Some of the best meals in Oklahoma hide behind plain brick storefronts in strip centers you would drive past a hundred times without blinking. That was my exact mistake with this place, right up until a friend insisted I stop making it.
Inside waits a corned beef Reuben built the way East Coast delis build them, plus a free plate of house-made pickles that shows up before you even settle into your seat. If you have ever wondered whether a sandwich alone can justify a long highway haul, this is the one that settles the argument.
A Strip Mall Address With A Brooklyn Accent
Yukon sits about 20 minutes west of downtown Oklahoma City along I-40, close enough that OKC folks can get there before their coffee cools. At 2121 S Yukon Pkwy, Suite 150, Krell’s East Coast Style Delicatessen occupies a tidy storefront with nothing flashy about the outside.
Brick, glass, a sign, a parking lot. That is the whole first impression, and it does the food inside absolutely no favors.
What waits past the door is a genuine New York style deli operation, the kind with a menu long enough to cause a small traffic jam at the order counter. Corned beef, pastrami, cheesesteaks, matzo ball soup, cured fish, and pickles made in house all share the same board.
Tulsa drivers are looking at roughly a two hour run down the turnpike, which sounds like a lot until you see the sandwich. Regulars from the south side of the metro mention driving half an hour on a regular basis just to eat here.
Deli food this specific is rare in central Oklahoma, and that scarcity is exactly why the parking lot fills up at noon.
How An East Coast Deli Landed In Canadian County
Transplants change towns, and Oklahoma has quietly absorbed plenty of families who grew up on rye bread and mustard rather than biscuits and gravy. Krell’s leans hard into that heritage, billing itself plainly as an East Coast style delicatessen rather than dressing it up as something trendier.
One longtime customer joked about all the fancy East Coasters moving out here, then immediately admitted they make seriously legit sandwiches.
The menu reads like a transplanted deli counter. Matzo ball soup, whitefish, a Cubano, capicola, cherry pepper mayo, a cucumber onion tomato shmear, and pickled green tomatoes all appear alongside the corned beef.
Nothing about it feels like a theme restaurant, which is the important part. The staff are Oklahoma friendly, the dining room is clean and easy, and the hospitality is pure Midwest even when the food is pure Northeast.
That mash-up is the charm. Visitors repeatedly describe it as the closest thing to a real New York deli they have found in the state, and several say they keep returning because the owners clearly care about both the food and the people eating it.
The Reuben, Stacked And Griddled
Forty-five separate mentions in customer conversation, and the Reuben still outruns everything else on the board. Corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss, and Russian dressing on rye is not a complicated formula, but doing it properly takes practice most kitchens never get.
Guests who ordered it alongside a Philly cheesesteak said the pair ranked among the best sandwiches they had ever eaten.
A detail worth knowing: the dressing here really is Russian, not Thousand Island, and one careful eater noticed the difference immediately. The same person praised the sauerkraut as better than any they had tasted elsewhere and suspected it might be made in house.
Takeout orders sometimes arrive with the dressing on the side so it does not warm up in the bag, which is a thoughtful touch.
Like any hand-built sandwich, it can vary. A few diners have mentioned wanting the kraut spread more evenly or the bread toasted a shade longer, and asking for extra toast is a fair request.
At its best, though, this is a sandwich that genuinely earns a highway map.
Free Pickle Plate, No Asterisk
Before a single sandwich hits the table, a plate of pickles shows up for free. Not a garnish spear, an actual sampler with different varieties, and it lands while you are still getting comfortable.
Customers mention the pickles more than almost anything else on the menu, which says something when the Reuben is this famous.
Three styles often come out at once, including pickled green tomatoes that surprise first-timers who expected standard dills. Self-described pickle fanatics have called them the best they have had, and several people say the plate alone brightens their whole visit.
They are made in house, which explains the flavor difference compared to the usual food-service jar.
Kids tend to love the novelty of a free snack arriving instantly, and it takes the edge off the wait while the kitchen builds your order. If pickled tomatoes are not your thing, the dills and chips still carry the plate.
Little gestures like this are why people who might otherwise shrug at a strip mall deli end up telling their relatives about it. Generosity reads loudly in a town like Yukon.
Everything Else Competing For Your Attention
Ordering here is genuinely hard, and not because anything looks bad. The Philly cheesesteak draws nearly as much praise as the Reuben, available with cheese whiz for the purists, and the Cubano keeps its own loyal following.
Pastrami on rye, a corned beef special, hot ham and cheese, and a French dip round out the sandwich side.
Soup fans should look for the matzo ball, a rarity in central Oklahoma and one of the items people specifically recommend. The whitefish sandwich and the cucumber onion tomato shmear give the menu a real deli-counter depth.
