Izzy’s

The izzy’s corned beef sandwich has always been my favorite after 30 years this Cincinnati tradition is still great. So convenient for me next to my downtown law office. Always quality food.

A good place to get a Reuben and some potato pancakes
I went here on a Friday around noon with a friend and spent had a speedy and tasty experience. I got the Izzy’s Mex which was super good and had a smoky chipotle spiciest that wasn’t too overpowering. Their potato pancakes are delicious and are what will bring me back again I’m sure.
Apparently they also do take out which could mean that I end up driving by and just picking up something on the way home for dinner before they close.

Potato pancake and veggie barley soup = heavenly combo! We looooooove coming down and making a stop! A true family favorite!

It was as good a we hoped it would be! The potato pancakes were so good that we got more to go! The Ruben was awesome! Defiantly worth a visit!

I would agree with most reviews about the food, it’s ok. The sandwiches are overpriced for what you get but the potato pancake is good.
My complaint with this location in particular is the smoke in the 3 times I have visited this Izzys. There appears to not be an exhaust fan in place in the kitchen. My 3 colleagues and I just returned to our office and people are complaining of the strong odor of «nasty old grease». My clothes, jacket and hat all smell terrible. I will have to deal with this for the rest of the day and evening.
The location on Elm St. never has this problem. I will never go back to this one due to the smoke and smell.
Elm St. G-​Izzys = Good Izzys
Main St. B-​Izzys = Bad Izzys.

Great Cornbeef… But for the price put some meat in the Ruben. It was only 3 slices of Cornbeef and all sauerkraut. The pictures of the sandwiches don’t even close to what they serve.

For better or worse, I tend to order the same choice — whole cornbeef sandwich. It comes with a potato pancake the size of the sandwich and is very filling and delicious meal. I mainly do take out but have eaten in also and have had good experiences at this location. Besides the great potato pancake they give you Izzy pickles and you can request thousand island to go with the sandwich!

Good sandwich /​deli menu, but I can’t ever get past their famous Reuben sandwich.
It comes with the potato pancake, which I break in half and put inside the sandwich and is oh so delicious. Maybe one day, I’ll try something else.
Service for the most part has been pretty quick and the staff has been vey friendly at this location.

Chopped chicken liver, beef tongue, corned beef, latkes — for a little Jewish girl this is home cooking. And better that they do it than me as I am a religious cook (everything I make is either a burnt offering or a sacrifice).
I would crawl if I had to for one of their chopped chicken liver sandwiches and I’m not sure, but I may have sold my soul during my pregnancy for beef tongue.
Be good to yourself, go now. I’ll wait.

I came here for lunch, and got a whole classic corned beef and Swiss.
The service: Not tons to say here. I got it to go and the cashier was generally friendly and helpful. The food came within 5 minutes, too.
The food: This is where this place falls down in my opinion. I like corned beef. Izzys corned beef was… meh. The Swiss was a nice addition, but the beef seemed to fall flat. The bread had good flavor, and I probably should have gotten it grilled, But it was plain otherwise. It was clumped in the middle of the sandwich, so as you ate you ended up with just bread. It also comes with a huge pile of grease they call a potato pancake. I couldn’t finish the pancake because of all the grease! The flavor in the pancake was also lacking, and didn’t seem quite right. Less potato, more mush.
Overall, I probably won’t be back here anytime soon. It’s a shame, too, because I like corned beef.

Izzy’s is known for their corned beef, so I always order a Reuben when I go. Although, somehow I only discovered on my most recent visit that you can request it grilled or toasted (which was my only issue with it previously). It comes with their famous massive potato pancake – which is deep fried and very heavy, but when fresh and done right, can be quite tasty. I’ve had some variance in quality though – some times are definitely better than others.
On the theme of consistency, my sandwich last time was just a little lacking. The grilling was a definite improvement, but it seemed like there was less meat than usual (and it was all kind of clumped in the middle). If they need to cut costs, personally, I would prefer to pay a little more vs. get less.
If you’re dining in there’s table service or you can do carryout at the counter. Either way you pay up front. Also, if you’re dining in, don’t wait for the check, they don’t bring one – just tell the lady at the register what you ordered.

Pretty damn good, one of the best corned beef sandwiches I’ve ever had, and that’s coming from a New Yorker who’s eaten at the best.
Bang for the buck, this is actually the best I’ve ever had — good quantity of food, very filling for lunch, for not a lot of green. Their pickles and rye bread are solid as well. Included with the sandwich was a massive potato pancake — pretty tasty, not as amazing as the sandwich but definitely not bad.
I’ve only had the chance to come here once, but I can guarantee that when I’m back in Cincy I’ll hit up Izzy’s again. So good!

