Eovaldi's Deli - Sicilian Bomber Saved The Sandwich Shop

Eovaldi's Deli Experience Summary

Just had a fun lunch at Eovaldi's in The Hill with my buddies. It's another Italian sandwich spot a little bit further south and right near the Missouri Baking Company.

I ended up getting two sandwiches because I ordered wrong the first time. I initially got the special, which I thought was what I was supposed to be ordering but wasn't - it was just a ginormous Italian - and then I got the Sicilian Bomber, which should be their special because it's special.

The Italian was initially disappointing relative to all the online reviews, coming in at 6.2/10. Yelp, Google Maps, and Reddit reviews all love this place. The Sicilian Bomber came in at the end and saved the day with a solid 7.2/10. That's good enough for a ranking on the best sandwiches in St. Louis.

The vibes in the Deli are top-notch. Everything you could want in a little deli with a simple display case of meat, three fridges and freezers with take-home options, and tables crammed into a working man's space.

Awesome, awesome stuff.

Service was quicker than I expected. They take your order and make it before you pay, which is definitely faster than waiting to ring it up with people in line. You pay on the way out, which is easy enough. There was a continuous flow of people in and out the entire hour we were there, but it never felt crowded.

I spoke to the owner after lunch, and you can tell he has a passion for the place and the sandwiches. I got the sense they do over 150 sandwiches a day, true sandwich pros.

Really enjoyed the lunch overall.

The Food At Eovaldi's Deli

I went on a sandwich rollercoaster at Eovaldi. I had very high expectations going in as it's the best-reviewed place on Yelp, with a 4.7 on 107 reviews as of this writing. Those are huge numbers.

It was also one of the top three recommended places on Reddit from my post there, so I went in expecting a lot like I did at Nomad and LeGrand's.

I started with the Eovaldi's Special and got an even bigger high from seeing this thing. A true to their word 12" absolute behemoth of a sandwich. At 27.8 oz, it took the mantle from Gioia's as the biggest sandwich in St. Louis.

Add to that an insane amount of meat at 13.8 oz. Compare that to Snarf's 5.6 oz of meat on a 24 oz sandwich.

Unfortunately, at the first bite, I knew there was a problem. This sandwich wasn't breaking the 7's. After a couple of more, it wasn't breaking the high 6's.

For all the meat, everything else lacked backup flavors. The toppings between the meat the the bread were deli quality, not speciality. The bread itself held the sandwich in place but didn't add much.

The star of the show by a mile was the salami. That stuff-packed flavor for days with a tinge of spice.

Overall, I eventually settled on a 6.2/10. My son had some after school and rated it lower than Snarf's, which would be the exact same rating as me. So, he might have better taste than I thought.

I was way down the sandwich rollercoaster at this point.

Then my buddy showed me his sandwich, the Chicago Style. He had no comment on the quality, but he at the whole six inch sub in six seconds. More importantly, it reminded me the internet had mentioned some kind of roast beef.

But as I was paying, I realized I ordered the wrong sandwich. I meant to get the Sicilian Bomber. So I did what any self-respecting sandwich reviewer would do and ordered it.

And, this moment, my sandwich-snacking friends, is when the roller coaster took a loop-de-loop.

The Sicilian Bomber delivered the package I was looking for. This similarly huge bad boy combines mushrooms, onions, gravy, salami, provolone, and roast beef. The gravy and toppings had the flavor the other sandwich lacked and brought out the roast beef's inner beauty. It also slid in the rock star salami to round out the flavor profile.

Note I got a 4.5 inch Sicilian Bomber because I was totally stuffed at this point, so if you expand out the math, this was very close in size to the Special.

Overall, it was a 7.2/10 and upped Eovaldi's several spots in my ranking of the best sandwiches in St. Louis as a result.

Both of these sandwiches come in at $11.95 before tax, and they don't allow tips, making them incredible bang for the buck.

Eovaldi's Deli Atmosphere And Miscellaneous

The Eovaldi's Deli had all the charm of a small Italian deli you could expect and want from a place in The Hill. It's very small but feels cozy. Four tables are packed in the area to your right as you walk in and order to your left.

The ordering process was unique. They take your orders at the counter on a piece of paper and then go make them without paying. Eventually, one of the owners runs it out to you and you pay when you leave. I had the stopwatch running but totally forgot to pause it when the sandwiches came out because we were discussing high-brow things like Atomic Habits and St. Louis radio stations.

I would guess it took around five minutes for the sandwiches. The hour we were there from 12 to 1 on a Thursday, a line never really formed, but someone was always ordering.

All four tables were also full the whole time with neighborhood locals. Just felt like a great community spot.

After eating, me and my buddy spoke to the owner who is a real sandwich guy. They have owned the place for 20+ years and turn out sandwich after sandwich. He said they make over 150 sandwiches a day.

They're proud of their product, and you can tell.

Parking At Eovaldi's Deli

Park is easy around The Hill. I parked a five-minute walk away to get in some steps, but I could have parked within a minute's walk, no problem.

Eovaldi's Deli Receipt

Sandwich Size Comparisons