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Shalom Deli
Category: Restaurants Delis Delis [Edit]
7 N Wells StChicago, IL 60606
Neighborhood: The Loop
(312) 606-0371
- Nearest Transit:
-
Washington/wells (Brown Line, Orange Line, Pink Line, Purple Line)
Quincy/wells (Brown Line, Orange Line, Pink Line, Purple Line)
Washington-Blue (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 8 am - 7 pm
Fri 8 am - 6 pm
Sat 10 am - 2 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for Shalom Deli
Review Highlights
"their bagels with chive cream cheese are very yummy."
(in 4 reviews)
"If you like Matzo-Ball soup - which is a healthy and..."
(in 3 reviews)
"I've also had the pastrami, corned beef, and soft salami..."
(in 5 reviews)
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Eric C.
Chicago, IL
9/7/2009
Shalom Deli is not the perfect deli. But it is a critical option for the work week - as long as you know what to get.
I work in the area, and am quickly bored of the same old stuff (i.e., Potbelly's, Chipotle, Au Bon Pain, Alonte, etc).
I go to Shalom Deli for the stellar service and home style sandwiches. The best way to explain it is this: you make a great sandwich at home with basic (but very fresh) ingredients. You put your selection of whatever typical ingredients you want. There you have it -- that is Shalom Deli.
It literally tastes like a sandwich that I slapped together at home. Nothing fancy. And that is precisely what I want from time to time. I know it's fresh, and, importantly, I know it's healthy. Once every week or so, I just need to have a clean and unadorned meal.
The staff is quirky and extremely nice -- an older Japanese male and female (possibly a couple), and a younger Japanese girl. They are extremely efficient and blaze through a line in no-time....so you won't be in there too long.
They could definitely do something with the decor - there are strange and old fixtures and design elements. But, oh well. It doesn't detract from the experience...so, maybe it's not cost-efficient for them to change it. Anyway, I'm rambling. Try it for basic deli. -
Review from Cindy R.
Chicago, IL
6/25/2011
This place serves the only inexpensive (under $5) lox & bagel sandwich in the Loop. And it's decent. A worthwhile AM stop!
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Review from Michael S.
Denver, CO
7/22/2008 1 photo
Warning: Eating in establishments that display photgraphs of the food is stupid!
Lox-O-Meter points to F for Farce.
I was in the Loop for errands. It was lunchtime and I was hungry. I saw the Shalom Deli sign as I got off the El. I couldn't resist the brisket sandwich, which was tantalizing - on the menu, at least.
When it was served on a soggy bun with overly sweet sauce of some kind, I realized it was no better if not worse than the Sloppy Joes they used to serve at my day camp when I was 8 years old. Then I saw a picture of the damn thing on the wall.
Dumbass! I don't usually eat where they display pictures of the food, because it always sucks, as this did.Listed in: Lox-O-Meter
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Review from Ellie B.
Chicago, IL
5/2/2007
Could they be any nicer???
Again, this a place that I opt to frequent in the a.m.'s for breakfast when I get off the train. The bagels are delicious, all the ingredients are fresh and the service is quick and incredibly courteous.
If I could eat a bagel piled high with lox, chive cheese and tomatoes every day, this would be my choice spot in the loop to do so!Listed in: Loop Breakfast!
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Review from Jacob J.
6/24/2006
Mom & Pop place, I think they are Japanese! Very nice couple.
The lunch line can be out the door, so try to get here quick. Food is very pricey, I know its the Loop, but, its not as if they are making an extremely awesome big sandwich. I ordered a Deli Roast Beef on wheat, they used Butternut brand wheat bread, there was an ample amount of beef, a leaf of lettuce and some mayo & mustard. (Extra $.40 for other veg toppings, $.60 Cheese), Pickle, potato salad, chips and a 12 oz can of pop, total was almost $8 bucks.. Really for the size of the sandwich, its not worth the money. I wasn't satisfied. It tasted good, but, I could make the same sandwich at home for less. And for that money, I could go to Ronny's have an 8oz steak with sidesand really be filled!
Nothing special, just food, 2-3 stars max. -
Review from Kim J.
