Jake’s Deli

A good corned beef sandwich is hard to find, so I had to check out Jake’s Deli in Milwaukee when a foodie tipster told me about the place. First off, I love the history of the deli, which has been in the same location on North Avenue and 17th Street since the 1930s. It’s just as no-frills as it was when it first opened, complete with wooden booths (with defunct buzzers once used to summon servers), a great neon sign, a Berkel bread slicer, and a slew of guys behind the counter seasoning corned beef with paprika before hand-slicing it to order for each sandwich (which is the secret to killer corned beef). The house matzo ball soup is fantastic and the corned beef is super-tender, buttery and moist, with the paprika adding just the right kick. Fresh-sliced bread from Milwaukee-based Miller bakery is perfectly soft and doesn’t get soggy from the meat and spicy mustard. It took a good 20 minutes to place our order, as the place stays busy from open to close, complete with a line before they open around 10AM, but it’s worth the drive up from Chicago for a slice of Brewtown history, a damn good corned beef sandwich and did I mention the true sign of a great deli? House-made pickles. 1634 W. North Ave., 414.562.1272

The neon sign above the bustling deli counter

Extra-lean corned beef on rye