Editor’s note: About the same time this article went live, KSDK reported that the deli plans to open in a new location, though specifics were not disclosed and this information was not shared with Sauce.
A longtime St. Louis deli is closing in just two weeks. Mom’s Deli located at 4412 Jamieson Ave. will close its doors on Sunday, Feb. 23. The South City deli has been serving customers at its current location since it opened in 1977. Now, after nearly five decades in business, the establishment will close, and according to a sign on the door, the reason for the closure comes down to Mom’s Deli wasn’t able to renew its lease.
A repeat Sauce Readers’ Choice Favorite year after year, and recently noted as one of our 5 St. Louis delis to check out, Mom’s Deli offers a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, salads and soups. The huge sandwiches feature fresh bread that is house-made. A Sauce staff favorite is the “Mom’s Special,” which has turkey, ham, roast beef and Provel cheese, along with lettuce, tomato, onion and house-made Thousand Island dressing. And it isn’t just the food that keeps customers coming back.
With a name like Mom’s Deli and the fact that the business is in a structure that houses the business on the first floor and an apartment above where at one time the original owners Charles and Dolores Vago lived, it exudes the kind of cozy, nostalgic atmosphere you’d expect of a neighborhood deli.
It’s unclear what the future holds for Mom’s. Sauce called the deli and spoke with an employee, but Mom’s Deli declined to comment on further details involving the closure.
While it’s disappointing to see yet another piece of St. Louis dining history going away, if there is a bright side to look for, at least customers have about two weeks to visit the establishment to order your favorites and bid farewell to the long-time family-owned business in its current location.
The business did confirm that the final day of service will be Sunday, Feb. 23, and Mom’s Deli will observe normal operating hours that day, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This article appears in January/February 2025.