Canal Street Street Deli

308 E. First St
Dayton, OH 45402
937.220.9333
website

A beloved sandwich shop founded Dayton’s bustling Oregon District, Canal Street Deli, formerly the 5th Street Deli, is a tiny operation that focuses on making a variety of deli sandwiches and specializing in to-go meals, making it the only such business in the district and probably all of greater downtown. Now, with so many other great places to eat (and drink) within walking distance, this spot takes on a new level of importance; a place where you grab a good bite to eat, maybe take it to go, and enjoy with a good dose of Dayton night life. All in all, a lot of fun.

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The menu here is extensive, but it is almost entirely sandwiches. A “small” order is half a sandwich, a “medium” order is a full sandwich, and a “large” order is a full sandwich with extra meat. The variety of sandwiches here is wonderful. Among the things you can get:

• • • • BLT Sandwich: The bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich is heavy on the mayo and served with at least half a dozen pieces of bacon and some lettuce. It’s absolutely delicious, crispy and goes great with a pickle or a bag of chips.
      • Motown Philly Cheese Steak: The Philly here is served with a heaping help of grilled steak and provolone cheese and a grilled medley of red onions and green peppers. I like this one because even the small sandwich is super filling. That said I recommend you get it to eat immediately, because the onions and peppers makes the bread soggy if you don’t eat it right away.
      • Cuban: The sandwich has a three-meat combo of pastrami, prosciutto and hard salami as well as provolone cheese and green peppers. The toasted bread adds a great crunchy fix for the sandwich. Very tasty.
      • Italian: Salami, prosciutto, capocola, roasted tomato, red onion, banana peppers, mozzarella cheese. Small but thick sandwich. 
      • Summer Jam: Turkey, roasted peppers, onions, pesto, tomato and asiago cheese. Packed with flavor. Best on focaccia bread. 
      • Chicken salad: Sweet chicken salad with lettuce and tomato. Simple but good. Recommend with toasted cinnamon raisin bread.

    The restaurant is primarily build to take sandwiches for carry-out. If you like though, there are tables to eat at inside, as well as a patio on the edge of the building. All told, the sandwich shop is different from most of the other full-service restaurants in the Oregon District. It’s the kind of place you get food and go, which is perfect for the nearby breweries, bars, and other attractions that many people who love Dayton’s core love to celebrate. All told, I like the restaurant and I think it has something unique to offer. This spot is well worth a visit.

    Recommendations

    • Sandwiches and breakfast are mainly what’s on the menu. The sandwiches come in three sizes, half, whole, and whole plus extra meat. All told a great place to go.
    • The spot is made mainly to take sandwiches and go elsewhere. Highly recommended to come here and grab a sandwich, then go across the street to the brewery.
    • The Philly is intensely filling, but I recommend you eat it as soon as possible.