Which Columbia deli came out on top of our sandwich shop poll? Here’s the winner
A longtime local sandwich shop with a couple of locations in the Midlands was voted the favorite in a recent poll of The State’s readers.
The newspaper ran the 2026 Sandwich Shop Poll on its website from Jan. 13 to Jan. 19, and it included 25 sandwich shops and delis from across the Columbia and Lexington areas. More than 8,300 votes were cast in the unscientific poll and, when the smoke cleared, No Name Deli came out on top with 36% of the vote. Groucho’s Deli was second with 26%, and Andy’s Deli finished third with 24%.
No Name Deli has a pair of locations in the Midlands: One that has been at 2042 Marion St. for four decades, and another that opened in 2024 on Forest Drive in Forest Acres. The longtime Marion Street No Name location will soon move to a new spot a few blocks away at 1301 Laurel St. A final date for the move to Laurel hasn’t been announced, but co-owner Jon Sears says mid-February is a possibility. The Marion Street location will remain open until the move happens.
Sears was tickled that readers voted No Name to the top of the recent sandwich shop poll.
“We appreciate it so much,” Sears told The State. “We’re very thankful to have the support of Columbia. We’ve been in Columbia almost 50 years and we hope to be here another 50.”
The menu at No Name Deli features a host of options, from chicken salad sandwiches to burgers to tuna melts to gyros to patty melts to club sandwiches and beyond. Sears said there are a number of popular selections on the roster, but the Reuben, in particular, is a top seller. That comes, of course, with corned beef and Swiss cheese on grilled rye bread with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing.
Aside from sandwiches, Sears also said No Name has a soup that is enduringly popular.
“The chicken, mushroom and rice soup on Wednesdays, that’s probably the biggest crowd pleaser,” Sears noted.
The Marion Street No Name Deli is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, while the Forest Acres location is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
