Protzel’s Delicatessen

Protzel’s is an odd mixture of convenience store and mini deli. I have only ever gone in there with the express purpose of getting sandwiches. As I am not Jewish I can’t comment on the selection of specialty items, but I like feel this gives the store. Whenever I go in I feel like I am eating at a place that is part of the community and not just another store.
The selection of sandwich items is basic but serviceable. I almost always get either brisket or pastrami. I know they have bagels and lox, but I haven’t tried it yet. There are a couple tables out front where you can eat if the weather is nice. Otherwise place a to go order.

Went here for the first time yesterday for a bagel and lox and this place did not disappoint. It’s cute inside, they’re friendly, and the bagel was amazing. I also had a deviled egg and it was very good too. Lots of prepared salads (the chicken salad and potato salad looked really good) and cute little snacks around. I’ll be back!

My fiancé is usually not very excited when I drag her to new places, but this was a hit! I just had a corned beef sandwich and potato salad, and she had something with corned beef, turkey, slaw, and Russian dressing. Both were delicious — the bread was perfect, the meats were tasty, potato salad was yummy. I haven’t had a sandwich that perfect in a while. And the prices were decent. My fiancé was so pleased she said this is where we’re eating every Friday!

I was staying around the corner here in tony Clayton, like a mini St. Louis with its law office high-​rises, and without a car I was sort of stuck in this house and had to walk to get sustenance. Thank God, there was an honest-​to-​God Deli around the corner. In freakin’ St. Louis? Should I expect to find a deli in St. Louis, well the St. Louis Unilocalers can laught at my surprise at this. But they will not laugh at my delight! I was here practically every day, noshing! I wish I could airlift this joint into downtown Kennebunkport, Maine, can you imagine that? I cannot imagine, that, frankly…
To have an honest old school Reuben or just a towering fat pastrami-​on-​rye with mustard and a pickle, or a bagel with lox (and good lox at that), that just warms the heart of a pseudo New York boy like myself. And this is mid February, and the weather is averaging in the low 70s, the sun shining, it’s springtime in America and this is truly a great country. Don’t listen to all the Trump-​loving naysayers, this country is great as long as the corned beef can be piled high on the platter!!!
My kid had the first ever knish here, and the verdict was «Tasty, a little sweet, but tasty.» And the whole thing was down the chute in about half the time it took to eat the kosher dill on the side.
And the chopped liver was not bad either!
I would give this place just four stars for their grub, but the atmosphere notches it up to five for me. As my dear mother always used to see, this place is «echt».

This deli likely deserves 4 stars. But for me personally… I like food with some umpft. You won’t find that here. The food is delicious. It’s made with solid ingredients and served hot. You can get all the classics, they have tremendous selection.
I’m confident you’ll enjoy your meal. I enjoyed mine.
But for me… I need spicy favor that smacks me in the face and leaves me desperate to return. They literally had nothing available for me to kick it up a notch. Ie. Jalapeños, chili paste, peppers etc.
This is very Midwestern kind of flavor.

Best lox and bagels you’ll find in town… And hats off to Max, the owner. I applaud his customer service efforts.

Good pastrami, but I actually like Carl’s better. Everything was fresh and tasted great and would come back again though.

I absolutely love this place. Whenever you are craving corned beef, pastrami or even tongue this is the spot. Best place for quality Jewish meats.

Absolutely wonderful local sandwich shop to stop in for a quick lunch on the go. I got the corned beef, and it was so incredibly fresh and tasty! Definitely a hidden gem.

My family has been coming here for years and it is the best deli in St. Louis. The family who runs it is always friendly and knowledgeable about their products. The hand cut lox is worth the price! We also get the beef and potato knishes every week. Always great quality and a great overall deli!

The Reuben is $$$! The cupcakes are also worth the guilt! The vanilla with chocolate icing reminds me of the yellow cake with chocolate icing my Mom would make me on birthdays (hers is better of course).

Came in at about 1 on a Sunday afternoon for some lunch. I had a Reuben which was really fantastic and my son had a turkey on wheat with provolone. Everything was fresh and the meat was nice quality. Fun soda selections too. I did think the sandwich was a bit pricey for being a la carte however and the entire eating space could have used a wipe. All the tables were dirty as well as the counter. Lastly, the bathroom. Petri dish experiment happening back there. Scary. Just scary. I’d love to come back but the cleanliness issue freaks me out a bit.

I would come here every day for breakfast if it was on my way to work. I have been stopping by every Saturday for a while to get a smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese. Of course there is the option to add onions and capers, but I am simple. I always get the bagel toasted. This food is so fresh, the place is very clean, and the staff is AMAZING. We even got a couple of scraps of meat to bring to our dog in the car.

