Editor’s note: This story originally ran in EAT Magazine, available at newsstands now.
You gotta admit, there’s nothing like knowing that there’s a good old-fashioned deli in town. You know, the kind of place where you meet the owner and do the schmooze while scarfing down a great breakfast before beginning your day, or head in for a bedtime snack when you want something nourishing and filling after a long day. Well, you can do just that when in Vail Village. Just walk up Bridge Street and you’ll find Joe’s Famous Deli, a quaint little place on the way to the mountain.
For more than 20 years the deli has been a mainstay in town, serving up breakfast, soups, sandwiches and its famous homemade ice cream, seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. If you’re in a hurry to get up the hill, just pick up a fresh breakfast sandwich—say, a fried egg with cheese and sausage on an English muffin or cheese and egg between two Belgian waffles or even a Powder Day burrito with two scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese and rosemary-roasted potatoes wrapped in a tortilla. Just throw it in your backpack and head out. Otherwise, hang out and enjoy the friendly, busy ambiance.
Joe’s makes four soups a day and loads of sandwiches including the famous Beef n’ Egg—hot pastrami, corned beef and provolone cheese, melted and topped with two over-easy eggs. “When you bite into it, you get it all,” says Joe Joyce enthusiastically. “A bit runny, but worth the drip.”
Joe’s serves all sorts of sandwiches or you can build your own. Gluten-free bread? Yes. Vegetarian chili? Most days. Ice cream? Of course—24 homemade flavors made on site. Winter. Summer. Doesn’t matter. Go for it! Your taste buds will love you!
If you go …
Price: Breakfast: $4.50-$12, Sandwiches: $11
Ambiance: Casual, delicious deli in the heart of Vail Village.
Signature dish: The Italian sandwich and any of the homemade ice creams.
Location: 288 Bridge Street, Vail.
More information: 970-479-7580 or joesfamousdeli.com.