Ernie’s Market

Ernie’s is the kind of place that shouldn’t still exist, and thank goodness it does. Tucked into a little market on Capital Street since 1955, it’s a cash-only sandwich counter where the meats get stacked to order into sandwiches sized somewhere between generous and faintly ridiculous — the “monster” is a documented event. Longtime owner Ernie Hassan built the reputation one oversized sandwich and one “Who loves ya, baby?” at a time, candy kiss on your way out included. The room looks about the way it did decades ago, old wooden icebox and all, and that’s precisely the charm.

Come for a proper old-school deli experience, not a polished one: it’s carry-out from a neighborhood market, so grab cash first and go early before the lunch line forms. Pair it with a morning at the Oak Park Farmers Market and you’ve got a lovely, low-key local morning. We’ve got it on our list as exactly the sort of been-here-forever institution that tells you Oak Park has good bones.