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The invention of the Reuben sandwich is grilled in controversy. One theory states that the first Reuben sandwich was created for Reuben Kulakofsky in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1925, during a weekly poker game, he asked the chef of the Blackstone Hotel to make him a sandwich, and this was the result.
The second theory is that the sandwich was created in New York in 1914 by Arnold Reuben, who owned a delicatessen, for a Broadway actress who came in late at night.
Either (or both) theory could be true — but for us, there’s a more important question. Where in Kansas City serves the best Reuben?
A traditional Reuben contains thin-sliced corned beef (a brisket brined with salt and spices), Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Thousand Island or Russian dressing, and is served on grilled rye bread.
But over time, traditions get remade, and we can now see how Kansas City has placed its own mark on the famous sandwich. So it’s time to put aside the arguing, invite a friend for lunch, and explore some of the best sandwiches in the world.
Peter May's House of Kielbasa
Peter May’s House of Kielbasa knows sausage. Located at 17th and Bristol, near Kansas City’s eastern edge, you wouldn’t even realize that some of the best sausage in the city is smoked in what looks like an ordinary house. Jason Kelce called it an “absolute gem of an establishment” in a recent Instagram post, and for good reason.
Right outside on the back porch is the smoker, an eight-foot-tall cinderblock wood-fed contraption that has been changed twice since Mike Loges took over 20 years ago. Peter May’s House of Kielbasa has been in the family for 96 years, Mike is the most recent grandson to carry on the tradition.
Their sausage, especially once right out of the smoker, is so juicy you need a napkin to eat it. This sausage serves as the basis for their unusual Reuben.
During COVID, they came up with this sausage Reuben to give their customers something a little bit different. It begins with rye bread lightly toasted on only one side, just enough to hold everything together. Next is the homemade kraut, and then thinly sliced smoked sausage.
There is so much meat on this thing that you need to take an intermission if you plan to finish it all. The smoky sausage flavor seeps into the kraut and takes on a whole other dimension.
- 1654 Bristol Ave., Kansas City, Missouri
Breit’s Stein & Deli
Located in Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kansas, Breit’s Stein & Deli began in 2002. Originally owned and operated by Bob Breitenstein, he eventually retired and sold the pub to John McClelland and Johnathan Griffiths. The traditional Reuben at Breit’s Stein & Deli is the very definition of the classic sandwich.
Breit’s corned beef is sliced paper-thin and stacked tall, with the traditional layer of sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and pressed between two pieces of marble rye. That pressing causes the rye bread to be almost as thin as the corned beef.
- 412 N 5th St., Kansas City, Kansas
Werner’s Fine Sausages
One of the debates around a Reuben sandwich concerns the meat: Can it be a Reuben sandwich if it doesn’t have corned beef?
Try the Reuben at Werner’s Fine Sausages in Mission, and you won’t care about the distinction at all. The shop began as a Swedish grocery store, then was bought in 1973 by Werner Wohlert, a German immigrant who transformed the shop into its current focus. In 1995, the shop was bought by David and Judy Miller, who continue serving some of the best authentic sausages and sandwiches around town.
The deli is a small space that can seem cluttered with shelves of German ingredients, but the sandwich counter is plenty busy.
Werner’s does serve a traditional Reuben, but they also serve a turkey version, which is delicious (sometimes distinguished as a “Rachel” if you swap the kraut for coleslaw). Theirs is served on untoasted rye bread, which helps act as a sponge for the dressing, while the turkey lightens the heavier spices.
Werner’s Fine Sausages | 5736 Johnson Drive, Mission, Kansas
O’Neill’s Restaurant and Bar
O’Neill’s cultivates a passionate crowd — when one asks the bartender about the Reuben, several other patrons answer before the staff does.
The Leawood restaurant began in 2000 and is named after the owner Brian O’Neill Schorgl’s grandparents.
At first glance, this is a traditional Reuben, but here the corned beef is smoked. Now you get into what Kansas City does best. Instead of thin slices, the corned beef is also cut into chunks, each a bit thicker than a puzzle piece, and it all comes together when you take a bite.
- 9417 Mission Road, Leawood, Kansas
The Milwaukee Delicatessen Company
The original Milwaukee Delicatessen Company goes back a hundred years. The downtown deli was opened by Albert Ladzinski and his wife, Laura, in 1900 in the same location as they are now. It was named for the city where Albert’s first meat supplier resided, but the Kansas City establishment has gone through a number of transformations since then.
The business would later be renamed to The New Yorker Restaurant and moved in 1938. The space went through other owners, the building began to crumble until investors revitalized it, and in 2010, Milwaukee Delicatessen Company was born again, this time under managing partner Jon Gerner. Their goal was to recreate a historic piece of Kansas City and give it a modern-day flair.
They still get their corned beef from the same place that Albert did. Usinger Foods up in Milwaukee is still turning out the best, a century later.
There are two types of Reubens to be had at Milwaukee's — but be warned, these are large sandwiches and extremely filling.
The first type is traditional, complete with marble rye and all the fixings, including marinated tomatoes. But they add a bit of crispy sauerkraut to infuse the wetter kraut most are used to, giving the sandwich more of a crunch.
The second type adds a shot of spicy mustard as well as the Russian dressing, giving a notable kick to the tradition.
- 101 W 9th St., Kansas City, Missouri
Browne’s Irish Marketplace
Browne’s Irish Marketplace has been around for 138 years and is still owned by the same family. Now, a fifth generation runs the store and continues the tradition in midtown Kansas City.
There is a reason that so many talk about the Reubens at Browne’s. In addition to a homemade Thousand Island, this sandwich mixes in a horseradish dressing.
Plus, they make their corned beef themselves, but cut it differently than most. They take meat primarily from the leaner, less fatty part of the brisket, the flat, giving the sandwich a different texture when you eat it.
Or maybe it’s just the welcoming Irish environment that adds the flavor.
- 3300 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, MO
M & M Bakery & Delicatessen
M & M Bakery may be known for its fantastic cookies, fried cinnamon rolls, and maybe the best brownie cupcake in all of the city. But their sandwiches are just as good.
Originally opened by Holocaust survivor Bronia Roslawowski and her husband Mendel, the deli has survived for 80 years. Sold in 1984 to former employee Dorothy Williams, her family continues to use those old traditional recipes, and the community keeps showing up for them.
The sandwiches at M & M Bakery and Deli are thick. Clearing close to three inches per sandwich, stretch your jaw out before you start eating. Their signature sandwich is called the Hook ‘em Up sandwich: turkey, ham, and pepper beef on a homemade onion roll.
They have also placed their own twist on the Reuben. Served on rye, there are two distinct layers of corned beef, with sauerkraut in between. Another change is the pickles added to the bottom, which mix with the dressing for even more textural excitement.
- 1721 E 31st St., Kansas City, Missouri
