Choice Cafe in Baltimore: A Jewish Deli Built on Corned Beef and Pastrami
Choice Cafe is a traditional Jewish deli on the eastern edge of Lombard Street in Baltimore's Lombard-High neighborhood, serving hand-sliced cured meats, sandwiches, and sides that reflect the deli's decades-long operation in the city.
What Choice Cafe actually is
Choice Cafe operates as a full-service Jewish delicatessen with an attached butcher counter and retail meat case. The business functions primarily as a takeout and counter-service operation, though a small dining area accommodates walk-in orders. The menu centers on house-cured and hand-sliced corned beef and pastrami, house-made sides including potato salad and coleslaw, and matzo ball soup. The operation includes a butcher counter selling fresh and cured meats to retail customers, a model less common in Baltimore's current deli landscape.
Sandwiches, sides, and price tiers
A corned beef or pastrami sandwich on rye bread, hand-sliced to order, runs approximately $15 to $18 depending on portion size and current meat costs. Combination sandwiches pairing corned beef with pastrami or adding turkey or roast beef cost slightly more. Sides including matzo ball soup, potato salad, coleslaw, and pickles range from $4 to $8. Retail meat prices vary with commodity costs; call ahead to confirm current pricing on bulk corned beef or pastrami purchased from the butcher counter.
How Choice Cafe compares to other Baltimore delis
Choice Cafe is one of two full-service Jewish delis remaining in Baltimore proper, alongside Nate & Leon's on Reisterstown Road in Pikesville. Both maintain butcher counters and hand-slice cured meats to order. Choice Cafe's location on Lombard Street places it closer to downtown and Canton, while Nate & Leon's serves northwest Baltimore and the northern suburbs. Choice Cafe's smaller footprint and focus on counter service makes it faster for lunch orders; Nate & Leon's offers booth seating and a larger menu including deli platters and catering. Attman's Delicatessen in Fells Point offers hand-sliced corned beef and pastrami but operates as a sandwich shop without a butcher counter or retail meat sales.
Who Choice Cafe serves and who it does not
Choice Cafe suits people seeking authentic hand-sliced Jewish deli sandwiches without expecting table service or a full dining experience. Customers purchasing corned beef or pastrami for home cooking will find the butcher counter useful. The operation does not accommodate large groups expecting to linger or diners wanting an expansive menu. Those seeking seating, full alcohol service, or substantial non-sandwich options will find Nate & Leon's or Attman's better-suited.
What to expect on a first visit
Entering Choice Cafe, you will see the butcher counter along the left wall, displaying packaged corned beef, pastrami, turkey, and other cured meats. Place your sandwich order at the register toward the back; the staff will slice meat to order and assemble your sandwich while you wait, a process typically taking five to ten minutes during off-peak hours. Longer waits occur at midday. You order and pay before receiving your food. A small dining area with high-top tables accommodates eating in, though most customers carry orders out or eat at the counter.
Hours, parking, and logistics
Choice Cafe operates Monday through Sunday; verify current hours by phone, as Jewish holidays and staffing occasionally affect scheduling. Street parking on Lombard Street fills quickly during lunch; a small adjacent lot offers limited spaces. The nearest public lot is the Lombard-High area parking facility several blocks east. The deli does not accept online orders; phone orders can be placed for pickup. The storefront is accessible at street level with no steps, but the interior is compact and not equipped with wheelchair accessible dining tables.
Choice Cafe remains relevant in Baltimore precisely because it executes a narrow mission thoroughly: hand-sliced cured meats made in-house, sold without pretense or expansion beyond what the operation can sustain.
