Deli sandwiches rarely get called giant without exaggeration attached somewhere. Here, that description turns out to be accurate the moment one actually lands on the counter.
Bread comes fresh from Amish baking traditions, dense and flavorful enough to matter just as much as whatever’s stacked between the slices. Sandwiches themselves pile high, layered generously enough that finishing one in a single sitting becomes a genuine challenge for most people.
Staying hidden despite offering something this good takes a certain kind of quiet confidence. This market never bothered advertising loudly, letting sandwiches and fresh baked goods do the convincing through word of mouth alone.
Finding it once usually means returning regularly afterward. A market like this rarely stays a secret forever once people in Minnesota start talking.
A Corner Shop Tucked Near the Fairgrounds
Nothing about the exterior shouts for attention, which is honestly part of the charm. A low brick building sits just off Como and Snelling, close enough to the State Fairgrounds that first-timers often drive past it twice.
Regulars know the trick. Park in the lot behind the building, where spots open up steadily even when the line inside looks long. The surrounding streets are quiet and residential, with wide sidewalks, tall shade trees, and houses that have clearly survived a century of Minnesota winters.
Inside, space is tight. A salad station, sandwich prep counter, deli case, cooler, chip racks, cheeses, and a dessert display all share one room, and the noise bounces off the walls. Take a quick look at the menu board before stepping up, because the layout can feel overwhelming on a first visit.
Half the fun is watching the crew move without a single wasted step. That crowded, busy setup is exactly why the shop feels alive instead of staged. Come hungry and a little curious.
Sandwiches That Need Two Hands
Order one sandwich and the size does the talking. Meats get piled high, cheese blankets the whole thing, and the vegetables go on thick enough to make the bread strain a bit.
Names on the menu read like a tour of the neighborhood and beyond, with the Town of Nelson, the St Paul Special, the Como Club, the Hamline, the Santa Fe, and a Reuben that longtime customers order without glancing up.
Fixings are where things get fun. Sprouts, spicy cheeses, herb mayo, and crunchy lettuce all show up as options, so two people can order the same sandwich and end up with different lunches.
Ask for a lettuce wrap instead of bread and the kitchen builds something closer to a salad folded around the fillings. Cold sandwiches move fastest, which matters when the clock is ticking.
Plenty of people work their way down the entire menu over time, one visit at a time, and swear the ranking changes with every round.
Amish Baked Goods Worth Saving Room For
Skipping dessert here is a rookie mistake. The baked goods sit near the register in plain sight, which feels like a deliberate test of willpower.
Cookies come out thick and soft, bars are cut generously, and the sweet breads have that dense, homemade texture you usually only get from someone’s kitchen. Amish-style baking leans simple. Butter, sugar, flour, patience, and no need for decoration or gimmicks.
What appears in the case shifts from week to week, so a favorite treat might vanish and reappear a month later. That rotation keeps regulars checking the shelves every single visit.
A smart move is grabbing a sweet item at the same time as the sandwich, because the case thins out during the busiest stretch of the day. One cookie tucked in the bag turns an ordinary lunch break into something worth remembering.
Pair a baked treat with a cold drink and a park bench, and the afternoon suddenly feels a lot less like a work day.
A Cheese Case Built on Midwestern Favorites
Cheese is right there in the name, and the case backs it up. Blocks of aged cheddar, Swiss, and flavored jacks line the shelves, mostly sourced from Midwestern creameries.
Aged cheddar gets the loudest praise from longtime shoppers, and it is easy to understand why after one sharp, crumbly bite. Cheese curds sit nearby in bags, squeaky and fresh, which is the standard every Minnesotan quietly judges.
Adding a specialty cheese to a sandwich is an easy upgrade. Spicy Monterey Jack turns a simple turkey order into something with actual heat behind it. Shoppers who stop in without lunch plans still leave with a block or two for a snack board at home.
Staff will answer questions about what is sharp, mild, or good for melting, which helps when the labels start blurring together. Think of the case as a small grocery run hiding inside a sandwich shop, and budget a few extra minutes to browse it properly before the lunch crowd arrives.
Salad Bar Greens and Rotating Pasta Salads
Not everyone arrives ready for a sandwich the size of a brick, and the salad station handles that crowd nicely. Bins hold crisp greens, chopped vegetables, and enough toppings to build something genuinely filling.
Freshness shows up immediately in the crunch. Lettuce snaps, tomatoes taste like tomatoes, and nothing looks like it has been sitting around since morning. Pasta salads change often, which gives the side case a small element of surprise.
