Ray and Mike’s Dairy & Deli

Only thing I get is the cheesesteak. Other stuff isn’t that good but the cheesesteak is great.

You can never be sure how good a place is before you get there… Unilocal can be wrong, other sites can be wrong, but you know WHO is almost never wrong? Cops… cops and firemen and security guards. In my life I have never, EVER been steered in the wrong direction by a cop telling me where to go eat… and the day I found this place was no exception.
My daughter and I pulled up to the Quinnipiac University guard booth and the guy in there (a retired cop we discovered) engaged us in a little conversation… leading to his question — Where are you going to eat? I told him… and he shook his head no… and says «listen, you look like you know a good sandwich…,» which made my daughter laugh a little, «You need to go try out Ray and Mike’s.» Me being the Jersey snob when it comes to sandwiches (and pizza and chinese food, and bagels, and… well you get the point) turned to my daughter as we’re driving away and said, «come on, how good can this be?»
Silly Steve… did you not forget the rule about Cops and their food knowledge!!! Boy was I in for a bit of an «I told you so». I’m a big fan of a good Sub (hoagie, grinder, hero, etc), but I’m also pretty picky. Freshly sliced meat, lettuce, onion, oil, vinegar, balsamic, salt, pepper, oregeno, and maybe some hot peppers or tomatoes on a fresh long roll. If you’ve ever gotten one in a NJ or NY deli, you KNOW what I’m talking about.
What could they know about a good sub in Hamden, Connecticut?!? Stupid question Steve… this place ISN’T that far from NJ/​NY and CLEARLY they know what they are doing here. This place was great! You walk in and order your sandwich (place seems like it is always packed as there was a steady stream of people), they call you up to order, then you go to the other side to pay (reminded me of the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld… just without the chance of losing out on a great sandwich).
Anyway, my daughter got her «most boring sandwich in America» (turkey, American, and lettuce on a round Kaiser Roll) and I got their Italian — and asked for the works. Glad the guy asked me to specify ‘the works’…I mentioned everything above and he says «so, no olives, hot peppers, roasted peppers, mayo, or mustard?» Yeah, that’s not part of the works anywhere I go, so I asked him to add some hot peppers. Still a little skeptical once I got into the car, that skepticism disappeared when I took the first bite! Listen… you don’t get a body like this by eating a lot of salads and tofu… I KNOW a good sammich… and Ray and Mike’s knows how to make a great sammich!
I’m hoping (for my daughter’s sake and the sake of my taste buds) that I am up at Quinnipiac again sometime this fall… I really want to go here again and try out another sandwich… maybe a hot one next time?!? Don’t ever forget — you want a great place to go eat??? Ask a Cop or Fireman… they won’t steer you in the wrong direction.

Ray & Mike’s is an extremely solid quick lunch option for Quinnipiac students or local residents of the Hamden area.
Being a deli they, of course, specialize in hot or cold sandwiches and subs. They have all the basics and several specialty subs.
The best of the lot and the only thing I will get from this point forward is the Blue Dream. This sub truly is a dream.
It consists of a cheese steak, bacon, blue cheese and buffalo sauce. Need I say more? The combination of flavors and textures is beyond compare. I think this is the best thing on their menu and is a must try if you like variations on the basic cheese steak which, by the way, is a pretty strong sandwich on its own.
The bread used for the subs is both soft and slightly crusty. For a cheese steak, or any other sub it is the perfect ratio of softness to crustiness.
The guys there are extremely fast and if you call ahead your order is ready for you to grab right away. Just look for your check with your name on it.
I’m pretty sure whatever type of sub you choose to order here will be a winner. They’re that good.

As always, awesome steak bomb sandwich. Well worth the wait for their sandwiches. 4 people behind the counter just banging out the food. Awesome job.