
Crystal Wise
There are places that don’t just serve food but serve moments — snapshots of a city’s soul, immortalized in layers of meat, cheese, and a dollop of history. Fort Worth’s Carshon’s Delicatessen is one of those places. Sure, Reader’s Digest-related Taste of Home just crowned it the best deli in Texas, but let’s face it, we locals didn’t need the reminder. Still, it’s nice when a national publication tips its hat our way for something other than cowboy culture and the Stockyards.
Kudos well deserved.
Carshon’s has been a cornerstone of Fort Worth since 1928, back when David Carshon, a Jewish immigrant, opened the first kosher deli in town. Its early years were spent downtown before making a few moves, finally settling at 3133 Cleburne Road in the 1970s. Ninety-something years later, it’s still a destination for anyone seeking not just a sandwich but a story on their plate.
Let’s talk about those sandwiches. They’re deceptively simple — meat, cheese, maybe a swipe of sauerkraut or Russian dressing, all snuggled between slices of bread so good it could win awards on its own – although we may have mentioned them in our Best Of list a time or two. The fact is, Carshon’s sandwiches don’t just feed you; they win you over.
And then there’s the eternal dilemma: Rebecca or Rachel? Fort Worth’s culinary equivalent of Coke versus Pepsi. For the uninitiated, the Rebecca is a masterpiece of pastrami and smoked turkey, slathered with cream cheese and Russian dressing, stacked high on grilled egg bread. It’s decadent, it’s comforting, it’s the friend who always has your back.
The Rachel, though, is the OG. Corned beef and turkey, Swiss cheese still warm and gooey, coleslaw cooling things off, all nestled into grilled rye bread. The first bite might just be the first time you fell in love with rye. And let’s be honest, for many of us, Carshon’s was where we discovered rye bread even existed at all.
But Carshon’s isn’t just about sandwiches — it’s an experience. Walk in and you’re greeted by display cases brimming with sliced meats, cheeses, and cold salads. The air carries the tang of mustard, the sweetness of freshly baked pies, and the unmistakable aroma of grilled everything. Owner Mary Swift is often there, ready with a smile and maybe a tip on which pie-of-the-day you should order (hint: all of them are winners).
Speaking of pies, let’s not overlook Mary’s Famous Pie-of-the-Day. Pecan, coconut cream, lemon meringue—it’s a rotating lineup of desserts so good they deserve their own fan club. And if you’re in the mood for something lighter, there’s always the Lox with Cream Cheese and Bagel or the Rutherford, a smoked turkey concoction on a grilled Wolferman’s muffin with melted Swiss, served open-faced.
Taste of Home summed it up nicely: “Bring your friends to Carshon’s Delicatessen to get a true kosher deli experience in Texas.”
But we’d argue it’s more than an experience; it’s a tradition. Whether you’re a lifelong local or a transplant still finding your footing, one bite of a Rebecca or a Rachel will tell you everything you need to know about what we consider a great deli. This is a city that treasures its history, celebrates its flavors, and doesn’t mess around when it comes to sandwiches.