Chick & Ruth’s Delly

In the heart of old Annapolis, Chick & Ruth’s Delly is a Jewish style (but not strictly kosher) deli that is colorful, full of life, and so cramped that if you sit in one of the booths opposite the counter, you will be within inches of the person next to you. It is not the place to come for a private or intimate conversation.

What to eat at Chick & Ruth’s Delly in Annapolis, MD

The menu at Chick & Ruth’s Delly has something for everyone, from creamed chipped beef on toast to spiced steamed shrimp by the pound. At breakfast, you can have a bagel with lox, pancakes with a ham steak, or a seasoned crab omelet with a heap of lusciously oily Delly fried potatoes. At lunch, there are sandwiches, hot plates, foot-long dogs, and hamburgers up to a three-pound triple. The homemade soup repertoire includes matzoh ball, chicken noodle, French onion, Maryland crab (spicy!), and cream of crab.

Annapolis is is the Maryland state capital, so many of the house specialties are named after politicians. A chopped liver and corned beef sandwich is known as the Governor Mandel; lox on a bagel is Golda Meir; turkey breast on whole wheat is Bill Clinton.

Upstairs above the deli is the Inn on Main, which is, as far as we know, the world’s only “Bed & Bagel,” a hostelry with rooms for rent.