Chicago, IL
10/27/2007
A Jewish Deli run by sweet Japanese folks? It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it wasn't.
This is a great place to get half a sandwich and soup for a very reasonable price. The soups change daily. The sandwiches all seem to be made with fresh meats and veggies and I've never had one I didn't like. The egg salad is really, really good. And the folks who work behind the counter are always smiling and friendly.
It's nothing fancy - but oh so tasty. Now I'm craving egg salad.Listed in: Healthy Lunch in the Loop
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Review from Alex R.
Chicago, IL
3/11/2008
So far, I'm very impressed! First of all, having grown up near a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, I know what corned beef and pastrami is supposed to taste like. Amazingly enough, this taste is somehow replicated in the Shalom Deli -- by the sweetest Japanese family.
Their meat is pre-cut, but tastes fresh. There are no traditional Jewish bread options, but they do have other typical Jewish foods such as matzo-ball soup, lox and bagels, and cole slaw -- not to mention Dr. Brown's cream soda (a rare find in Chicago)!
Their menu also has the most peculiar Jewish deli food I've ever seen: California sushi rolls. I might try them the next time I'm over there. -
Review from Elizabeth K.
Chicago, IL
8/25/2007
To pair with the Middle Eastern place run by latinos next door (Haifa Cafe) is this Jewish Deli run by Japanese people. The Loop is a strange and mysterious place.
I've only had breakfast here ... their bagels with chive cream cheese are very yummy. They keep it simple: you've got a handful of bagel choices and two cream cheese choices ... plain or chive. I haven't tried their lox and bagel yet, but I intend to ... it's the cheapest price I've seen. Coffee is also decent and very inexpensive. I haven't tried them for lunch because it always seems too crowded. -
Review from Joe M.
Chicago, IL
8/8/2008
Go to Uncle Abes
This place isn't even Kosher... What is up w/ the name? -
Review from Josh ..
Chicago, IL
2/26/2006
In the mood for deli in the loop, this is an option. Small, run by husband and wife that do not have deli roots.
Not a lot of other places to get corned beef and a Dr. Browns in the area, but not a place to get juiced up to go to either. -
Review from Mimi C.
Chicago, IL
3/25/2008
Two words: EGG SALAD! It's so chunky and peppery, and almost addictive (plus a bargain at $4.49). Their tuna salad tastes a little sweet to me (sweet pickle relish?), but their veggie sandwich has sprouts, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion for $4.49, and I add Swiss cheese for .60 cents more. A pickle wedge and a choice of macaroni salad, potato salad or cole slaw (yes! also quite peppery) comes with each sandwich. I always say I'm gonna try their soups, but I never have. Maybe when I get tired of the egg salad.....
Listed in: Loop-y/Veggie/Fishy Lunches:…
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Review from Dee W.
7/14/2005
Shalom has great lox that you can customize - I usually like their sesame bagel with cream cheese and slice of munster, double lox, cucumbers, and open faced - yum! They're better at breakfast than lunch because lunch usually has the long line out the door.
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Review from Ji P.
Chicago, IL
2/21/2008
I eat here at least once a week. My "regular" is the lox, tomato, and plain cream cheese on a toasted pumpernickel bagel. I don't know what they put in it . . . but it's insanely addictive. There was one week that I came back twice in the same day. It's definitely the cheapest and most delicious lox you'll find in the area. I've also had the pastrami, corned beef, and soft salami sandwiches here and they've all been quite good. The owners are extremely quick, efficient, and hospitable-- and I really like that this small, family-owned place has staked their claim in the middle of big, bad downtown.
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Review from derek s.
8/2/2007
breakfast, breakfast, breakfast.
today's the perfect example of why i love this place. i haven't been to shalom in maybe six months, and i walk in and the husband of this mom & pop deli already knows what i want.
his memory in UNCANNY.
and i sort of step back, read a paper, so he doesn't feel like he's gotta rush or anything....and he's still working at warp speed.
for $4.28 i got myself a delicious toasted bagel with tomato and onion, and a large coffee. -
Review from Melanie V.
