Attman’s Delicatessen | Baltimore’s Corned Beef Row

Legacy Cuisine

Corned Beef Row: The name designates an area that was once the center of Jewish life in Baltimore. Today, Corned Beef Row consists of Attman’s Deli and little else. Seymour Attman, longtime owner of the deli, has passed on but the deli continues. This once thriving Jewish neighborhood can today seem a little intimidating to some, but a daytime trip to Attman’s (the only time it’s open) will make it worthwhile.

How and What to Order

Enter to the head of the line at the counter, squeeze past those ahead of you (there’s scant room between the waiting customers and the refrigerator cases holding beverages), and proceed to the far side of the counter. While you wait, make your selections from the assorted signs scattered behind, in front of, and over the counter. As you move along, the counter people will wisecrack with each other, the customers, and the occasional street person wandering in.

We recommend a corned beef sandwich. It’s tender and savory — on rye, of course. A sandwich called the Lombard Street ups the ante. It’s a double decker: corned beef, pastrami, and chopped liver. Terrific kosher hot dogs come garnished with a couple of pieces of sizzled bologna: Attman’s personal, eccentric signature. The pickles are good, too.

In the Kibbitz Room

There is a side room, called the Kibbitz Room, for dining on premises, but much of the clientele order their food to go. Some of those customers place rather unorthodox orders: how does corned beef and provolone sound? But the counter help don’t miss a beat. You want it, you got it.

We were the lone Kibbitz Room diners, though we understand that during prime lunch hours, the place can get pretty crowded. Prices are extremely reasonable.

If you’re in Baltimore, make a point of lunching at Attman’s, and have a taste of Corned Beef Row.