I had a hankering for some pastrami the other day and went to a local grocery store to try and satisfy that craving. Should have just gone to Protzel’s. The corned beef and pastrami there are amazing and hit the spot every time. There is no place finer in the area to get your deli sandwiches. I could go on and on about how good the corned beef and pastrami are, hell i could probably have made a senior thesis paper on the greatness that is achieved at Protzel’s. Everything is made on site and gives you that warm fuzzy feeling like you are at Bubbe’s house. From the knishes to the potato salad, to the cupcakes and chopped liver. Everything is perfect just the way it is.

The reviews said to try the corned beef reuben so I did. It did not dissapoint. This urban deli had about a dozen countertop seats and two small tables for two along the wall. Prices seemed a bit high, about 14 bucks for a medium reuben, chips, and a drink. Delicious sandwiches served by friendly employees.

Hands down the best deli in STL. Have the Reuben with pastrami and corned beef. It does not disappoint.

Really flavorful corned beef and pastrami. They give you some of fatty parts which is in NO way a bad thing. In fact a little of that is where the flavor is.
The chocolate covered ganache cupcakes were to die for. In fact I brought some home from MO to NJ so my wife and kids can taste how amazing they were. My co-​worker and I are regulars here now.
They don’t take AMEX which is a shame but thats the only negative.

It feels like I have the same problem far too frequently. I like the food, but the price gives me pause. Am I cheap? Most definitely. Will I drop some sweet moola in a good meal, no doubt.
Protzel’s is a New York style deli. I’m from New York. Should be a match made in heaven, right? I come here today following Amy K’s ruben quest.
Was it good? Yup. Was it worth the trip? Yup. Was it really expensive for a sandwich and soda? Yup. Almost $ 15, and it’s not like I took home the other half for dinner. It was a 1/​3lb of meat. When you go to a deli in NY, you typically have a second meal, and pay for it. It’s 2014, so a sandwich shouldn’t cost $ 5 any more. But I can’t help but feel like it’s priced too high. It’s not like you’re paying for the décor (chuckles to himself), so what’s the deal?
I liked it, but not enough to drop $ 30 on a couple of sammies for me and the better half. I’d rather spend $ 40 and get served on a nice patio on Central ave. Sorry my deli friends, I’ll have to pass on a second date. It’s not you, it’s me.

The roast beef was amazing. This is a great sandwich place, I don’t know how this place isn’t more busy during lunch. It’s your old school deli and shop. All meat is cut per weight for your specific sandwich and extras are a la carte. I wish I didn’t find this place on my last day in town.

This city needs a great Jewish Deli to balance out all the Italian Delis out there, and this is it! It is bare-​bones ambience but it works somehow. It’s a real local favorite, and if you are lucky enough to grab a counter seat by the window you can people watch to your heart’s content. My hubby enjoyed his brisket and hard salami sandwich, but wants to try the Reuben next time. I loved all the old-​time candies and pop. You can order Challah bread here for the holidays as well as for Friday nights. The iced cupcakes are off the hook. Hubby got the red velvet and it was demolished in no time. The owners and wait staff are helpful and friendly. We are happy to leave the attitude back in New York ;)
There are an assortment of knishes and they will heat them up for you too.
We will be back for bagels and coffee!

I was in town for the weekend, used Unilocal!to find a place to grab a local deli lunch (I wanted someplace with local charm, not a chain), and came up with Protzel’s. What a great little find!
It’s very old-​world deli — pretty dated and bare bones décor-​wise with just a small, cramped seating area with some mismatched furniture (your choice of table/​chairs or counter/​stools), but because of this it has a certain charm that you don’t find at a Panera or McAlister’s, and as soon as I walked in I knew I’d picked the right place.
Two older ladies were behind the counter, busily making sandwiches and other short orders, while a same-​aged man was seated toward the back of the aisle, methodically pricing and shelving merchandise. In addition to the counter, they have a row of shelves containing lots of delightful little deli-​grocery items, some of which harkened back to my childhood.
I ordered a Reuben, and while they were fixing it I made my way through the tables and chairs back to the refrigerated cases, where I picked up a specialty soda pop in a glass bottle. They had all the usual 50s-​style sody-​pop flavors (cream soda, black cherry, grape, etc. — you know what I mean) and I felt like a kid checking them all out and making my selection.
I also grabbed a bag of chocolate-​covered pretzel crackers that I planned to have for dessert, but the sandwich and accompanying garlic dill pickle spear were so large and delicious that I ended up taking the bag with me and eating it later (over several sittings).
I was able to park on the street just a couple spaces away, but it looked like there was also a lot on the opposite side of the store.
I love this kind of atmosphere, although I know not all do. But if you’re looking for a great deli sandwich, a bottle of soda pop, and a killer garlic pickle spear, in a charming, old-​world, bare bones environment, this is your place.