Chicago, IL
9/27/2006
Shalom has the FRIENDLIEST owners! They seem to know most of their customers, too. There's always a long line at Shalom, so get there before the lunch rush! Sandwiches are great, with fresh ingredients. I love it because they offer pb & j, which is very hard to find in the Loop! ;)
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Review from Tim N.
Elmhurst, IL
9/3/2009
Skip this deli for lunch. The service is ok but the food is not very good and expensive. I spent about $7.50 on half a corned beef and matzo ball soup both of which did not taste very good. I wanted to enjoy it but unfortunately not.
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Review from James S.
Chicago, IL
2/13/2008
Nothing special can be found at Shalom Deli, for 8 clams you can get a half sandwich, which is mediocre at best, chicken noodle soup (which apparently means egg noodles in chicken broth, not a piece of poultry in sight) and soda. Yes, people are nice and service is fast but three stars because the end product is vanilla in a Baskin Robbins world. One plus is that the restaurant is actually heated, which in the winters of Chicago is a rarity to find a spot that you can sit, relax, eat and not see your breath. What else I didn't understand was the interior design of the Shalom. There's like partially built brick walls all around the restaurant covering cheesy slices of mirror? I just assume that Bruce Banner didn't give it the review I did.
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Review from Bill D.
Naperville, IL
11/3/2009
Today was my first time at Shalom Deli. Didn't want any of the usuals I go to in my area. The Shalom Special sounded good: a 1/2 sandwich and soup. Hot corned beef on rye with swiss cheese and spicy mustard, and tomato rice soup. I walked a block back to the office, and started to eat. I found the meat to be a little fatty and cold in spots, and the soup - that tomato RICE soup - had 0-5 grains of rice per spoonful. Not real tasty, either.
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Review from Ian K.
Nashville, TN
5/21/2008
I actually went for 3 stars, but gave them an extra for their speed.
My roast beef sandwich was made quickly, accurately, and politely. The meat was delicious, but I was a bit disappointed by the tiny size of the side they offered alongside the sandwich. Sure, rent in the loop probably isn't cheap, but isn't giving someone (literally) three bites of potato salad a little demeaning?
Oh yeah - cash only. I lucked out and had cash on me, but that's sort of rare for me. I didn't really expect them to take a car, what with the odd rules I've seen around town, so it wasn't a shock or anything.
Don't get me wrong, I'd go here again, especially if I found it without a line like I did today. The people were friendly, the food was good and when compared against everything else in the loop, the pricing was just fine. -
Review from steven a.
Chicago, IL
7/15/2009
If you like Matzo-Ball soup - which is a healthy and filling meal/snack - then take advantage of this little shop Downtown.
As a frequent customer, I am happy to have a neat little place for certain menu items nearby my office. Lot's of taste from this little place. -
Review from Tony G.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 10/6/2009
Okay, so more than year later, after being treated rather rudely, I have given Shalom Deli another chance. So far so good, the service has been much better. Also, these Japanese folks make pretty good Jewish sandwiches. I've been getting the lox and bagel sandwich in the morning on my way to work. The bagel is an actual authentic Jewish bagel. More than 90 percent of the coffee shop/delis in Downtown do not serve real Jewish bagels. There is a difference. Try the bagel at say Dunkin Donuts or Corner Bakery alongside the bagel at Shalom Deli. At Shalom you'll find the bagel is a tougher dough though much more flavorful than those round pieces of bread so many places try to pass off as a bagel. I also like the fact that Shalom smothers the bagel in cream cheese, just the way I like it. They also put fresh tomatoes, onions and lox to complete a terrific Jewish bagel sandwich. As long as the service continues to be honest and friendly, Shalom Deli has won me back.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/18/2008
I am a little miffed at this place. I order a sandwich. I am the only customer in the place. Another… Read more »
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Review from Elliot M.
Buffalo Grove, IL
5/18/2009
I paid a little over $7 dollars for a pastrami sandwhich that was a mere half inch thick. I ask for a hot pastrami so they microwaved. No fresh hot pastrami? And again there was barely any meat on the sandwhich. But the pastrami itself had some good flavor.
