Val’s: Metro Detroit’s newest ‘old-style’ deli

By: Mark Bello | August 8, 2022

Whole-meal sandwiches, hot soup, and breakfast every day. While this deli may be the new kid on the block, Metro Detroiters are quickly discovering just how good it is…

Opened in December 2019 (just as COVID 19 was beginning to clobber Michigan businesses), tucked away in a little corner of the Crosswinds Mall at the intersection of Lone Pine and Orchard Lake in West Bloomfield, is Val’s Delicatessen, a wonderful, little, ‘old-style’ deli. For those who are old enough to remember, when I say ‘old-style,’ I’m thinking northwest Detroit’s Sol’s, Oak Park’s Bread Basket, Hy Horenstein’s, or Katz’s from back in the day. 

The little deli survived lean days during the COVID crisis.  These days, Val’s regulars meet for coffee, eggs, and bagels in the morning, a corned beef sandwich, salad, soup, or blintzes in the afternoon. For dinner, enjoy the sandwiches, salads, or soups; dine-in, or carry out full freshly made daily meal specials like stuffed cabbage (meat or turkey), whitefish, salmon, half roasted chicken, lamb chops, pepper steak, coconut shrimp, bone-in short ribs, and more. Carry out ‘any fish you wish,’ generous portions of lox, sable, kippered salmon, or white fish salad, served with a bagel, onion, cucumber, tomato, capers, and cream cheese. Val’s has a nice little outside seating area for those who are COVID conscious. The service is sometimes slow, but the food is worth waiting for. 

Soup for lunch? Val’s offers several varieties of chicken soup: Noodle or rice, chicken in a pot, matzah ball, kreplach, or mish mash. You can also get cabbage soup, mushroom barley, turkey chili or the “soup of the day.” Don’t forget to order your soup with Val’s delicious hot deli rye or challah.

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Prefer a traditional deli sandwich? Val’s has all your stuffed (big enough for two? Yes! Unless you’re really hungry) favorites, including a delicious “off the bone” turkey sandwich. They will happily build your custom order favorite. Prefer a hot dog? Try it “Chicago Style.” A burger? Try the patty melt. If you’re into sides, try the blintzes, knishes, kugel, or latkes. Val’s also features a full catering menu and a wonderful pastry counter with all your favorite old country sweets.

My personal favorites? For breakfast, try the South Beach Sandwich, but here’s a secret tip: Get it on Challah, not the usual roll-up Lavash—considerably bigger and tastier. Lunch? Try four different Rubens (traditional corned beef or pastrami, turkey, tuna), or my favorite sandwich (not on the menu, but Val’s is happy to make it for me), pastrami, turkey and swiss, with Russian dressing (#22 at the old Bread Basket). On salad day, I love Val’s Maurice, which has me remembering Hudson’s. For dinner, try the Pasta Palomino, Zip Pasta (both with chicken), or one of the daily specials I mentioned earlier. My wife and I enjoy the stuffed cabbage, whitefish, or apricot chicken. Here’s another tip: The French fries are great but, every now and then, ask for tater tots instead. You won’t be sorry. And get this: You get an old dill pickle with your sandwich. Who wants a new dill? Nothing more than a pickled cucumber.

My family has found this wonderful little deli to be consistently delicious, breakfast, lunch or dinner, and a great addition to an area that has seen some of its favorite restaurants close during the pandemic. Give Val’s a try. Let me know what you think.

Val’s Deli

4301 Orchard Lake Road

West Bloomfield, MI 48323

248-973-8037

info@valsdeli.com

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