I guess this is what STL calls deli. At one point it probably was, but not so much now.
We had a couple sandwiches. The CB and and pastrami were the opposite of lean, not so great. Rye bread was decent and the chopped liver schmear is a great idea. Potato Salad was a plus, so was the pickle.
The place as a whole is abysmally filthy. Or is it just old.
Very limited seating on tables that weren’t clean.
I’m told they have a large to-​go and catering business. Good luck with those two sides of the business, the retail side needs help.

«The pastrami was pretty good, man. .. But not as good as Protzel’s.»
These were the words of an old friend when I took him to Blues City Deli some time back. First of all, I was taken back. How could a pastrami sammich exist that’s better than what Vinnie Valenza and the boys put together every day? I needed to investigate. I needed to try Protzel’s Delicatessen.
I happened to be in the neighborhood on Friday, so after going to the Galleria, I took some time to hit up Protzel’s. I had heard horror stories about the service, so I was a little on edge. However, the two ladies working the counter didn’t seem too unfriendly, but they also didn’t seem too amused by me! The younger one cut me off mid-​joke while taking my order!
But I won’t hold that against her. I didn’t care if anyone would be rude or uninterested in my humor. I was there for the pastrami, to know once and for all that I was or wasn’t missing out on the best.
I thought that the prices were a little high. For eight dollars, I got a single sandwich with a third pound of pastrami. To get all of the fixings, it would have been a $ 1.50 more. However, I could eat BCD’s pastrami with nothing on it, so I went with just warm pastrami on their signature rye.
The rye didn’t strike me as anything special. In fact, it was a little dry for my taste. Perhaps if they toasted it or put some spread on it then it might have been more appealing. However, the meat itself was pretty excellent. Pretty lean, it might have benefited from a little more fat. All in all, I liked the sandwich, but it didn’t overthrow the king.
I didn’t want to make this a comparison-​contrast, but when someone tells you that there’s something better than what you consider the best, it better damn well be better. And it wasn’t. However, I still think that I would patronize this place when in the area. It’s a pretty neat little deli.

Sometimes I wake up with an overwhelming craving for a Reuben.
It’s no joke, either. Not something that fades after a few hours of being awake, or something that can be satisfied by something else that’s close to it. When I want a Reuben, you bet your ass I’ll find a way to get one. Hence why I went to Protzel’s.
This place is a gem, and during the day there’s plenty of street parking available. I walked in and placed my order right away, and since it took them about ten minutes or so to have it ready, I had plenty of time to look around — woooow is there a lot to look at! It almost cracks me up how randomly this place is decorated, if you even consider it to be decorated at all. I tried to document the random-​ness in a few photos I posted to the biz page, but yeah. Stuff just everywhere. I only saw two different places to sit, too, so maybe consider this your grab and go deli.
A few weird things happened while my sandwich was being made that had me shaking my head. The woman behind the register (not the one making sandwiches, who was wearing gloves,) was just standing there so I started talking to her. I get that this place is rough around the edges but while she was talking to me she started picking her fingernail and actually picked something off of her hand and flicked it behind her — no I am not kidding. Second thing happened when a male employee decided he wanted to eat one of the Gus’ Pretzels that were at the front, so he just touched a few of them with his bare hands and picked out one he wanted. Not cool, not cool at all! It kind of made my stomach turn. I could see the woman making my sandwich had gloves on and wasn’t doing anything weird, so I still felt okay about that. It was quite an unfortunate few minutes…
Verdict time: The Reuben was pretty delicious. Juicy corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on Jewish Rye bread. Don’t try to look dainty while eating one because they are flat out messy. It satisfied my every Reuben craving and I was glad I decided on Protzel’s, disgusting register display and all. The potato salad I got with it also tasted very good, definitely more sweet than savory.
A couple of other positives:
–Frozen chocolate covered bananas (tell me those don’t make you smile!)
–Park Avenue Gooey Butter Cake
–As mentioned, Gus’ Pretzels
Will I be back? I don’t know. I like to «deli jump» when trying Reubens because I am determined to find the best one. Regardless, it’s worth a shot if you’re craving a good sandwich.