Cheese 'N Stuff is pretty much the little deli that could. While every other neighboring business rose and fell with time, Cheese 'N Stuff has lasted for decades in Phoenix, distinguishing it as the oldest deli in town.
Walking in underneath the iconic large globe sign, we stumbled into a time warp with hand-written (with a man's handwriting and not that swirly, indie craft deco writing you see in most coffee houses) menu boards, German meats, Danish cheeses and a grocery section the would make our Swedish grandma giddy. The wall behind the counter is covered in printed signs offering special sandwich selections, making it impossible to choose just one.
See Also: - The Doughboy from Cheese 'n Stuff - Ten Favorite Metro Phoenix Grilled Cheese Sandwiches - Lunch under $10 at Astor House
After staring at the seemingly never-ending list of sandwich possibilities for about half an hour, we decided to keep it simple and go with a classic--just like the deli itself. Rather than defaulting to the Chow Bella approved Doughboy with turkey, bacon and avocado, we got a corned beef and melted swiss sandwich on rye for $6.95.
The salty, warm corned beef with the melted swiss, squirt of mustard and toasted rye hits the spot. In a world of specialty sandwich shops serving up high-class meals with high-dollar price tags, it's nice to be able to go somewhere and get a normal sandwich like mom made. If you're not serious about sticking to $10, we also suggest perusing the grocery shelves and grabbing some lingonberry jam.
Pretty much our only qualm with Cheese 'N Stuff is that when we made our sandwich a meal for $1.49 extra, as the signs around the shop urge you to do, we were met with a tiny cup of potato salad as our side. The mustard, not mayo, centric side is a flavorful addition to any meal, we just wish we had more of it.
