Maize N Blue Deli

5/29/2007

Maize N Blue is synonymous with huge sandwiches (lunch+dinner sized) and good but not showy ingredients. It's a much better value than certain other Ann Arbor delis, and eschews the boutique feel that Zingerman's tries to create.

For sandwiches in Ann Arbor, Maize N Blue is my first choice: filling, delicious sandwiches at a quite reasonable price. When I get takeout and bring a sandwich to a brown bag meeting, the typical reaction has been "whoa... that's a huge sandwich and looks absurdly good. Where can I get one?"

2/11/2016

My partner and I were in the area (mainly to grab treats from Cherry Republic!), and we stopped in to the Maize N Blue Deli for lunch on our way back to Chicago. I had the "Which Came First," a sandwich featuring chicken and an egg along with some cheese and vegetables. The sandwich was absolutely delicious. The egg was perfectly cooked, the deli meat was fresh, the bread perfectly toasted, and the accompanying pickle crunchy and tangy.

There were two things that acted as a slight damper on my mood: First, the pricing is a bit much here. My sandwich was $11, which just makes no sense to me for a deli sandwich.

Second, and more importantly, there was a notable lack of vegetarian options. Another reviewer mentioned a vegetarian option, but I saw none on the menu. As a former vegetarian who often orders the vegetarian option just because of personal preference, this was disappointing.

The service was wonderful, and when my partner and I visit Ann Arbor again, we will definitely visit Maize N Blue a second time.

2/20/2016

Great deli sandwich.

2/21/2016

Great quality deli, so many sandwiches to try, I've tried this deli on my last trip here and they take pride in their work

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  Georgia Rueben

  Georgia Rueben

8/13/2015

My cousin and I were in the area for the Ann Arbor street art fair and thought we'd stop at Maize N Blue for lunch, because it looked like a quality local deli. The interior is very sports-oriented, with lots of memorabilia on the walls and golf showing on the TV screen while we were there. The menu of sandwiches is huge, however, there is only one vegetarian option, a veggie wrap. It was okay, but not amazing... I wish it had come as a sandwich and with more cheese and/or sauce, because raw veggies don't have a lot of flavor on their own. But my cousin seemed to enjoy her huge, super meat-ful sandwich well enough.

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  Veggie sandwich with a spinach wrap

  Veggie sandwich with a spinach wrap

10/20/2015

This deli is perfect. Great food with magnificent value, Every bit as good as the other Ann Arbor deli but 1/2 the price and a much better pickle. The service is what puts it at the top of the list though. You feel at home and a true sense of genuine care for each person these folks serve. If you are anywhere near A-squared, a stop here would be the best investment of your gastro time you have made in months!

1/15/2015

This place is great. I ordered the one with challah, turkey, and and an egg-- soo good! friendly, courteous and delicious! This is actually my favorite deli in town..

Brotips:

---If you do not like mucho meat on your sandwiches, order the "light" version for like $1.50 cheaper. If you do this, it just becomes a normal sized sandwich.

--- If you bring along your dog, the friendly guys up front will give you a slice of deli meat for your dog-- I love little things like this!

--- Definitely shareable

-- Challah is where its at

6/24/2015

This deli is underrated.  I mean, it's rated well here, but when people talk about Ann Arbor delis, I never here it mentioned, and I should.  When I lived nearby and had all of my classes in the CCRB, I went regularly, and I still should.

10/9/2015

Maize N Blue will always be my "go-to". I get there are other delis in town but nothing compares the sandwiches here. Used to eat here several times a week for 4 yrs while in school and never once had a bad experience. Amazingly consistent. I come back every time I've visited AA over the 15 yrs since graduating and it's as good as I remember every time. I always leave with an extra for the hotel room and stop on the way out of town to take one with me to the airport. The owners are the same as back in the day and still friendly and always pretend to remember us. Love seeing my name up on the wall from back in the day as well. Can't ever get enough MNB.

9/15/2014

I like Maize N Blue because it's a quality sandwich place without having to go all the way to Zingermans in Kerrytown. A word of caution there are SO MANY options it may make your head spin. But I don't think I've ever had a sandwich here that I didn't thoroughly enjoy.
The only thing I would change is the atmosphere. For a great sandwich place, it's ambiance could be a little more group friendly.
But again the food is amazing I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

9/30/2015

Actually like their sandwiches more than Zings and better value. Zings has all sorts of other incentives for eating there and it is more of an experience, but these sandwiches are gut busting and delicious. Admittedly, I am a fan from day one because I went there the first day they were open as it was around the corner from off campus house...

10/15/2015

like the location, but the girl at the front was on her phone the entire time I was there, and no one greeted me when I walked in. I've never been here before, so I didn't know if I was supposed to wait up front for my food or sit down-you sit at a table and they bring it to you, by the way. the sandwich I got was nothing like I was expecting it to be, part of me didn't want to take the other half home. sure wasn't worth $13. no sign for a restroom and cramped quarters.

