All day long they stream in to this squat building on a desolate stretch of Bladensburg Road: women in broad-brimmed hats, construction workers, retirees, professionals with phones clipped to their belts. If you didn’t know that a pastrami or corned-beef sandwich could inspire such devotion, then you’ve never chowed down on these properly stacked creations, layered with good meats and slathered with spicy mustard. For a change of pace, there’s a milder but no-less-excellent Polish-ham sandwich.

Pickle jars, rainbow cookies, and other appurtenances of a classic deli are nowhere in evidence (the place doubles as a soul-food joint), but the sandwiches alone are enough to take you places—and to keep you coming back.

Open weekdays for breakfast and lunch.