where jess ate

Located on the corner of Adeleide and John, I’ve walked by the Corned Beef House many times before finally dropping by for lunch.

Upon entering the restaurant, I was surprised that it was a sit-down restaurant. The name of the place just struck me as a takeout joint. The interior was a lot nicer than I had imagined, featuring a long bar at the back of the space.

The menu here consists of the usual deli sandwiches – corned beef, Montreal smoked meat, brisket, smoked ham and turkey, meat platters, salads and the typical deli sides including fries, coleslaw and potato salad.

I decided to go with the Reuben Sandwich. The sandwiches here come in four sizes – huge (7oz), gigantic (10oz) and colossal (16oz). You get the idea…the sandwiches here are big! The reuben comes with Swiss cheese, ranch, your choice of meat, mustard (yellow, dijon or honey mustard) and bread (light, dark or marble rye). I opted for the 7oz ($8.49) corned beef, of course, dijon and light rye.

I haven’t eaten many reubens before so I don’t really have a good frame of reference but I thought it was a really tasty sandwich.

Chris decided on the 10 oz Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich ($8.75). To be honest, the 10oz sandwich didn’t look very much bigger than my 7oz reuben. Nevertheless, the sandwich was piled high with thinly sliced meat made from 100% brisket that has been spiced, smoked and steamed. The meat had a nice smoky flavour and while it was a decent smoked meat sandwich, my heart is still with Caplansky’s in this department.

My friends should know by now to never to let me order while hungry. Chris clearly hasn’t learned his lesson yet. In addition to our sandwiches, we also ordered a Smoked Meat Poutine ($5.99), which arrived in a large bowl.

The fries themselves were quite tasty – not too thick or thin, with a nice crunch. However, the components which made it a poutine were disappointing. First of all, it really needed more cheese curds. As for the gravy, all I could taste was salt and when paired with the smoked meat, I think I had just quadrupled my salt intake for the day. I think I’ll just stick to plain fries next time.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the sandwiches served at the Corned Beef House. While they can’t compare to the smoked meat in Montreal or New York, if you’ve got a smoked meat craving in the entertainment district, the sandwiches here will hit the spot!

At a glance:
• Located in the entertainment district – corner of John and Adeleide
• Operates as a sit-down restaurant but take-out is popular
• Serving up deli sandwiches, meat platters and salads

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 3.5 stars
• Service: 3 stars
• Atmosphere: 3 stars