For sides, the potato salad is brine-forward rather than creamy, so know that going in. One diner called it off the chain good, while another who expected American-style mayo salad was caught off guard.
Fried pickles, crispy onion rings, and Philly steak fries cover the shareable end, and a side of cherry pepper ranch gets called out constantly as the thing to dip in.
Weekly specials rotate too, and there is a banana pudding cheesecake that keeps showing up on people’s next-time lists.
Portions That Split Cleanly Between Two
Order confidently, then reconsider. Plenty of guests report that a single sandwich plus a side is more food than one person can reasonably finish, and half sandwiches are available for anyone with a normal appetite.
One visitor said a half order was more than enough on its own.
Couples regularly split two sandwiches between them so they can taste both, which is the strategy I would recommend for a first visit. A Reuben and a cheesesteak covers the two most talked-about items in one sitting.
Steak fries, onion rings, or cucumber salad fill the table nicely for sharing.
Honesty matters here, so worth noting: a handful of diners have felt the meat-to-bread ratio ran thin on certain sandwiches, and a few thought portions did not match the price on a given day. Consistency is the one thing that comes up when people are less than thrilled.
Most visits land firmly on the generous side, though, and the free pickle plate pads out the meal either way. Sharing keeps the bill sensible and lets you sample more of that long menu.
Order At The Counter, Mind The Menu Board
Walking in, the routine is simple: grab your drink, step up to the counter, order, then find a table. Staff are consistently described as courteous and genuinely helpful, and tables get cleared quickly as customers leave.
The dining room stays clean and comfortable, with artwork on the walls that regulars actually mention by name.
One practical warning. The menu is huge and posted high on the wall, which means the line can bottleneck while people read.
Save yourself the pressure and pull the menu up on your phone from krellsdelicatessen.com before you walk in, or study the board while the group ahead of you orders. It genuinely speeds things up for everybody.
Drinks deserve a mention too, because the craft soda selection is large and includes brown sodas you will not find at a chain sandwich shop. Kids do fine here, the noise level is friendly, and nobody will mind a family spreading out across a table.
The phone number is 405-467-4512 if you would rather call ahead and grab your order to go.
Hours, Costs, And The Sunday Catch
Timing keeps a few travelers from ever tasting that Reuben, so write this part down. Doors open at 11 AM every day, with Tuesday through Saturday running until 8 PM.
Monday closes early at 3 PM, and Sunday is the short one, wrapping up at 2 PM sharp.
Drive over on a Sunday afternoon at 1:30 and you are cutting it far too close. Hours can shift, so a quick call before a long haul is smart planning.
Budget wise, expect roughly $10 to $20 per person. A Reuben with a drink has run some guests around $18 once a tip is added, and specialty items like a Philly have been priced near $19.
Opinions split on value: some say the prices are fair for the quality, others feel the cost climbed higher than they liked.
Splitting a sandwich, ordering a half, or leaning on the free pickle plate all help stretch the visit. Parking sits right out front in the strip center lot, easy for anyone pulling in off I-40.
Who Should Point The Car This Direction
Homesick Northeasterners find the most here, no contest. Anyone who grew up with corned beef on rye and a bowl of matzo ball soup will recognize what is happening the second the pickle plate lands.
Curious Oklahomans who have never had a proper deli sandwich get an even better deal, since this may become their benchmark.
Families do well because the menu stretches wide enough for picky eaters, and half sandwiches keep the tab reasonable for a group. Grandparents appreciate the calm dining room and the fact that nobody rushes you.
Road trippers heading west on I-40 toward El Reno, Weatherford, or the Texas line have an easy lunch stop with almost no detour.
Fair caution for the flavor-sensitive: cured deli meats run salty by nature, and a few diners have found certain sandwiches saltier than they preferred. If that describes you, the soup or a lighter sandwich might suit better.
For everyone else, this is a low-risk, high-reward stop in a town most travelers only see through a windshield.
Worth The Miles, With Eyes Open
Verdicts on sandwiches are personal, but the pattern here is clear enough. The overwhelming majority of visitors walk out impressed, several calling their sandwiches the best they have ever had, and more than a few have made it a twice-a-week habit.
Couples drive in from across the metro and say they have never had a poor experience.
Not everyone agrees, and that is worth respecting. A minority have hit off days with soggy bread, uneven kraut, or a build that felt thin for the price, and consistency is the honest weak spot.
Hand-built food in a busy kitchen swings a little, which is the trade you accept for something made to order rather than assembled by machine.
My take: a Reuben, a shared order of onion rings with cherry pepper ranch, a craft soda, and a cleared pickle plate makes for a very good afternoon. From Oklahoma City it is barely a detour, and from Tulsa it pairs nicely with a broader day out west.
Go hungry, go early enough on Sunday, and go ready to share.
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