for some reason, being born and raised in akron, i have never been to diamond deli. it wasn’t until after i had lived in west hollywood (a few blocks from canter’s in LA) and in the east village (a few blocks from katz’s in new york) had i tried this akron institution for the first time… and maybe that’s for a reason. the sandwiches i had were mind-blowing, perhaps the best i’ve ever tried. i’d like to say this is coming from experienced taste buds.

my sister and i came on a cold december day at lunchtime and the line was out the door. i was nervous about not having enough time to make the very important decision of which sandwich i was going to try, because the line ended up moving quicker than i had anticipated. we ended up going with the “billie’s belly pleaser” and the “charlie hustle”. we split both sandwiches between the two of us, obviously to enjoy the best of both worlds 😍

i’m not as good at describing food as other reviewers here, so i’ll skip going into too much detail. i will tell you that there was plenty of meat on the sandwiches, and the flavor was absolutely WILD. so so so delicious. and somehow without sounding strange, they were really juicy sandwiches which complimented the toasted rye bread. wow. just wow. we probably sounded so strange, just sitting there groaning with each bite. what a festive moment for my mouth!! lol. as another reviewer said, it’s probably good that i don’t live close by as i’d probably develop an unhealthy addiction to this place. there’s a reason they’ve been here for such a long time.

lastly, my sister warned me that the staff was “all business”, so asking questions was a no-no. as usual, my sister was wrong 😂 the folks behind the counter and register couldn’t have been more kind, even asking how my meal was. i’m so excited to come back!