Corned beef by the bay

November 23, 2016 9:44 PM

FoodFilter: A dear friend of mine just moved to the Bay Area. He happens to be absolutely crazy about Reubens. But where can he get one now that he has moved?! Bay Area MeFites—can you hook a Reuben connoisseur up with your favorite spots for corned beef in the Bay? San Francisco preferred, but he works in Palo Alto.
posted by The Sock Puppet Sentience Movement to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

The Palo Alto Creamery at 566 Emerson Street does a Reuben.
posted by w0mbat at 9:53 PM on November 23, 2016

Saul's in Berkeley
Wise Sons SF
Miller's SF
posted by rhizome at 9:57 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Refuge in San Carlos definitely has a following. I made it over there once and it was pretty legit - looks like they also have one in Menlo Park, so it could be relatively accessible from work. The one caveat is that they specialize in pastrami, not corned beef.
posted by noted industrialist at 10:15 PM on November 23, 2016 [4 favorites]

I will personally attest to the Noted Industrialist's statements. The Refuge's Reuben is awesome, but I is indeed pastrami.
posted by fief at 10:21 PM on November 23, 2016

Yup. I opened this thread specifically to mention The Refuge.
posted by tangerine at 10:32 PM on November 23, 2016

If they don't mind going to Oakland, Buttercup Grill has a great reuben.
posted by amapolaroja at 10:34 PM on November 23, 2016

Best answer: Wise Sons in particular is east-coast good.
posted by Smearcase at 11:07 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Max's does rubens but I am not a ruben connoisseur so I don't know how they rate. They're a chain so they can be found in lots of places.
posted by juv3nal at 11:17 PM on November 23, 2016

Best answer: I briefly lived in San Carlos and I am a pastrami connoisseur. I live in LA now. I dream of visiting The Refuge sometime soon, I feel it's a quest.

Nthing The Refuge. I don't believe there's a better answer.
posted by jbenben at 12:32 AM on November 24, 2016

David's Delicatessen & Restaurant on Geary St.and Miller’s East Coast Deli on Polk in San Francisco.
posted by shoesietart at 6:13 AM on November 24, 2016

The Refuge. Wise Sons is great but not worth the extra distance, parking in the mission, and the very long line.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:55 AM on November 24, 2016

I'll grant you the line, but it's only a couple of blocks from a BART station.
posted by rhizome at 10:21 AM on November 24, 2016

Yeah I opened this thread to reply The Refuge too. It is awesome. Just to add a little context: it's an upscale pub type place, with good wine and beer. Usually crowded, sometimes noisy. No delivery, but they do takeaway. Family friendly. Seriously one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten.
posted by Susan PG at 1:50 PM on November 24, 2016

Best answer: Oh and in case it's not yet clear: there is nothing else in the Bay Area even remotely comparable to The Refuge. The Bay Area is terrible for deli, in general. Here are a few of the places that often get recommended:

-- Max's Opera Cafe serves a massive reuben that tastes a little like fried erasers. I've ordered it twice, wouldn't do it again.

-- Tommy's Joynt is widely loved, I assume for reasons of nostalgia and thrift, but honestly it's gross. Huge servings of mediocre food, and the restaurant itself is dusty and sticky. I have never had their reuben, but I ate other stuff there once and wouldn't go back.

-- Just For You has a reuben which is fine, but in no way interesting or good.

-- The Sentinel sandwich shop is generally great, but makes what is probably the world's worst reuben. I've ordered it twice and both times ended up eating only a bite or two. It's greasy, burnt, flavourless: honestly, totally inedible/disgusting.

Best in the city is probably Ted's Market, which does a warm pastrami on very light rye that is simple and lovely, takeout only. It's delicious, even if you can't eat it right away. Weekdays only, and I call first to make sure they haven't run out.
posted by Susan PG at 2:19 PM on November 24, 2016

For a special occasion, consider ordering him the reuben kit from Zingerman's.
posted by praemunire at 9:21 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

This is giving me ideas. How about a meetup?
posted by tangerine at 9:11 PM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]