Denver's five best non-Jewish delis

Dish Gourmet

Boulder's Dish Gourmet is one of the area's best delis.

Delis are the ideal spot for a quick lunch: An efficient crew assembles sandwiches, salads and sides for those who have only a few minutes to grab a meal, wrapping everything in butcher paper or plastic and handing over a portable package. But while Denver delis are usually quick, they're rarely good; the town has a particular shortage of great Jewish delis. A few specialty-delis rise above the rest, though, and these are the ones worth visiting not just when you need your food pronto, but when you have an entire afternoon to kill.

Here, in no particular order, are the city's five best non-Jewish delis.

Mark Manger

Karl's Deli, 6878 South Yosemite Street, Centennial
Head cheese, beef tongue and pate are proudly presented alongside an excellent Reuben at Karl's Deli, a decades-old German deli in the Tech Center that I review this week. Karl's also offers daily specials, including a pork-and-kraut-laden sausage plate and Hungarian goulash. A small patio outside channels a Bavarian biergarten, where you can drink Paulaner (free refills on Fridays and Saturdays) at picnic tables. Tuck into a homemade streudel for dessert or pick up imported candies and cookies in the small market in the back.

Mark Manger

Carbone's Italian Sausage Deli, 1221 West 38th Avenue
A stalwart of an era when north Denver was an Italian stronghold, Carbone's looks like it's never been updated: grubby shelves are lined with imported pastas, and faded photos and posters cover every square inch of the walls. But forty years after Nick Lonardo took over this tiny sliver of a shop, lines continue to form and people wait patiently for one of the few employees to look up from behind the meat case and take another order. There are just a handful of heroes offered here, including a couple variations of an Italian and the best meatball sub in town. And you'll have to take your lunch to go: Carbone's has no tables.