Gioia’s Deli on ‘The Hill’ opened in 1918 and the new owners took over in 1980 but they are still serving the original recipe of hot salami.  The Food Network named their hot salami sandwich as “one of  the best sandwiches in America.”   In 2017 they won the James Beard American Classic Award.  The meat is never frozen and once cooked stays warm till it’s served.  They go through 10,000 pounds a month and now that I’ve tasted the hot salami vs. one of their other sandwiches I can see why.  It is a delicious product and worth trying if you’re in the area.  It’s a small place with a line to the order counter aside a rack of chips and area for drinks.  There are seats inside as well as tables outside.  Windows to the street make up one wall.  Staff were all friendly and helpful.  When you get to the counter you have an option on bread, cheese, garnish and condiments.  The order person helped us with a recommended version and our food was ready with only a very short wait.

Facility

Food

The sandwiches come to you wrapped in white butcher paper and inside in a sheet of foil.  The Hot Roast Beef was on white bread and served with Swiss cheese, pepperoncini, onion and horsey mayo.  It was well stuffed and the beef nicely beefy in flavor.  The bread was fresh and good and I liked the mix of vegetables but overall it was just dull in comparison to the salami.

The Hot Salami was St. Louis style on toasted white bread with cheese and traditional toppings of pepperoncinis and spicy mustard.  The fresh sausage is sliced to order and delicious.   It is moist and packed with flavor on nicely crisped bread.   This is up there with the best deli sandwiches I’ve had and gets a high recommendation.