While Izzy’s boasts several delicious dishes, I went with their signature sandwich: the original Reuben ($ 8.49). Rye bread encompasses Izzy’s house-​made corned beef, sauerkraut, their special dressing, and melted imported Swiss cheese. The sandwich comes with one of Izzy’s famous potato pancakes and pickles.
The corned beef was excellent, among some of the best I’ve ever had. The seasoning, brining, and slow-​cooking process yields this comforting aura when I eat it. Just soft, tender, and flavorful. I loved the melted Swiss cheese here, and even better that they used a broiler to melt that bad boy down. The dressing (probably 1000 Island or something similar?) has that sweet component that combines perfectly with the drained sauerkraut. So yes, I know my fellow Unilocal buddy «Chuck B» would enjoy this sandwich.
The sandwich came with packets of mustard, but I didn’t need that here. I’d rather have my bread toasted for sandwiches, but that’s just a personal preference.
The well-​seasoned potato pancake was fried to crispy perfection. Looking back, I should have made my own mini-​110 Reuben and put the potato pancake inside the sandwich. Finally, the pickles were delicious — and I also should have put those in the Reuben as well!
FYI, the «110 Reuben» sandwich commemorates being in business for 110 years. It is a monstrosity of a meal: a 2.5 lb rye loaf holds 1.1 pounds of corned beef, numerous slices of Swiss cheese, three pints of sauerkraut, a boatload of special dressing, and an oversized potato pancake. The final creation is around five pounds of epic sandwich. I’m not sure I could take it down myself — even at my hungriest. The challenger on the Man v. Food Nation episode sat near the front of the house, facing the entrance, with the ordering counter to his right.
Izzy’s has a bright, inviting atmosphere, and I now know why they are touted as the «World’s Greatest Reubens!»

My wife really likes the vegetarian Ruben at Izzy’s. It is also the only local restaurant I know of outside of Blueash that serves Matzo balls on a regular basis. Izzy’s has two downtown locations. I have never actually been inside of the Main Street location (I have eaten their take-​out food), but, being within an Art Deco building, I think it is the better looking of the two.

Izzy’s is a local favorite that provides you with the giant sandwich that everyone knows they love. It’s a New York style deli located downtown Cincinnati, close to a number of local businesses and corporate buildings. They have all the main stays, reuben, corned beef, brisket and the every so popular must have… the potato pancake. And their PICKLES own. They are quite tasty and satisfying as they sit on the table in front of you while you wait for your sandwich.
We got the reuben and it was very satisfying. It had a fair amount of meat and the bread was fresh and soft (not dry like some places). The sandwich also comes with a potato pancake which is crispy and tasty similar to a hashbrown, but fair better.
I would definitely frequent this place regularly if I lived in downtown Cincinnati and would recommend it to anyone. The only reason I went down 1 star was due to the cleanliness of the bathrooms, however it was during peak lunch time so there may have been heavy traffic without time to maintain.

Izzys famous reuben and potato pancakes… I think they’re something you want every once in a while but for me it’s not my favorite. Some people love it, and I’ll go and enjoy it but I would never pick it.
This location was very busy during lunch. Despite that, the service was good and everyone was friendly but I wasn’t overly impressed. Also, the floor was sticky which is disconcerting to me.

We hit Izzy’s for lunch one day while in Cincy for training. It is a nice New York style deli in Cincinnati. They have the usual items (corned beef, brisket, etc) but more importantly, they have beef tongue! It was delicious. It was not until after I had ordered that I saw they also offered chopped chicken liver (i would have ordered a half of each otherwise). my friends had never tried beef tongue and, out of the three, two liked it and one admitted they would even consider ordering it. All the sandwiches are served it a potato pancake, a strange but tasty side item.

Nothing hits «the spot» like an Izzy’s reuben and potato pancake. Lunch with mom has become somewhat of a tradition when she meets me downtown. I feel completely acclimated to Cincinnati when I order the
.good goetta reuben.
The food is good, the service is fast. And the pickles — only topped by Tony Pakco’s in Toledo.
Today I discovered their online ordering. You wouldn’t think this was hard, but so many places find a way to muck it up. The process was super simple and fast. And my order was ready by the time I walked the three blocks. They even included pickles.

Izzy’s is an institution in Cincinnati — but I worry that’s because no one else is challenging to take its place.
Yes, it’s a New York style deli in the middle of Ohio, and I’m glad we have one. They do all the staples — corned beef, brisket, rye bread and, of course, the potato pancake. You’ve got to have the potato pancake.
The food is … ok. I don’t want to be all, «Well, I grew up on the East Coast and traveled to New York all the time, so when you’ve had real New York food, nothing really can compare,» but, well, I grew up on the East Coast and traveled to New York all the time, so when you’ve had real New York food, nothing really can compare. Sorry, it had to be said.
Be that as it may, even if I hadn’t had the real deal back East, I still think I would be unimpressed with Izzy’s. It all feels a little too processed, a little whipped out too quickly. There’s no love put into any of this food — no carefully sliced meat or special blend of seasonings or anything else that makes going to a real deli such a wonderful experience.
And don’t get me started on the potatoes pancake. All fried blandness with applesauce that’s more chunks of apples than sauce. Bleh.
Izzy’s is a place to try at least once, and when you’re really craving that deli sandwich, it’s a good stop — but it is not the corner deli I wanted it to be.

This Izzy’s location is good but a little less than the one I visited in Forest Park. First of all, since this location is downtown, it definitely has that «hey we’re living in a concrete jungle with limited space» feel. If you arrive around lunch you can expect to wait for a seat and feel a little lost if it’s your first time visiting an Izzy’s.
Also kind of sad. For some strange reason, at least when we went, the downtown location did not carry the ranch seasoning powder for the potato pancakes. That made me incredibly sad but my potato pancake was still pretty savory. The rest of the food was just as good as always and if I’m downtown, Izzy’s is always an option.