almonds, dried cranberries all on a pita, and #2 the Donnie brasco, I honestly don’t remember all that is on this sandwich, but it’s delicious. I go to Carson Street Deli at least once a week.

This is my absolute favorite place in Pittsburgh for a sandwich and a beer. I moved out of town a few years ago and make it a point to visit every time I’m back in Pittsburgh because it’s just that good. Amazing food, fantastic selection of local craft beer, friendly staff, and great atmosphere! If you haven’t been yet, make it a point to check it out– and make sure to get a 6 pack to go!

I wish there was a possibility to give more than 5 stars! I received a personal message from the owner apologizing for the interaction I had with one of his employees, as previously described. His apology, along with the support of other employees on that day, as well as the many interactions I have had with many other employees in the months that I have been frequenting Carson Street Deli prove that this one person does not represent what this business is all about. No one can control each and every action and word that an employee chooses to do or say and no matter how much you screen and train, there is always someone who slips through the cracks. I do not fault the owner or the business for this interaction whatsoever.
I continue to wholeheartedly support Carson Street Deli and suggest that you do too!

Delicious sandwiches. Tried both the Bourne Farm and the Balboa and both are great. I ordered the food to go but the atmosphere seems cool and they had a great selection of beers on tap. Will definitely go back.

I belong to a MeetUp group called «Strange Brew». We’re a group of craft beer enthusiast who get together once a month and we each bring a beer that, hopefully, no one has tried before (that’s the challenge, finding one during the weeks leading up to our MeetUp). We’ve been doing this for over three years, alternate between only two establishments; last night it was the Carson Street Deli.
I got there at about 6:00, commandeered some tables and looked over the menu wondering what I would get tonight. After a few other members showed up, I decided on the Real New Yorker’s New Yorker Sandwich that comes with a mixture of hot pastrami and corned beef topped with melted swiss and deli mustard on a grilled marbled rye. I also ordered a Lavery, Lá Bealtaine White Fire Wheat to compliment it. One of my fellow Strange Brew members ordered the Dizzy Lizzy which is a pita wrap with curried grilled chicken, fresh slaw, dried cranberries and sliced almonds. She looked at my sandwich and I looked at hers and we decide to trade half of our sandwiches with each other. They were both amazing (if you can say that about a deli sandwich), super fresh and the right amount of ingredients presented with simplicity.
Now can we talk about beer? Twenty craft beers on tap should be able to get you lubed up enough to make your way over to the cooler section where they stock over 300 craft beers. You can mix and match beers of your choosing and if you put together a six pack you get $ 2.00 off each beer.
But what we (Strange Brew Meetup Members) like most about the place though is the atmosphere. This establishment is always spotlessly clean, the wait staff is extremely courteous and attentive and we, as a group, are always made to feel welcome each time we get together here. What is also cool about the Carson Street Deli is that there’s a patio out back with a garden like feel to it that we take advantage of during the warmer months to get away from the hustle and bustle that can be the South Side.
If you can’t tell by now, let me just say that I like it there. If you’re in the South Side and looking for a good sandwich and a high end craft beer to swish it down with, I would highly recommend the Carson Street Deli. It’s so much more than a «deli» thus deserving of a five star rating.

Great sandwiches!!! The Buffalo Chicken and the Reuben are two of my favorites. They also have salads, soups, and desserts-​cupcakes, whoopie pies, cheesecake and cookies.
GREAT draft selection which mostly features local beers. Some solid national breweries as a comment.
There is also a large selection of cold beers to go, make your own six pack. Bombers bottles are also available to go.

