West Side Deli
405 Seward Avenue NWI somehow worked out a pretty sweet deal around Christmas this year. The week before, I only had to work Thursday. I was supposed to have the week between Christmas and New Year’s off but a last second trip to South Florida came up and I jumped at the chance to travel so I moved my vacation.
I had to work the Thursday before Christmas because we were pretty short staffed. My hope was I could work the Monday and have Tuesday through Monday off, but that wasn’t going to work out with staffing levels.
I ended up in Grand Rapids. The colleague I typically work with in Kalamazoo was filling in on an evening shift for someone in Grand Rapids so it was just easier for me to work my day shift up there.
I didn’t do a whole lot. There was a lot of sitting around waiting for an assignment, which was fine with me…I had already kind of checked out for the holidays anyway.
Lunch time rolled around and I still hadn’t done much. I decided I better eat while I could knowing how things usually go for me.
There are a lot of places that have opened in Grand Rapids since I last worked out of that office full time a little over four years ago. I wanted something quick and easy though so I started looking for sandwich shops.
I came across West Side Deli and thought, damn…that looks good.
West Side Deli is inside the Bridge Street Market on the corner of Bridge and Seward Streets on the northwest side of Grand Rapids. Bridge Street market is the neighborhood grocery store concept from Meijer. It opened in 2018….after I left GR so this was the first time I was in that store as well
West Side Deli is one of three restaurants in the cafe area of the market. The deli joins Tillie Ruth’s Coffee & Tea and Hissho Sushi. The cafe is straight back if when you walk in the doors off Seward Avenue. West Side Deli is the third restaurant space just before you get to the frozen foods section of the market.
West Side Deli is new to me but the people behind it are not. I’ve eaten their sandwiches for years at Two Beards Deli downtown and the former Cherry Deli in East Hills.
There were two guys feverously making sandwiches in the small kitchen when I walked up. One of them noticed me and asked what I was going to order. He quickly wrote it down and kept making sandwiches before coming up a few minutes later to cash me out.
I ordered the #16 which goes by the name John Ball Zoo. This sandwich has roast beef, turkey, pastrami, salami, ham, capicola, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese and a roasted tomato mayo (I left that off). It’s served on multigrain bread.
It took about 15 minutes for my sandwich to be put together (they had a couple of big orders in front of me) and cost me right around $15
I knew when I walked in to the market that I was going to get a good sandwich and damn did I ever. I grabbed my sandwich to go instead of just sitting down in the seating area. I ended up just sitting in my car and digging in. The toasty bread did all it could do hold in all of the meat and gooey, stringy cheese.
I have never had a sandwich I did like from Two Beards or Cherry Deli…and now we can add West Side Deli to that list. Sandwiches are easy. Anyone can make one…but very few people can make them like the guys at West Side Deli. These are sandwiches that stand head and shoulders above their competition
SW Michigan Dining 