Clinton Street Smoked Meats

I love a good Rueben. One of my favorite guilty pleasures. Canter's, Manny's, JB's Deli, Zingerman's, I try them all. However, this is the best I've ever had, by far.

Here's what you need to know: absolutely fantastic sandwiches. The Amazing Canadian style pastrami Blew me away! The sandwich is generous and well priced on rye bread. The seasonings and texture and smoke and just perfect. I am very impressed by what the chef/owners have done with this new chicago smoked brisket/pastrami place. Just awesome! You absolutely need to go here now!

Besides the amazing Montreal Smoked pastrami, they offer homemade soups. What a gem. The original deli was closed during the Chicago extreme lockdowns that closed many wonderful restaurants.Enjoy!

Mind blowingly good pastrami. I was sad when this shop closed back in 2019, but they're open under new management and just as good as before (the highest of bars).

This is the BEST pastrami I've had. Manny's doesn't hold a candle to this. I had a Reuben. The kraut, cheese, and thousand island were perfection with the marbled rye. Later at home I had just the pastrami with yellow mustard on a Kaiser roll - even better. The meat is just the right amount of fat for flavor, but lean enough it's not stringy or gristly. It's hot and sliced almost to a shredded fork pulled consistency. IT IS EXCELLENT! And the smoked flavor is subtle - not overpowering like you're eating something retrieved from a kitchen fire, but a definite nice smoke flavor. And a sandwich is like $12! Infinitely better than any other pastrami (or corned beef) I've had anyplace in Chicago and half the price. Skip the schlep to Northbrook, the schlep to the south loop. Hit the French market for the best pastrami I've found in Chicago!

This location is tucked away in a corner of Chicago French Market. Service is at the counter and very straightforward - just order your meal and pick it up at the end. CFM is a nice indoor area with plenty of seating in the back.While it's known for pastrami I opted for a Matzo Ball Soup ($5) and an Egg Salad Sandwich ($7.99). The soup was nice with good flavored broth and a light matzo ball (although not as light as Manny's but that's hard to beat). The disappointing part was the sandwich - it was simply pieces of sliced egg on a baguette. I can appreciate that everyone has a different take on an egg salad, but this barely qualified as one and I felt was a bit lazy.Giving a few stars for the soup but otherwise underwhelming. I might come back and try the pastrami at some point.

food is amazing, service of fun, and ambiance is cute!!! staff is amazing and fast!my new place for lunch!

Had the pastrami sandwich. The pastrami wasn't spiced as much as I would have wanted but I can let that go to preference. The meat was also very much overcooked and dry with many tough chewy pieces that made it difficult to enjoy the sandwich. The rye bread was pretty plain, but I'm not expecting much from the bread as the meat is supposed to be the star of the show. If I had to compare, I would have preferred the pastrami sandwich from Fumare back when they were a vendor at French Market.

Best pastrami sandwich in Chicago. Actually, it's based on the Montreal smoked meat recipe which they have perfected. Can't vouch for other menu items, but this one is mouthwatering with peppercorns and other spices embedded in the meat. Served on fresh rye bread and hot, it's out of this world.

A friend picked up the Rachel to go for me. It was very, very good and 1/2 the sandwich was very filling. Look forward to trying other items on the menu.