8/14/2015

I love the location of the Maize N Blue Deli - Right Downtown Ann Arbor in South U. I was surprised when I had never seen this restaurant so I had to see what all the talk was about! I ordered the One-On-One Turkey sandwich and I loved it. Their food is high-quality and exceeded my expectations. Not very expensive - A great place for lunch with the ladies!

6/20/2014

I cannot believe I went four years in Ann Arbor without trying Maize n' Blue, but I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who walked by here regularly and completely missed it. As a pretty well hidden gem, Maize n' Blue certainly makes up for their modesty by delivering some pretty sensational sandwiches. It's very reminiscent of a Katz's-style deli, with meat piled high, huge Kosher pickles, and fast service.

I also would like to note that it's super unfair/annoying to compare this to that OTHER deli in Ann Arbor (you know what I'm talking about; I love that place too, but I think it's totally unfair to mention that place in a review of this place.) Maize n' Blue is different - they don't (as far as I know) locally source their ingredients, make their own cheese, etc. They just find good meat, good bread, and craft REALLY great sandwiches. End of story. So for that, Maize n' Blue gets all the stars in my book.

2/5/2015

This was my home throughout my four years at the University of Michigan.

The owners and their sons are great people that always provide the highest quality of service.

As a New Yorker, you need a chicken cutlet at least once a week. The 86 fills that need. It is a chicken cutlet on grilled challah with shredded lettuce, tomato, swiss, bacon (I don't get any bacon on mine personally) with a healthy slathering of Russian with an enormous pickle on the side.

Since I went a few times a week, I would switch up my sandwich order. Some of my other favorites are the Triple Play Reuben, Reuben From Long Island, and the Where's Bo.

I have also heard that the Tuna and Lox Bagels are also excellent.

If you are nice and there isn't a big crowd, they will hook you up with a delicious breakfast sandwich! And they also have surprisingly delicious curly fries.

Love this place and only have the best things to say about Maize and Blue. Will always be on my spot of places to visit when I return back to AA.

2/17/2015

Some of the best sandwiches I have had anywhere.  Very large portions.  I have not ever eaten inside the deli, but delivery has always been great.  I try to get something different every time, and have not been disappointed yet.  My favorite though has to be the Triple Play Reuben.  

Great service and excellent food!

7/25/2015 Updated review

Great sandwiches, this place is not subway! They have great original sandwiches and a good variety of sandwich options.

1/8/2015 Updated review

I took another visit down to South U today because I was craving a good Reuben. I was disappointed to find out upon arrival that Maize N Blue has raised the prices of their sandwiches. A triple play Reuben used to be 9 dollars and is now 12. I wouldn't call myself cheap, but I think this does take off a star, and goes from my previous 5 to 4 stars for me because it now falls into the ranks of other Reuben's that cost the same amount of money. Sandwich was still bomb though. It's worth the price.

11/15/2013

Walking by, I always thought the place was super grimy, but it's actually not.  Inside it's all carpeted and there are nice granite countertop tables--maybe 10 of them. The older man is sweet and didn't gripe at me after I forgot to ask for less meat once he had already swiped my credit card. It's also extremely clean and sandwiches come out pretty quickly.  

-#18 Where's Bo? (Pastrami, fried egg, Canadian Cobat cheddar cheese, mayo, onion and green pepper on grilled challah): it comes out hot!  Like woah.  The bread is grilled so perfectly--crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Thank goodness I got less meat because this is truly the perfect amount--still a thick layer but not overwhelmingly and gross.  It is well spiced, tangy and peppery. The cheese is nicely melted but I wish there were more of it.  The peppers and onions are very fresh, but it would taste even better if they had been grilled too.  The fried egg is a wonderful add-on and the mayo is fresh and creamy. Can I just mention that the sesame crust on this challah is to die for! And I'm no fan of sesame but this crust, mmmm, mmm, mmm.
-Pickle: it's tart and sweet and great!

FINAL VERDICT: I enjoyed my sandwich--not the best I've ever had, but hey, they've got like a million other sandwiches to choose from so because of the fresh, high quality ingredients and great bread, I will be back.

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  #18 Where's Bo? with the yummy pickle and close-up on the amazing challah crust

  #18 Where's Bo? with the yummy pickle and close-up on the amazing challah crust
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  #18 Where's Bo?

  #18 Where's Bo?
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  Deli

  Deli

10/15/2014

I can really only review this place based on one thing... #86 - perhaps the best sandwich that's ever been created (I've been here 4 times and gotten it every time).
The ambience isn't great, kinda dumpy and very limited seating but it serves it's purpose- big meaty sandwiches for a decent price! Great place to grab on the go if you're hungry!

8/14/2014

My goal is to at least try half of what they offer by the time I graduate. It is really hard because I always want to order the Reuben. The fries are good and the sandwich is much more affordable than Zingerman's. Free refills on your soda!

They could definitely get some new tables to fit more people in the restaurant. There is not that many seats and often gets filled at lunch.