Kohn's Deli in Creve Coeur is a family institution

As you wait in line at Kohn’s Kosher Meat and Deli in Creve Coeur, an employee is sure to float by, much like a Jewish grandmother in her own kitchen, encouraging you to try samples of pastrami and teriyaki wings.

“I want [customers] to feel like they’re at my home,” said Lenny Kohn, who has co-owned the restaurant alongside his sister, Rosemary Kohn, since 1979. They took over the deli from their parents, Simon and Bobbi Kohn, who opened it in 1963. Kohn’s has always been a family affair, and that’s especially apparent in its hospitality, which is formidable. 

“We just try to give the customers what they want. Fresh items, don’t kill ’em on the price, pamper ’em when they come in,” Lenny said.

Kohn’s serves everything you’d want from a deli: dependable salads, house-made breads – tzitzel rye! – matzo ball soup, burgers, smoked fish and a killer selection of kosher meats prepared fresh daily. The simple dishes, like the pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, remain Kohn’s most beloved, feeding everyone from big families who order dinners to people stopping by for a quick lunch. 

“One of our target markets is working class guys and women, so we like to keep the price low and give ’em what they want,” Lenny said. Since ’63, this philosophy has kept Kohn’s running strong.

Adam Rothbarth is the staff writer at Sauce Magazine.