Eating at This Old-School Deli Is Like Being Transported Straight Back to My College Years

Have you ever had this amazing memory from childhood that, whenever you think about it, you feel the nostalgia rush over you? Maybe you wish you could go back, just once, to relive that time and savor every moment. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to go back, and we find that even though the world looks completely different and years separate us from our younger selves, some things never change. That’s what happened when I recently introduced my daughter to Isaly’s, a Pittsburgh deli experience that most of us who grew up here fondly remember.

Some people don’t take no for an answer. My coworker at a Hallmark shop in suburban Pittsburgh was one of those people, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. A tiny elderly woman with curly gray hair who always wore a dress and a strand of pearls, she looked like everyone’s grandma. But if you – or most likely, a hard-to-please customer – annoyed her, well, she wouldn’t hold back. She was my favorite co-worker, even when she kept shoving half of an egg salad sandwich in my face, prodding me to eat it, despite my protestations that I wouldn't like it. I took a bite.

So began my love affair with Isaly’s. As a kid, my family went to Isaly’s regularly for lunch meat (remember Isaly’s chipped ham?) and milk. It wasn't until my part-time job at Hallmark, during my freshman year of college, that I fell head over heels for this old-school (yes, it was old-school even then) deli. Every break, I’d walk a few shops up to Isaly’s for their delightfully golden fries, a scoop of ice cream, and an egg salad sandwich wrapped in wax paper.

The memory of that egg salad sandwich recently compelled me to Google, for old-time’s sake, Isaly’s. Since most had closed long ago, I was surprised to find a few remain, including one that looks, at least from photos, a lot like my favorite Isaly’s, only this one sits on a quaint small-town street in West View.

A steady rain greeted us when we arrived at Isaly’s on Perry Highway, where we had little trouble finding street parking, just a few doors from the nostalgic deli. A sign told us to seat ourselves so we chose one of the wooden booths instead of a stool at the counter or a table in the middle of the deli. The interior looks as though it’s frozen in time.

Deli cases are filled with ice cream of all flavors, and black-and-white photos decorate the walls. Next to us were pictures from Kennywood with rides now long gone. Menus, from a time when banana splits cost only 15 cents, hang on the wall behind the counter. Even the checkered floors look original.

Little seems to have changed in the décor, and the cozy deli still offers that laid-back ambiance where everyone is friendly and relaxed. The menu has gotten smaller. Egg salad has been gone for years, but the food is still as good as I remember. My daughter and I both ordered grilled cheese and fries. The sandwich had a generous amount of cheese and was one of the best I've had. While the fries have changed, they were just as delicious, especially dipped in mustard. As other diners came in and out, we relaxed and ate, and I reminisced about the “old days” when I'd get a huge pickle from the massive jar on the counter, chat with friends who worked there, and grab an egg salad sandwich for my co-worker.

Isaly’s is open for breakfast and lunch, serving such morning classics as pancakes, sausage gravy and biscuits, eggs Benedict, and Mancini’s French toast. Lunch, though, might have the most famous, and perhaps most beloved, Islay’s sandwich. The chipped ham barbecue sandwich comes with or without cheese and with chips (or sub fries for chips). If you’re really hungry, order The Slammer. Sink your teeth into a half-pound of Isaly’s chipped ham, topped with American cheese and onions on a homemade bun. The lunch menu also features such hearty options as steak and cheese hoagies, burgers, chicken tenders, Reuben sandwiches, and BLTs.

Do you have a favorite old-school deli like Isaly’s West View that you like to go to for a good meal and a hearty helping of nostalgia? Please share with us by filling out this nomination form. For another stroll down Memory Lane, see how many of these things from the past in Pittsburgh you remember. If you’re visiting Pittsburgh, why not stay a few nights? Check into a local Vrbo.