Slyman’s Deli
Slyman’s Restaurant & Deli, 3106 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114
www.slymans.com
There’s not much to say about Slyman’s that hasn’t already been said, so I won’t try to reinvent the wheel here. Straight up, it’s one of the best corned beef eateries in the region. No secret to Clevelanders, Slyman’s has been absolutely PILING their specialty-made meats onto fresh baked breads since 1964. The restaurant has served everyone from George W. Bush to the Bare Naked Ladies.
Don’t dismiss this icon due to the fanfare, though. Slyman’s is still a real deal Cleveland joint. Stop by almost any hour of the day and you’ll be met with a line at the door: workers in neon vests smoking on their lunch break waiting to order, men and women in business attire wrestling bags out the door to take back to the office, hipsters with phone cameras ready (guilty), elderly couples and families sticking to their weekly tradition nestled into the cozy dining room inside.
Don’t let the busyness deter you either, though. The staff here knows what they’re doing, they’ve got an airtight system that moves quickly.
The ordering area, enormous menus, and kitchen, just inside the vestibule
I had been waiting to go to Slyman’s for years. For some reason, it just never really panned out when I was in town. So here I am, waiting in line, moving quickly from the awning outside into the vestibule. I get a glimpse of the menu and I see a staff member working her way down the line taking orders where an older woman (who I presume, or at least like to think, is Mrs. Slyman herself) clocks customers out at the register at an impressive pace. I freeze up … it hadn’t occurred to me there might be options!
I mention this as a word of caution, take a look at the menu in advance. It’s pretty straight forward but in the heat of the moment, do you want deli-style, roasted, grilled, something off the menu or do you want to build your own monster? And wait, there are hot dogs and breakfast too?!
I survived and ordered a simple corned beef on rye with Swiss cheese, mustard, side of coleslaw, side of horseradish. All was right with the world. Slyman’s has all the ambience and makings of an old school, high pressure New York deli but instead of the intensity, it’s all midwestern charm. The staff was so nice, they smiled at every customer and knew many of them by name. “The usual today, Chuck?,” the waitress would ask, scribbling on her notepad with an armful of dishes as she bustled into the kitchen.
Slyman’s Famous Corned Beef Sandwich. A thing of beauty.
Even the presumed Mrs. Slyman, running the register like a stenographer, stopped to take note that it was my first time when she asked, “For here or to go?” The dining room was surprisingly not full.
“Can I eat here?” I asked sheepishly, “I’ve never been here before.”
She looked up from her machine with soft, kind eyes and a charming smile and said, “Oh, of course. Grab a seat and we’ll bring it out to you. I hope you enjoy it.”
No frills, small dining room with a few nods to Slyman’s fame and history, along with pictures of The Three Stooges, on the walls.
The highlight of the experience, of course, was the softball wad of perfectly seasoned, incredibly tender, near paper-thin sliced corned beef packed between two of the softest, chewiest, snap-crunch crusted slices of bread I’ve had the pleasure of eating. Once again, I was bested by my own absurdity when I thought I would just eat half and take half home for later. I ate slowly, savoring each bite as best I could. It really was just as wonderful as I had imagined. No frills, no wild innovations, just a perfect corned beef sandwich.
The real kicker for me, though, something I totally didn’t see coming, was the bottle of thousand island dressing on the table. The tip was perfectly sliced at the opening so that you could apply just the right dab to any bite you wanted on your fistful of glorious meat without having to commit to it on the entire sandwich. Just genius.
Note the dressing bottle with perfectly cut squirt end for dabbing bites, one at a time or as needed.
The creamy coleslaw came in a generous portion and, along with a snappy Kosher-style dill pickle, was a nice crunchy side snack through the meal. In the end, I absolutely smashed both halves of the sandwich and left completely satisfied, making my way through a line of locals patiently waiting their turn.