I dropped in unexpectedly with CM for a snack around 7:30 last night. CM was hungry because he hadn’t eaten dinner, and we were expecting to try one of the breakfast sandwiches at Delanie’s Coffee, where we were originally planning to head. However, the barista there apologetically informed us that he turned off the oven at 7, since it takes a long time to cool down. He recommended Carson St. Deli as an alternative place to get a sandwich, which I recognized as a place that I’d bookmarked on Unilocal,so we headed on over.
CM ordered the Mark Cuban ($ 8.25), a variant on the classic cuban sandwich. This version substituted chicken for the pulled pork, a roll for the bread, and was toasted rather than being pressed like a panini, judging by the meltiness of the Swiss cheese. Although I didn’t try it, CM was very pleased with this sandwich, which satiated his hunger well. As for me, I had to order the Donnie Brasco ($ 8.25), a layered egg salad and buffalo chicken sandwich, based on other reviewers’ comments. This was one of the more unique sandwiches I’ve eaten. It was quite flavorful and substantial, and was bookended by good quality Italian bread. However, it was one of the messiest sandwiches I’ve ever eaten, due to the mayonnaise and buffalo sauce and the small pieces of hard boiled egg and chicken. Fortunately, CM and I have reached the point where we’re comfortable eating messy foods in front of one another, so it wasn’t an issue. ;-)
The ambiance was surprisingly quiet for a bar, due to the fact that there was only a couple of other customers when we were there, and that the TVs were muted. We enjoyed the oldies music that was playing, which somehow seemed appropriate for a sandwich shop such as this. Service from an older gentleman I’m guessing may be the owner was friendly and pretty efficient. One quirky thing that caught us off guard is that if you eat in, you pay after you finish eating, rather than when you order. In retrospect, however, this makes sense in light of this place being a bar, given that many people probably want to run a tab. (I didn’t think of this since we didn’t have anything to drink.) Although the prices have gone up a bit, we felt that they were still pretty reasonable (total check: $ 16.50). Overall, we were quite pleased with our experience here, and would definitely return in the future.

Great and fairly new spot on the Southside is the Carson Street Deli! Great beer selection with something for everyone! It seems now, all beers on tap have to be hoppy or sour! Sorry, but sours aren’t really beer! This place actually has something for everyone, not just the too cool for school kids! They have a cask system that regularly pours out some great beer. My fave is the Lavery Imperial Red. Try the food too. They switched up the bacon on their BLT and its amazing!

Thanks to fellow Unilocalers, I was able to make the right choice and get the Donnie Brasco sandwich. I must admit I was a bit hesitant because egg salad and buffalo chicken together doesn’t make sense, but when I took my first bite I was blown away. The bread is fresh, soft and slightly crunchy on the crust. Veggies are fresh and crisp not limp.
The pickle spear is a nice add on to give it a lil bite.
Service is great. The guys and gals there were helpful and cheerful. Dude was the ‘stash was super nice and provided great service.
Beer selection is ridiculous. Hey have beer flights which I would try next time when it’s not work hours. Flight of 4 for $ 7. Good deal I say.
Parking just is well… It’s Carson. Nuff said. But has not bearing on the deli itself.
Bön appetit!

After reading the positive reviews, my colleague and I came in here for a drink, with the possibility of dinner. The entire establishment had about 3 other people in here at 8pm on a Thursday. Where was everyone?
Seeing that they had a great variety of beers on tap (the main reason why we came), we decided to order 2 separate flights of 4 beers. I gotta say, I’m a big fan of Levante Brewing Company. Their maltier beers dominated my flight, and I really enjoyed the experience. As with any flight, a few of the beers for both my colleague and I were hit or miss, but the 4 beer samples for $ 7 made it a worthwhile experience.
We actually left without food because we wanted to seek out a place with a bit more atmosphere for dinner. I would definitely come here for a quiet place to sample beers!

They make even the most simple sandwich awesome! First sandwich I had was a basic roast beef cold on a baguette, exactly what I was craving. Then I tried the Donnie Brasco — buffalo chicken + egg salad. Sounds weird but it was perfect. Only think I would change is the bread, not for taste, but for cleanliness. I made a mess all over the place with the sandwich, but at least this is one they give you a fork. The hubs had the cheesy beefy which he fell in love with. Oh yeah, and the beer selection is insane. Not your average deli, I must say.

