We’ve had a lot of sandwiches so far on this MBIP year of sandwiches tour, but sometimes it’s good to get back to the basics. And there’s no better place to get a great, no frills, delicious sandwich than at a deli. And if it’s a family-owned deli that’s been in business in Peoria for over 100 years, well, then you must be talking about Pottstown Meat & Deli. And I am. And luckily it’s not that far away from MBIP World Headquarters so let’s just zip on over for our 37th sandwich at Peoria's self-proclaimed “meating” place—Pottstown Meat & Deli!
Here we are at Pottstown Meat and Deli in the Metro Centre. And check out the lettering in the window, I told you it was Peoria’s “Meating” Place! Let’s go in and see if we can have a “meat” and greet in here!
When you first walk in here, you may have a Wendy’s flashback moment and think: “Where’s the beef?”
Well if you look over to your right, you’ll see a butcher case stretching the perimeter of the store filled with beef, bacon, steaks and every other kind of meaty delight you can imagine! And I think I see a familiar face in the last photo behind the butcher case...
It’s the owners of Pottstown Meat & Deli, Katie and Bob Barth! The Barth family has been in the meat and butcher business for over 100 years in the Peoria area and as you can see from the menus on the wall, they also have a nice selection of deli sandwiches to choose from. I made my selection and there’s Katie going to work on it. You can see what I got when we come back to pick it up. Now while she’s making the sandwich, we’ll take a look around in here.
Here’s the deli meats and cheeses up here in this sprawling case. There’s also prepared dinners you can pick up here for a quick and tasty lunch or dinner with little at home prep or cooking time.
There’s Jenny up at the front counter and as you can see, they have a an extensive selection of wine in here. Equally impressive is the vast amounts of condiments for meat in here featuring exotic and different styles of mustard and barbecue sauce including Pottstown very own house-made signature sauces for your meat.
Over in this corner there’s a display of state-of-the-art grills and on the wall is a massive display of all kinds of domestic, imported and craft bottles and cans of beer.
Here’s two articles in the PJ Star about the Barth family and Pottstown Meat & Deli.
Meanwhile back at the deli counter, it looks like it’s sandwich time! Katie serves up sandwich number 37 in our 52 week journey!
There’s a nice little area to sit and enjoy your sandwich over here in this corner. As you can see, I also got a bag of Kitchen Cooked Bar-B-Q potato chips and an orange soda.
The sandwich I chose is, “The Sicilian.” It’s an Italian inspired sandwich with Genoa Salami, Prosciutto, Pepperoni, Maple Glazed Ham and Mozzarella Cheese. And it’s housed in slices of fresh Ciabatta Bread. And as you can see, there’s a pickle on top, so let’s start with that!
After living in New York for 19 years, I’ve been to a lot of deli’s in my day and I always start out by sampling the pickle. Usually if the pickle is limp and tasteless, the rest of the meal will follow suit! Well, I’m happy to report that this pickle is outstanding, crisp, tart and really flavorful! If you happen to be pregnant, I suggest you run or waddle over here and get a case of these things! And the Kitchen Cooked potato chips are excellent as always! Now on to the main event, the Sicilian Sandwich!
It looks fantastic, the meat and cheese are piled high in generous portions and the bread looks bakery fresh, let’s try it out!
Wow, this is really a delicious sandwich! No frills or gimmicks, just really fresh and flavorful Italian meats and cheese and it’s topped off with a tangy Italian dressing that really compliments the sandwich perfectly! The Ciabatta bread is very fresh and it’s light and soft on the inside and crisp on the outside holding the sandwich together in a delicious and tasty manner! Great sandwich from Peoria’s true Meating Place—Pottstown Meat & Deli! Thanks to Katie and Bob Barth for a great sandwich and afternoon! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
Sandwich Rating
Three and a half Dagwood Bumsteads—The deli sandwiches here are top-notch here and it’s one of Peoria’s only true butcher stores with craft and beer and wine to wash the savory meats down with!
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4700 N University Street (In The Metro Centre)
Peoria
309-689-0601
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