Linny’s Steakhouse has a new sister deli serving massive sandwiches

Name: Linny’s Luncheonette Contact: 174 Ossington Ave., linnysluncheonette.com, @linnysluncheonette
Neighbourhood: Trinity-Bellwoods Co-founder and culinary director: David Schwartz Chef: Ethan Rogers Head of production: Josh Bagalacsa Accessibility: Fully accessible

Last fall, David Schwartz opened Linny’s, a deli-inspired, white-tablecloth steakhouse on Ossington. Now, with its new neighbour, Linny’s Luncheonette, it’s clear that Schwartz has a master plan: to bring the comforting flavours of proper deli food—the kind he grew up eating—to the masses.

Related: What’s on the menu at Linny’s, chef David Schwartz’s new deli-inspired steakhouse

“Linny’s is a sit-down delicatessen-meets-steakhouse, and the luncheonette is a deli,” says Schwartz. “Everything we do is based on classic deli favourites.” To that end, there are a few standard sides, like potato salad, coleslaw and house-made knishes. The sandwich menu is streamlined, the standout being the thick-cut, house-smoked pastrami on rye bread with yellow mustard—and nothing else. (It comes with one-third of a pound of pastrami, but there’s an option to double that.)

The Food

The menu comprises old school deli fare that sticks to its guns, without exception. In short: the bread is rye, the pickles are sour, the fish is smoked and dessert comes in a box labelled Milk Duds. While the sandwich that brings the crowds is stacked with near-perfect pastrami, the sleeper hits—like the house-smoked sea bass salad and the fried latke with cream cheese, both on freshly baked onion buns—are bound to attract their fair share of attention.

Related: What’s on the menu at Hot Pork, a new deli counter serving sandwiches and house-made charcuterie

The Drinks

A list of biodynamic and all-natural wines meets a classic selection of French cuts. Just kidding—here, the “curated” list includes nostalgic sodas (Vernor’s, Welch’s, Colt Black Cherry) as well as a handful of local “hard” cans, like Burdock’s pickle seltzer (of course), Stray light lager from PEC’s Slake Brewing and a chilled red from Rosewood Estates Winery. They also plan to can their own cocktails down the road.

The Space

Wood panelling, a bright-orange Formica lunch counter and a cascading candy display at the checkout raise the question that every good deli asks: What more do you need?