Latchkey Deli — Restaurant in Lawrence

This is not a deli. I grew up on the East Coast, where a deli means towering sandwiches stuffed with paper-thin, top-shelf meats, tangy pickles, and creamy coleslaw. This place? A sad, flavorless joke.

First, the potato salad—sure, the seasoning was okay, but it was made from what tasted like ancient, mealy potatoes. Texture? Like chewing on dry spuds that should have been tossed weeks ago. Absolutely gross.

The kids’ meal sandwich was an insult to childhood everywhere: thick, dry bread smothering a pathetic 2-3 sad, paper-thin slices of low-grade mystery meat and a lone slice of cheese. No kid in their right mind would finish that sad all bread dry mess—mine gave up after two bites and refused to touch it again.

The Reuben? A culinary crime scene. The meat tasted off, with an almost burnt edge like it had been left to roast in hell itself. Combined with that less-than-fresh potato salad, I pitched the whole sorry excuse for lunch into the trash. So, my $25 lunch consisted mostly of a sad little cup of prepackaged applesauce. Yum.

Service is order-at-the-counter, which was fine, but no silverware came with the food. I had to dig through crumb-ridden utensil caddies to find forks.

The whole place felt grimy, and the fruit flies buzzing around only confirmed my worst suspicions—this spot looks like the "before" from an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. I can't help but image crates of rotting produce and a walk-in stocked with outdated unlabeled food.

With not a pickle in sight, I’m left wondering if these owners have ever actually set foot in a real deli or just watched it on TV. Because this? This is deli sacrilege. Save your money, and...

Stumbled into this new sandwich shop on what I later learned was their opening day... they have a new regular!

Latchkey has a menu and vibe that manages to be creative and modern without the derivative "airspace" pretentiousness that so often comes with newer eateries in town. This is a straight-up deli that nonetheless manages to transcend that humble genre.

The staff were friendly and abiding by all the standard COVID protocols, and the location (near South Park and the Japanese Garden) has me casting a wishful eye towards warmer weather as it's in a perfect spot for a carry-out picnic!

I had the smoked trout salad sandwich and potato corn chowder, it was an awesome meal! The flavor on the trout salad just kept coming through in waves, each better than the last. Also loved the way the trout salad was pocketed by the buttercrunch lettuce in such a way as to keep the bread from sogging up (these details matter!)

As for the potato corn chowder... I will never come here and NOT order this. Magic.

I'm not a vegetarian but even so I'm looking forward to trying their "beet pastrami" on a future visit as I enjoy eating my way through this menu!

Hat tip to the owners for deciding to have their meats/cheeses available for retail purchase...with the current dearth of small grocers downtown this will help fill a need for all those living downtown and in NoLaw.

Welcome to the sandwich scene, Latchkey - long...

Fantastic place, delicious food and great price.

I've gotten carry out twice now, and absolutely love this place. The price is good and the ingredients taste like they are of good quality/fresh. Everything I have had has been delicious, but the Reuben really takes the trophy. It is easily the best Reuben I have ever had. Everything about it is everything I ever want out of a Reuben. Just spectacular.

Another thing I want to point out, the sandwiches come with fresh made potato chips that absolutely hits the mark.

Sandwiches I have had: Reuben, Hot Beef Louise, and a bite of the polish. All delicious, but as mentioned before the Reuben takes the crown.

Sides I have had: Scalloped Potatoes, Mac & Cheese, Potato Corn chowder, and Potato salad. Of theses, I'd recommend the Scalloped Potatoes. the Mac & Cheese, and Potato Corn Chowder are also delicious. I didnt dislike the potato salad, but I dont like potato salad anyways so that probably means its pretty good.

In summary, 10/10, I look forward to trying all their sandwiches and sides if I can manage to not get the...