I went on my lunch break Tuesday.
Awesome lunch special! ½ sandwich (portions are) and the linguini salad w/​a Budweiser! Beer selection is awesome. And they have an outside seating area with flowers! Going back soon. Try the Jay!

I MUSTACHE you a question — Do you crave a tasty, fresh deli sandwiches? Are you a craft beer connoisseur? Well my friend, look no further than the Carson Street Deli & Craft Beer Bar.
Walk in to an excellent craft draft selection, including 2 Arsenal Ciders, along with a smiling mustachioed man who would be delighted to recommend a brew, pour you a pint, and get your grub grindin’ … Oh yeah — we didn’t even get to that part yet!
Right past the bar is an amazing deli counter where they make the tastiest of tasty sandwiches. Everything is made fresh. I want to try EVERYTHING on their menu! This trip I selected the Donnie Brasco — A combination of Buffalo Chicken and Egg Salad on fresh Italian bread with your choice of Ranch or Bleu Cheese. Yeahhhhhhhh I couldn’t eat it all… I tried! Did I mention every sandwich is served with a tasty dill pickle? YUM!
Oh and I had a Victory’s DIPA to wash things down. Mmm craft beer :) Once we filled up with sammies and suds, we grabbed a 6pack to go and parted ways. Yes, parting IS such sweet sorrow! If I can, though, I’ll return tomorrow!

I knew I’d love the beer here. And I did! We attended a Unilocal event here last night and it was my first time to check this place out! I was really impressed with Mike and his wife who were extremely gracious hosts! Mike really knows his beer and provided a terrific introduction and tons of samples of some extraordinary beer! He prides himself on having beers on his 12 taps that you likely haven’t seen or tried before. In fact, he said he bet that no one had heard of these beers. Well, he was close. I had a few of them before but the rest? He was right! And I headed right for the samples of those! The local Lavery brew that had just won GOLD at the Great American Beer Festival was AMAZING! So good! What a great place to come sample some delightful craft brews in a welcoming environment!
We ordered some food too — the Pastrami Mama was a delight and I would order that again! Can’t wait to go back and try the other sandwiches (and get more of those pretzels and amazing beer cheese!) and to see what else he has in store on tap! Mike is so knowledgable and eager to share his enthusiasm with other beer aficionados! Love it! A great place and worth a visit!

I came for the sandwiches and stayed for the beer!
It’s great the renovations that have gone into this little deli. Over the last year they’ve added a beautiful new bar and added to the patio out back. I don’t know what more they could do other than buy the whole block!
My go to is always the chicken salad sandwich. I love me a good chicken salad. Like the one with mayo. I say the one with mayo pointedly because I LOVE MAYO! And a lot of it. So if I order a chicken salad sandwich I want a good amount of mayo. I always try to duplicate them at home and it never has the flavor that this does. Plus, I love the Breadworks bread! i could eat a whole loaf and be one happy camper.
I also think they have a nice selection of sides as well. I usually go for the tomato and cucumber salad, but I’ll switch it up with coleslaw or potato salad once in a while. I try not to go too mayo heavy on the sides since I get my fill in the sammie! But there’s a good amount to try from including pasta salads or you can grab some chips.
I think it’s so cool the owner Mike’s dedication to local brews. All of his taps are 100% local. Local as in, around the Western part of PA (Erie included… holla!). We’ve got some good places to choose from, that’s for sure! Plus, he does samplings on Wednesdays and hosts regular nights were the reps come in and talk up their brews.
If you can’t stay you can also browse the 300+ bottles of beer they sell to take home. So you’ve got lots of different options. All of which hopefully end up with beer involved! So basically, if you’re a craft brew aficionado, you must stop in here! Oh, and if you like sandwiches too!