NOVEMBER 16 • 2023 | 39
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Southfield. He joined the deli 
business at age 15.
By 1990, Lou was looking to 
start his own deli. “It all came 
together — the right place, 
at the right time, at the right 
price,” said Jerry, when Lou 
found Mati’s, an established 
deli of four years, up for sale. 
The restaurant is uniquely 
housed within a late-1920s 
Shell gas station on Monroe 
at Tenny streets, a half mile 
south of Michigan Avenue. 
The art deco-style building 
features a white subway-tiled 
exterior with black trim, 
decorative glass blocks and 
turquoise paint. There is 
outdoor seating at wooden 
picnic tables under turquoise 
umbrellas in season. 
A mural made of Edward 
Hopper’s moody 1942 painting 
Nighthawks, depicting a late-
night diner, draws immediate 
attention. The 900-square-
foot restaurant also displays 
framed restaurant reviews and 
memorabilia in the left corner. 
A large wall menu that’s been 
hanging up for 37 years is 
adjacent to the order counter 
on the right side of the room, 
in front of an open kitchen. 
Guests sit at small tables or 
the front window countertop. 
For a large order, especially 
serving more than two diners, 
it might be best to choose the 
counter and spread everything 
out. The portions here are 
generous.
“We are best known for our 
corned beef and rye bread, 
which we also sell by the loaf,” 
Jerry said. 
Since the demise this year 
of Star Bakery in Oak Park, 
the main supplier used is 
Superior Bread Company 
in Livonia. My favorite deli 
sandwich choice, here titled 

“Ellen’s Favorite,” consists of 
hot corned beef (from distrib-
utor Sy Ginsberg), coleslaw, 
Swiss cheese and Russian 
dressing, on double-baked 
Jewish rye. The sandwich 
pleased me more on my sec-
ond visit, because then I knew 
to order the corned beef lean. 
This extra service is done 
without charge, by the way. I 
also requested my “senior dis-
count,” worth 5 percent of the 
bill. Jerry said to ask for meat 
to be trimmed and the senior 
discount, if applicable, when 
ordering.
Besides regular deli sand-
wiches, the menu lists “Mati’s 
Favorites.” These choices 
include “Brittany’s Ticket,” 
focused on roast brisket 
of beef; “Hank’s Delight,” 
combining corned beef and 
pastrami, and “Brian’s Wish,” 
highlighting the restaurant’s 
popular chicken salad. Two 
of the “Lite Sandwiches” are 
egg salad and grilled cheese. 
Under the “Low Sodium 

& Cholesterol” 
heading, Mati’s 
offers the healthier 
options of chicken 
breast, chicken 
pita and veggie 
pita. The latter pita 
pocket includes 
broccoli, tomato, lettuce, pea-
pods, mushrooms, red onion, 
low-salt cheddar and low-cal 
Ranch dressing.
Mati’s makes seven salads, 
with Greek, Peking chicken 
and Caesar among them. 
I thought my potato salad 
had just the right amount of 
crunchy celery and a light, 
tasty dressing. Chili is offered 
daily, along with cream of 
broccoli and chicken noodle 
soups — add a large, fluffy 
matzah ball for another $1.50. 
Other soups rotate. Variety 
and value are found in the 
Combo: a bowl of soup and a 
half-sandwich. 
Referring to more items, 
knishes made from a family 
recipe are crispy outside with 

a soft mashed potato and 
cheddar filling. After trying 
one of Lou’s Cream Cheese 
Brownies, the taste made clear 
why they’re award-winners.
Carryout and catering are 
other parts of the business, 
and dining room hours are 
10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and 
until 3 p.m. Saturday. 
As everyone at Mati’s Deli 
adjusts to the new era without 
Lou, his son offered a public 
message: “Want to support 
us? Come in and order a 
sandwich and leave the girls 
a tip.” 

Lou Weinstein was interviewed 

about Mati’s Deli in a YouTube video 

recorded shortly before his passing. 

To access, input the title on a browser: 

“KiwaniTalk – Mati’s Deli with owner 

Lou Weinstein.”

Mati’s Deli 
1842 Monroe Street 
Dearborn, MI 48124 
Phone: (313) 277-3253 
Matisdeli.com 
** ½ out of ****

Reuben 
sandwich

A grilled cheese 
and tomato soup 
combo

BY ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER