Ben's Deli Restaurant, established in 1908, has smoked meat that tastes so good that there's a business demand for shipping the product. The place looked like it's been around for quite a while; there's a feeling of the '50s here. I saw the owner once briefly. He looked happy and content and was quite old, in his upper 70s or 80s. Ben's serves smoked corned beef piled high on rye bread with a large pickle. I tried the poutine, a Quebec delicacy of fries, gravy, and cheese curd. Just thinking about this place made my mouth salivate.
This place is a dive. It still has the original everything, except the prices are updated. There are no refills on coffee and their soda size is really small, perhaps six ounces with ice, for the price charged-skip ordering a soda here. The attitude is free. It's worth a visit for the old decor, the food is good, and service is fair.
Hours: Sunday to Wednesday 7:30am to 2am, Thursday 7:30am to 3am, Friday to Saturday 7:30am to 4am
Major credit cards accepted.
Licensed.