Tony's Italian Deli & Subs — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

This throw-back deli and grocery store is something like a NYC deli (Note to Self: Start writing my Screenplay) and it is a mom-and-pop operation. You see tons of these deli sub shops in NYC, but not very many exist in Chicago. This Italian deli has been around for several decades in the Edison Park neighborhood of Chicago. Parking can be a pain in the you-know-what which is why I am rating this joint with 4-stars. The Italian and meatball subs are my favorites here. The meatball is worthy of 5-stars. I have also had their Italian sausage, and it receives 5-stars. They do not skimp on the meat and other condiments. A huge plus is that they make their marinara "gravy" from scratch. A real Italian calls it "Gravy" whereas Americans call it "Sauce." Tomato...Tomata....who cares! The important thing is that their sandwiches are awesomeness on fresh Italian bread. The price-point for these sandwiches are very reasonable. High quality meats, a variety of cheese and fresh Italian bread makes for the perfect amalgamation in these delectable sandwiches. They also have home-made cannoli desserts. You gotta try one! The sweet, light filling is awesomeness. The shell is crispy perfection. These are not overly sweet and true to its Sicilian roots. You can also read the reviews at Yelp.

It is a small grocery store that sells authentic Italian products from Italy (from 100% pure olive oil to pasta to Italian lemon cookies to Italian Expresso coffee to the actual coffee maker and Expresso cups and saucers). It's a mish-mash of Italian products. The place is clean, well-organized and well maintained. I would not refer to this place as a "hole in the wall" but rather as a diamond in the rough. Yeah, the joint is a bit dated, but who cares! Yeah, it is small, but who cares! Yeah, they don't have a parking lot, but who cares. What counts here is that they have great sandwiches. Sandwiches can be humble, flashy, delicate, gut-busting, but what they have in common is that the sub sandwiches here are built with care and made with high quality ingredients.

You can either eat here at the small round green tables with large glass windows and people watch or read a book. OR take your food "to go," but if you are ever in this area or near the O'Hare Airport area, this is a must-stop for exceptional sub sandwiches. These sandwiches are almost (and I say that with some eye rolling) as good, in taste, as Bari's Deli (that is another exceptional Italian sub sandwich shop in Chicago). Service is quick, hospitable and effusive. You're in and out in under 10-minutes. Bada-bing,...

The Deli in the rear has one of the best Italian subs in the city. I love JP Graziano's and Bari's. But you don't hear about Tony's much. Tony's runs with the big dogs. Super cute grocery store with imported canned good and sundries from Italy. The front of the store has baked goods as well. But for me, the draw is the deli/sandwich shop. A super sized sub sandwich, roughly a 20" sandwich is $9.99. I love it, the bread is crusty and delicious, the meats and cheese are a perfect balance, and the Italian dressing is the perfect topper on the sub. The sandwich is generously sized, so much that my wife often laughs when I walk into the house with this huge sandwich. I think the sign in the store markets it as a 15" sub or something. But they obviously err to the side of much larger. I'm never feeling like they've short-changed me on the sandwich size. Never. My only gripe is that I wished they offered some sort of onion choice, but it doesn't deter me from getting one of these sandwiches maybe once a week. I happily add some red onion at home to make this the perfect Italian sub for me. Delicious! Go there. Go there now. Just note that they usually close by 3p, which is rough for me when I have a craving for one of their subs at like 4p. I...

This deli has been around for 40 years now. They offer fresh quality sandwiches. You cannot order on line which is why I am giving them 4 stars. However, you can call ahead and place your order. The bread is fresh. The cold and hot sandwiches are quality. I always get a 9 inch sandwich and have tried almost every sandwich (over a 15 year period). I am not big on writing reviews, but Tony's is definitely da best. Parking in the area can be a royal pain (street parking).

The owners are super nice, down to earth, friendly. They will answer your questions. Customer service is eccellente.

All sandwiches are made to order. They make it easy for you and will custom make your sandwich (eg, no cheese, no problem, no tomato, no problem). They have delizioso pasta salad too. My favorite sandwiches: 9 inch Italian sub, followed by their meatball and, finally, hot roast beef. The arancini ball with meat and fresh marinara gravy (sauce for most Americans) is la migliore di sempre. Eccellente! The customer service and sandwiches are 5...