For more than 55 years, Slyman’s has been Cleveland’s go-to for corned beef. But that popularity comes with a potentially long wait for the delicious sandwiches — especially on St. Patrick’s Day. “[We] sell 2,000-3,000 sandwiches between pre-orders and the line,” says owner Freddie Slyman. He offers some tips and tricks for securing a superbly stacked sandwich on March 17.
Get AheadThe deli is already taking pre-orders for St. Patrick’s Day — as long as you hit the 10-sandwich minimum. But Slyman cautions not to wait until the night before because each Slyman’s location has a 1,000 sandwich limit for pre-orders. “We don’t have enough to fulfill all the pre-orders plus the line, so we cut it off,” Slyman says. The Taverns in Independence, Orange and Mentor are accepting preorders starting March 1 and up until March 14.
Early Birds
iPhones, sneakers and sandwiches? People will camp out in front of Slyman’s locations to make sure they’re among the first in line when the doors open. “People line up at 4 a.m. even though our doors don’t open until 6 a.m.,” Slyman says. If you’re a morning person anyway, he suggests getting there early as long as you can handle the possibly cold weather. “Hopefully, the weather cooperates for us, and that’ll be a blessing,” he says.
Location, Location, Location
The downtown location, where it all began, is also the busiest, so Slyman suggests trying one of the newer tavern locations in Independence, Orange Village or Mentor. While there are no guarantees, the Mentor location, which opened a little more than a year ago, should be an easier proposition. And, at the end of the day, this Cleveland institution isn’t going anywhere, so come back March 18. “If you don’t get it [St. Patrick’s Day], we apologize sincerely,” Slyman says, “but we’re going to be back at it tomorrow morning.”
Read More: Click here to read our full guide to Cleveland's biggest holiday, including what to eat, drink, do and see on St. Patrick's Day.
