History
Joe Slyman opened Slyman's on St Clair Avenue in 1964. The corned beef sandwich, layered hand-cut and piled tall on Orlando rye, became a benchmark for Cleveland deli through more than sixty years of local press and presidential visits. The recipe stays unchanged: brisket point cured 30 days in house, sliced hot to order, mustard on the side. Slyman's holds James Beard America's Classics recognition (2008) for the format and remains a Cleveland weekday lunch fixture.
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Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 450g cooked corned beef, thinly hand-sliced
- 4 slices fresh rye bread
- Yellow deli mustard
- Optional: pickles, slaw on the side
Method
- Slice the corned beef hand-cut against the grain in pencil-thick slices.
- Warm the slices briefly in a covered pan over very low heat with a splash of water, 90 seconds.
- Toast or warm the rye slices lightly.
- Spread one slice of rye with mustard, pile half the corned beef tall, top with the second slice.
- Cut on the diagonal and serve at once with pickles and slaw.
Tip from the editors. If brining your own brisket: 7 days in a salt-sugar-curing-salt-and-pickling-spice brine, then a 3-hour simmer.
Where to eat slyman's-style corned beef sandwich
Slyman's-style corned beef sandwich in Cleveland
Slyman's Restaurant ★ 4.8
Slyman's Restaurant on St Clair Avenue is the Slyman family corned beef counter since 1964 with a busy weekday breakfast and lunch trade for downtown workers.
Why locals goA 1964 sit-down deli on a non-touristy stretch of St Clair Avenue, hidden in plain sight by suburban diners not in the know
TipOrder the corned beef on rye and ask for extra mustard; cash and card both work but the line moves faster at the counter
Larder Delicatessen and Bakery ★ 4.6
Larder Delicatessen and Bakery in the Hingetown firehouse on West 29th Street, the Jeremy Umansky and Allie La Valle koji project, runs the most quietly.
Why locals goA James Beard-recognized koji and fermentation deli inside a converted firehouse that reads as a small lunch counter
TipOrder the koji-cured corned beef sandwich on house rye; the deli closes early on weekdays, plan for lunch
More places near Slyman's Restaurant and Larder Delicatessen and Bakery
Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
- Marble Room Steaks and Raw Bar Steakhouse, about 200 m away
- Mabel's BBQ American BBQ, about 250 m away
- Cordelia New American, about 250 m away
- Society Lounge Cocktail bar, about 250 m away
- Red the Steakhouse Steakhouse, about 300 m away
- Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse Steakhouse, about 450 m away
More cities are in research. Want slyman's-style corned beef sandwich covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.