Soups rotate too, especially welcome on the kind of January day when the wind cuts sideways down Como Avenue. A word of advice from experience. A sandwich plus a full side is often more food than one person can finish, so split the sides with a friend.
Vegetarian eaters do fine here, with a veggie sandwich on the menu and a salad bar that makes a meatless lunch feel like a real choice rather than an afterthought. Grab a container, build it high, and keep the lid handy for leftovers later.
Craft Sodas, Snacks and Small Impulse Buys
The cooler deserves its own mention. Rows of glass bottle sodas in flavors you rarely see on grocery shelves sit chilled and waiting, from root beers to fruit sodas with old-fashioned labels.
Picking one takes longer than expected. There is something oddly satisfying about a cold bottle next to a paper-wrapped sandwich. Chips fill a rack near the counter, and beef sticks hang close enough to the register that they end up in a lot of bags.
Snacks like these make the shop a solid stop before a road trip north or a long afternoon at the zoo down the street. Kids tend to gravitate straight to the soda cooler, which buys parents a minute to study the menu board in peace.
Small purchases add up, so decide early whether the visit is lunch or a full snack haul. Either way, the mix of drinks and shelf-stable treats gives the place the feel of a proper little market.
Hot Heroes, Reubens and Loaded Hot Dogs
Hot orders run on a separate rhythm, and knowing that changes the whole visit. Cold sandwiches get handed over quickly, while anything grilled or melted goes to a second pickup counter after the register.
The Hot Hero has a loyal following, mostly thanks to the sauce that comes with it. Reubens land somewhere between classic and generous, especially on caraway rye. Meatball, Philly beef and cheese, and a buffalo-style chicken build round out the warm side of the board.
Hot dogs are no side note either. Chicago style and a St Paul red-hot both show up, loaded rather than plain. Patience pays off during the noon rush, since hot items take a few extra minutes when the grill is full.
Anyone in a genuine hurry should stick to cold builds and save the hot menu for a slower day. Melted cheese, warm bread, and a paper wrapper steaming slightly in cold weather make the short wait feel entirely reasonable.
No Seats Inside, So Pack a Picnic
Here is the one detail that catches newcomers off guard. There is no dining area inside, not even a stool by the window, because every square foot is devoted to food prep and shelves. Plenty of people simply eat in the back parking lot, which is a St Paul tradition at this point.
A better plan sits a few blocks east. Como Park offers benches, lakeside paths, and shade trees, with Como Park Zoo and Conservatory at 1225 Estabrook Dr, St Paul, MN 55103 making an easy pairing for a full afternoon.
In summer, the grass near the water fills with families doing exactly this. Winter visitors usually eat in the car with the heat running, and honestly, the sandwich tastes just as good.
Bring napkins. The fillings are generous enough that things get messy fast, and there is no counter to lean on while regrouping. Treat the takeout limitation as an invitation to explore the neighborhood rather than a drawback.
Timing the Line Before the Noon Rush
Lunch here runs on a tight schedule, and that shapes everything. Doors open at 10 in the morning and close at 2 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday, with weekends off entirely. That short window means the middle of the day gets busy fast.
Arriving right at opening is the calmest experience by far. The case is full, the bakery shelves are stocked, and orders come together in a few minutes flat. By noon, the line often stretches toward the door, though it moves faster than it looks because the crew has the process down cold.
Twenty minutes on a packed Wednesday is a realistic estimate rather than a worst case. Anyone planning a weekend trip should adjust accordingly, since Saturday visitors will find the lights off.
A quick tip that saves frustration. Decide the order while standing in line, because the counter moves quickly and the menu has more options than one glance can absorb.
Box Lunches and Catering for Bigger Groups
Offices around the Twin Cities have leaned on this kitchen for group meals for a long time. Box lunches, sandwich trays, salads, and dessert add-ons all travel well, which matters when food has to survive a drive across town.
Orders placed ahead free up time on busy mornings, and the team is known for handling last-minute requests when a meeting suddenly needs feeding. Catering works just as well for family gatherings, graduation parties, and volunteer crews who need something better than pizza.
Calling ahead is the smart move for anything beyond a few sandwiches, especially given the compressed daily schedule. What keeps people coming back, though, is simpler than logistics. Fresh ingredients, fair portions, and staff who treat regulars like neighbors.
Find it all at Nelson Cheese & Deli, 1562 Como Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, and plan to arrive hungry.
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