Harvard Deli – Cleveland, Ohio
written by: Mark     stored in: Cleveland Restaurants, Restaurant Reviews
Share
Share

Harvard Deli
14716 Harvard Ave
Cleveland, OH 44128
216-295-0270

Is there anything better on a cold winter day than biting into a big, hot corned beef sandwich? Ok, maybe getting on a plane to go to the Caribbean, but that’s for sissies.  You can take your soups, stews, and chilis, I want a corned beef sandwich to warm me up.  Although there is a lot of great corned beef in Cleveland, there is one place that doesn’t get much attention but might be the best of all.

P1000150 [] 
I was tempted never to write this post to protect my little low-key wonder, but that would be selfish of me and I couldn’t ever stand to be selfish. (No, I can say that without worry.  My wife never reads this garbage.)  The best place to get corned beef in all of Cleveland is….the Harvard Deli.  Yes, on the outside it may look like a ghetto liquor store, but venturing inside will afford you corned beef enlightenment.

*Please note: The Harvard Deli is essentially a ghetto liquor store, so visiting during the day is recommended.

The Harvard Deli turns out a perfect corned beef sandwich with thick corned beef, piled high on rye bread.  And when I say high, I mean high, take a look at the size of this sandwich:

P1000141 []

And that was after it had been put in the fridge over night and compacted a bit.

That is a mountain of corned beef folks!  You can’t possible fit your mouth around it (insert Paris Hilton joke here).  The mammoth size of this corned beef sandwich got me to wondering how much it might weigh, so I threw that badboy up on a scale:

P1000138 []

I defy anyone to show me another corned beef sandwich in Cleveland that big.

The Harvard Deli’s corned beef sandwich was easily two full meals for me and I’m what you might call a big eater.  In my book, you can’t go wrong with Cleveland’s best and biggest corned beef sandwich.


Tagged with: • • •

Some other posts you might enjoy:

8 Responses to “Harvard Deli – Cleveland, Ohio”

  1. Dave Says:
    January 29th, 2008 at 5:45 am

    I think I need to come to Cleveland just for this sandwich (from Columbus).

    [Reply]

  2. Joann Gall Says:
    February 13th, 2008 at 7:40 am

    Opinions count and that is yours, but I think Slyman’s may be able to beat Harvard Deli any day!

    [Reply]

  3. Melanie Says:
    February 16th, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    You’re right…it was special in its own way. Comparing the Harvard Deli, Slyman’s, and Goodman’s Sandwich Inn side-by-side..Harvard Deli is the least expensive of the three and unbelievably, it DOES beat Slymans. This corned beef was so good; it wasn’t salty, fatty, or artificially red. It had nothing to prove, it is the real deal. When I went in there to order, the machinery was gleaming clean, the guy had gloves on, and he pulled a fresh, lean, warm brisket out to slice. The slices were REAL slices, not chipped up and fluffy to look bigger. My husband said “good thing I don’t work over here, I’d be as big as a house”, so thanks for a great lunch recommendation!
    Slyman’s is good, but is also about a “gritty deli experience” as well as the food. We bring out-of-town guests here for corned beef and the great service. Finally, Goodman’s, at Pearl and Brookpark, has corned beef that is just like what your granny/mom would serve around St. Patty’s Day. It’s thick slabs and appears handcut and not with the grain, but good also. It has limited hours and tons of stainless steel and counter service.

    [Reply]

  4. Henry Harmon Says:
    April 21st, 2008 at 10:38 am

    Okay, I’ll try your other cb resturants. I’ve been a loyal Slymann’s out of town guest since 1989. I tried the Superior Ave. Deli simply because Slymann’s was on vacation. (yes, the whole resturant was on vacation) Cleveland in, general, has been my best Corned beef experience. I wish I’d known of the Harvard Ave deli when I was in town last weekend. I’ll be back in May.

    [Reply]

  5. Peggy Says:
    November 6th, 2008 at 9:02 pm

    Harvard Deli has the best corn beef in Cleveland,Ohio. You get so much for your money.
    Keep up the good work.

    [Reply]

  6. Chip Ely Says:
    January 8th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    Marker….

    Had a chance to spend some more time on you site today.

    i think its awesome… I plan to do the lime sorbet as soon as possible.

    [Reply]

  7. Roy L Says:
    August 21st, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    We moved from Cleveland 20 years ago – at that time Goodman’s had been our favorite corned beef deli. After reading a few comments about Goodman’s on this site, sadly, I decided not to take my son there for what had always been a near-perfect sandwich. I trusted this review and comments about the Harvard Deli – Thanks for getting it right. Our sandwiches were almost identical to the one pictured so you can forget about thinking “Yeah, sure, they took that special for this review”. David, one of or the owner, of Harvard Deli put these masterpieces together, is a true gentlemen. The next time that cb craving hits, if you are within 50 miles of Harvard Deli, it will be worth the trip.

    [Reply]

  8. steeve Says:
    April 21st, 2010 at 2:12 am

    Grew up in the neighborhood.. Drove by it daily for just about all my life.. Been to this store many, many times… Never thought about getting their corned beef.. I’ve always been a die-hard Slyman’s or Superior Restaurant fan…

    Oh well, I guess I missed out..

    [Reply]

Holla if you Hear Me