Slaviansky Bazar

The staff had warned us ahead of time that creating so many sandwiches would take a lot of time, and they were correct but we were prepared for that. The sandwich was a little small, but reasonably priced. I could really taste the Emmental cheese on this sandwich, and it was marvelous. The pastrami was very good with peppered edges on it. The bread was a good white rye that didn't have any caraway flavor to it, but the slices were somewhat thin. The sandwiches were grilled in a sandwich press which kept the sandwich from becoming soggy, but took quite a while. I dressing got a little lost among the other flavors, but the sandwich was delicious. With the pastrami and alternate cheese, it didn't really have a strong Reuben taste, but it was pretty close, and a really decent sandwich. If you want to eat here, I recommend calling ahead and picking it up.

This place is a combination deli and international food market. In this case, "international" mostly seems to mean "Russian." They did have Kinder Eggs though, and those are Italian (and I did pick up one for each of the kids). There are only three small tables with two chairs each: they're pretty much patio furniture, but they were comfortable and elegant enough. You order at the front counter, wait for your order to be prepared, and pay when you leave. You can grab a drink from the refrigerator: I had a 20oz Diet Coke with Lime for $1.19, something I wouldn't normally be able to drink with a Reuben. Service was friendly enough, but pretty slow, especially with so many of us there. I just had the Reuben and my drink: I couldn't identify many of the side items in the cooler, and wasn't feeling that adventurous. Maybe the way the fresh fish were staring unnerved me, I don't know. Our sandwiches were served on black china plates with no flatware, just a napkin. The sandwich had a good flavor balance. The bread was nicely crisp after toasting, and though it was a rye it had no caraway flavor. The pastrami was lean and had good texture, and was it good quantity. I thought at first that it wasn't processed, but since it was sliced off a loaf behind the deli counter I must have been mistaken. I could taste the cheese, which is always a plus: I finished off Christina's sandwich, which she had made with American cheese (heretic), and it wasn't as good. Overall it wasn't the best Reuben I've had, but it was good, at a decent price, and in a fascinating setting, and that's definitely worth something.

I personally did not care for this place. The seating arrangement was uncomfortable. There were not enough seats for everyone and we did not have that many people. The sandwich was edible but it probably would not be my first choice if were asked where I wanted to go. Nothing was outstanding about the sandwich.

The best thing about this luncheon was to see old friends again and the interesting selection of international wines and beers that I felt compelled to buy. The Reuben was cold. The meat reminded me more of lunch meat. Mine had little to no dressing and needed more sauerkraut. Thanks to Carl for finishing my other half. The ladies were clearly not prepared for a large group but they were very nice and apologetic for the slowness of service. It would have helped if they had more than one sandwich press.

This is an authentic Russian deli so the one thing this sandwich had going for it was the sauce. This was by far the best sauce I have ever had on any of my countless Reubens. However the meat was not up to the level of the sauce. It tasted like some prepackaged sliced meat from Oscar Mayer. Not what I would have expected from a deli. They are also not really equipped to make sandwiches efficiently. It takes awhile to get a sandwich here. I would say pass this place up if you want a Reuben, but If you are in the market for "fish Jelly" or "pickled apples" this is your place (I kid you not, they were selling this stuff).

The Reuben was average, the portions were small and not enough dressing or sauerkraut to my liking. There was not enough sitting room for our group. They did have a nice selection of various foods and deli items. The two ladies who served us were friendly and accommodating.

I thought this was quite a unique experience. We ate at a newly opened Russian deli, so while the service wasn't up to par, the place was at least interesting with the different types of food we noticed. I thought the Reuben had a great flavor that I haven't tasted before. The cheese and meat weren't your standard Reuben fare, and you could definitely taste the bold flavors. I wouldn't classify the bread as anything special and I think it brought the overall quality of the sandwich closer to what you might think is average. The service was atrocious. Even after Chris called and prepared them for our group, they still were extremely inefficient. It made me think of old Communist Russian grocery stores and pharmacies. I heard stories that if you needed aspirin, you had to go to one clerk to get a piece of paper, go to another to get it off the shelf, then go back to the original clerk to buy it. I think there was even a fourth step in there somewhere. I hope they iron out some of the kinks because it still was a great sandwich.

The Reubens at Slaviansky Bazar are delicious and certainly worth indulging in. Note, that seating is limited in this establishment, but there are several aisles to browse with Russian, Polish, etc., sweets, beer, magazines, and a whole host of other foodstuffs that aren't available elsewhere in Indy. There are also many sausages behind the deli counter available for purchase. Make a point to stop here!