Ira's Deli

Ventilation. I used to frequent this deli when I worked in the area. The falafel was my favourite (when it was on special)... but I used to avoid going in to stay or pick up my food, because even a minute or two inside would leave my clothes and hair smelling like grease for the rest of the day.

Hopefully they have fixed this?

Excellent Deli. I read the reviews and thought I would check this place out for lunch. I agree with the other posters that this is a good choice.

It is one of those places that you pretty much have to know that it is there. It is below street level. There is a sandwich board sign advertising the daily specials and an arrow painted on the side of the building directing you down a few stairs. At the bottom of the stairs is a red door with a fading sign proclaiming it to be Ira's Deli. Once inside I was struck that the place was larger than I was expecting.

The walls are half green and half white. The tables are adorned with plastic red and white checked table cloths. There are short partitions that serve to break up the room, but do not obscure sightlines.

I was there a little after 1 p.m. and had missed the lunch rush. It was not very busy when I arrived. My server was knowledgeable about the menu, friendly and my food arrived quite quickly.

Menu items range in price from $6-$13. Sandwiches come in 4 ounce or 6 ounce sizes. Thre are soups, salads, wraps and an array of sandwiches and platters. There were some dessert choices, but not too many. Carrot cake and three types of cheesecake.

My plan was to follow the recommendations on this site and try their corned beef sandwich. My plan went awry when I saw that the special was a bbq beef sandwich on a Kaiser for $8.99 The special comes with your choice of sides...soup, potato salad, coleslaw or pasta salad. I elected for the chicken soup and the waitress recommended the chicken soup with kreplach (meat dumpling). The soup arrived first and was quite good. The broth was flavourful and there was one large dumpling in the cup. The dumpling was firm and the beef inside was slightly seasoned and had a hint of spice to it.

The sandwich arrived shortly after I had finished my soup. The sandwich is not huge, but it is adequate for lunch. The bbq sauce is very flavourful. A bit of a tangy and sweet mixture. The shredded beef was moist and the mixture with the bbq sauce was a great combination. My sandwich, however, arrived cold. I had to send it back. This was fixed in about two minutes and I was given a new sandwich. This one was properly served hot and was a great success. My server was apologetic and I wasn't charged for my drink, which was a nice gesture.

I will definitely come back here.

A hidden gem. Ira's is a great place for lunch. The New York style reuben is massive and delicious. The daily specials are always great, and the staff is very friendly. They once had perogies as a lunch special and they were some of the best I've ever had.

Best Corned beef. The New york reuben with Corned beef and pastrami on marble rye is excellent. Totally worth the trip.

We ordered for a funneral service. The quality and quantity of food was amazing. The hostess was very customer service was very friendly and made sure that the serving trays were always full. Would highly recommend.

Ira's catered all the meals for my father-in-law's funeral this past weekend. They were all packed in individual clamshells for safety and the value was incredible. Many guests told us they were the best meals they had received - the selection of sandwiches, fruits, cheese and dainties was amazing and very fresh. Ira set everything up at the venue and came back later to pick up the coffee urns and drink dispensers. We simply could not have asked for better service or quality and we all highly recommend them.

Wow, what an experience. Ira was amazing to talk to and the food was awesome. Ordered for about 25 people for a Bridal Shower. Every meal was meticulously placed within an individual clamshell, which made the meals Covid friendly. We had ordered 3 vegetarian and 1 gluten/dairy free meals. The vegetarians loved their meals. The person who received the gluten/dairy free meal raved about how good the bread was and remarked that she had never had such a good meal from a caterer before. She was so impressed that she took a picture of her meal and Ira's information. I had ordered from Ira's a few years back for my father's funeral and had been impressed by his sandwich and food selection. Back then everything came on a platter. My entire (huge) family and the many other guests at the funeral were impressed with Ira's delicious selection of sandwiches, fruits, veggies and dainties. It was a pleasant experience then and it was just as pleasant this time around. Thank you Ira and staff for a wonderful experience. May you all keep healthy and happy through these trying times.

I don't know why it has been so long since I have been here!! I forgot about how good it was! BEST comfort food!!! Had the "perogy special" and it was special indeed! Had borscht on the side! Make sure you go with an empty stomach! Will have to start going back on a regular basis. Make sure you have time given the fact that there is only one waitress on for the entire restaurant at lunch but she tries her hardest! Even if I had been in a bad mood, the food made me smile from ear to ear!