What to expect: No frills deli and old school Italian American. Counter service. They serve beer, although there is no bar. Old school, divey hole-in-the-wall.
Favorites: the Little Richman and the meatball sub.
Call: (205) 933-6983
Map: 1225 20th St S, Birmingham, AL 35205
Web: ranellisdeli.com
The Full Skinny
Ranelli’s Deli serves up old school Italian American food as well as a full compliment of deli sandwiches, subs, and salads. You can even get a cold beer. It’s a solid choice for a quick meal at a good price.
Ranelli’s Deli is a time capsule. It hasn’t changed much, if at all, since I first visited in 1990. They’ve been open since 1971 which is the same year that my family first arrived in Birmingham.
For me, Ranelli’s Deli is a lunch time sandwich and a beer joint. They have a great meatball sub. Do they make the meatballs in house? I haven’t asked and I don’t care. This is the no-frills food that I grew up eating. I occasionally suffer from crippling nostalgia. Ranelli’s is good medicine.
The Richman’s Po-boy is their flagship sandwich. It’s a concoction of ham, corned beef, peppered beef, hard salami, and pastrami, with Swiss and provolone cheese, topped off with an olive salad. It has a muffuletta vibe, but it’s served on a sub roll.
Tuesday is Spaghetti Day and Thursday is Lasagna Day. They offer a second helping for free, although I have never taken them up on that offer. The daily specials are a direct throwback to childhood dinners with my Italian-American friends. Straight-ahead, standard, served with an iceberg lettuce salad and garlic bread. It’s a familiar and comforting plate of food.
We used to have spots like this all over the Birmingham, but most have fallen by the wayside. Thankfully, Ranelli’s Deli is still with us.
-SB
Birmingham Food Scene 