Zingerman’s Deli

Zingerman’s is the last stop on this extraordinary food tour of Ann Arbor. The brand now offers two locations in Ann Arbor, and with the line that usually wraps around the corner, I can say that the opening of the second location was probably justified.

Zingerman's Deli

Jen and I were luckiliy enough to visit the Sunday afternoon after a football game, so while most normal visitors were still nursing hangovers, we were on our way to just barely miss breakfast and having to pick from the lunch menu, and this is the only positive aspect of having to wait a tad bit in line. The sammich menu is HUGE. Sammiches are broken out by type of meat (or meatlessness, as a certain girlfriend would prefer it) and come in a large array of unique and strange names. The arbitrary name convention seems to suit Zingerman’s, with a caprious sense of humor that can be found all over the place.

Inside Zingerman's

Jen ordered ‘Leo’s Friendly Lion’, an amalgamation of ingredients that seemed to complement each other very well. The only complain she had was that she wished the green chiles in the sammich were a bit more evenly distributed. She opted for the original dill pickle, which had a mildly sweet flavor to it.

"Leo's Friendly Lion" - Fresh avocado spread, spicy fire-roasted New Mexico green chiles, Wisconsin muenster cheese & tomato on grilled farm bread.

I was fascinated by sammiches listed in the beef section that included “Montreal smoked meat” in the ingredient list, so I ordered the ‘Where is Deveaux, Anyways?’ (Deveaux is Toledo, Ohio) and honestly couldn’t tell you what was so Montrealese or so smoked about this meat. I declare shennanigans on this specialty meat, much in the way that Rocky Mountain Oysters are not a mollusk favorable for consumption.

"Where is Deveaux, Anyways?" - Montréal smoked meat, Switzerland Swiss cheese, Russian dressing & homemade coleslaw on Jewish rye bread.

I ordered the pickled cucumber that has a better crunch, but loses all the sweetness.

Jen keenly ordered the Jalapeno Peaches, which were a big hit with the both of us. The jalapenos are barely noticeable, nothing too overwhelming. Most definitely does not taste like burning. I’m guessing it’s Zingerman’s version of the spiced peaches recipe, which I award them full points for.

Jalapeno Peaches

So the downside? Expect DC prices (see also: where the hell did this markup come from?) for everything you order here. Fresser (large) sammiches can run you upwards in the neighborhood of $15, which is something that’s normally expected around DC, but a bit of a shock after being spoiled with Ann Arbor prices for so many meals. Yes, the ingredients are top notch, but there are better values to be had elsewhere. The lack of a long line around the block was also a bonus. Jen and I somehow managed to dodge waiting in line for pretty much any place all weekend, which I take as a sign of good luck. I wouldn’t be sticking around for a smoked sammich if I had to stand for 30 minutes outside in the middle of a Michigan winter. Eating here is half about the experience, half about the food, and half about the, ah crap, I’m out of halves. A good place to eat if you’re in the neighborhood, but otherwise, you could find a comparable meal for less elsewhere.

View a map of Zingerman’s here.