Chiaramonte’s Deli & Sausages

The sausage sandwich is Ok it’s a good sandwich but forgettable. The price is good but the food doesn’t really pack a punch
I’ll get the Extra hot next time and hope that one will be better. Decent spot I really can’t bash it

This place has the best sandwiches in town and the people that work there are always happy and courteous with a smile and are always glad to help you and is lady there name Charlene that always no matter what greet you with a smile

The best place for Italian sausage sandwiches. I get the garlic sausage double deal and I’m never disappointed. The sandwich does get soggy over time so it’s best eaten right away. It’s the best $ 10 sandwich money can buy!

Decent little family style deli near downtown. They make their own sausage among other things, some cool historic relics and photos decorate the walls.
The sandwiches I have had are pretty good and decently priced.
Nothing to rave about but a decent spot all around.

The food is just as good as the service. Excellent!

Great service great sandwiches home made raviolis and Italian sausage. Defiantly stepping back in to time in this deli.

Here’s another big find. And it’s not on the way to anywhere, you need to plan it out. Just do it, plan it out already.
Chiaramonte’s is a 1908 Italian deli and market in an old neighborhood that could be either charming or decrepit. It ended up on the decrepit end, so a stroll along 13^th Street will not remind you of Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos. It’s not unsafe, though; it’s just more likely that the residents get their income from the County Social Services than from North First Street.
Inside, it’s living history. It was family owned and operated then, and I think that same family might own and operate it now. The building, erected in 1930, has seen only the required upgrades, and still has the character of that era. Same shelving, and on top of the shelving sits equipment that the restaurant used more than 50 years ago. They have a one-​page menu in a stand-​up holder on the glass meat container, and you order from that. It’s a deli, and you can also buy meats, spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, and wine for your supper. A cross-​section of the community comes in to either eat or take out; most I saw took out.
Now, when I think «Italian food», I think pizza. And Chiaramonte’s is not a pizza place. They sell sandwiches. I ordered Grandma’s Italian Meatball sandwich. I expected many meat balls, and I did not get it. The picture shows what I did get: a slab of Italian-​spiced beef on a sourdough roll, with parmesan cheese on top That sandwich was one of the best I’ve had, and it alone bumped my rating from four stars to five.
Good for a quick lunch, an eatin’ place if your kids are at the nearby park, a date place, or the next caterers for your parte (the Italiano spelling of «party»). With tasty, memorable food to boot. Make the effort, eat here!

I just happened to be on the block running an errand and really wanted a Reuben sandwich. This is somewhat of a little hidden spot on a mostly busy street in the east downtown area. The building is small, but clean, and there is a handful of tables for those wanting to dine-​in. The butcher style window separates the eating section and the back of the store, with a grocery area to the left. They have a small selection of Italian meats, sausages and cheese behind the glass. I’m assuming all of it is used for the menu and can be purchased on their own.
On the scorching hot day, I was a little disappointed to come in and feel the hot air being blown around. I was kind of hoping for an escape into an air conditioned business. Oh well, it’s an older building so I can understand the old school fan. I can’t comment too much on the service, but from what I could tell, the young guys running the show know what they are doing.
My Reuben on Sourdough was decent, but they get minus points for the skimpy thousand island spread that soaked into the bread. Luckily I had a bottle in my refrigerator to use at my leisure. Second sandwich was turkey and bacon. Good sandwich overall. Third item was a French Dip. I took a bite just so I could have an opinion. The person who ordered it was happy with it. I’m not a very big fan of dipping a sandwich in broth, but hey more power to those that do. A big plus+ for serving all of our sandwiches on soft, fresh sandwich rolls. They have a wide assortment of sodas, juices, and beer to grab and go (lo) and a BBQ out front to cook/​warm their meats. Not a bad idea.
Our party of 3 ordered to-​go so we quickly made our minds up and skedaddled. While I was waiting for my food I browsed around. I dig how this grocery/​deli caters to the Italian style, food loving customer. They have a little bit of everything you would need for a beautiful Italian style dinner. They even go so far as to carry a couple of Chianti wines and had my favorite red, Malbec.
Their frozen selections include ravioli, meatballs, minestrone soup and clam chowder. What’s going to bring me back is the grocery items. I really want to try their wine and cheese sausage and their hot and extra hot Italian sausages for my next pot of homemade spaghetti. I may even grab a package of the gnocchi they sell. Nice to know I can count on a local deli to offer up a little bit of Italy in San Jose.

We’ve been to Chiaramonte’s a couple times now and we LOVE their sandwiches.
The size is quite large and the meat selection is fairly good. That being said the service is really really slow. Nothing against the servers — but I’m used to Willow Glen Meats, so when no one else is in the store and it takes 15 minutes to make a sandwich, I’m a little bummed.
I also like their selection of Italian soda’s, so it’s really a treat to drop in and pick up a peach fizzy drink.
I’ll definitely come back again, because I love supporting mom and pop businesses, but they could really do with a server overhaul. No one likes staff changes, but sometimes it’s what makes or breaks a store.

Stopped here for lunch with my fiancé. We both shared a double sausage sandwich (opt for the hot and garlic sausages) with everything (onions and peppers) and provolone cheese added; and their beef ravioli.
I was unimpressed with their ravioli. The portion felt skimpy. The sauce was… eh. It didn’t blow my mind and the accompany salad was a bit pathetic.
The sausage sandwich was on point though. I would return… but only for their sandwiches.

Pretty disappointed with the sandwich– dry bread, slimy turkey, the «avocado» was maybe pre-​packaged Guacamole. After the sandwich was made, it looked really good, but it was just an optical illusion. Verrrrrry subpar.

Friends and I would come here occasionally for a yummy hot sandwich. I normally order the hot pastrami sandwich which is really good. It’s been awhile since I’ve been here and today I opted for a cold turkey avocado sandwich on white bread with all the fixings. Unfortunately, nothing stood out. The sandwich didn’t have any much or any flavors… Towards the middle of the sandwich, I bit into what was some frozen avocado!!! :(disappointing. I wished they had out fresh sliced avocados instead.

This deli is a piece of San Jose history having been around for more than a century.
The food is surprisingly good. I’ve eaten here several times and am always pleased. The sandwiches are large, tasty and inexpensive and the pasta plates are very good.
I especially like the ravioli and the Italian sausage. They make their own Italian sausage here which is very lean and delicious; I highly recommend eating it here or buying a couple of pounds to cook at home.
From my experience, it seems as if you can’t go wrong eating here. Lou, the owner, is very personable and chatty. I absolutely love this deli!

Time: 1:02pm/66°F mostly sunny
Purpose: Came by here after wrapping things with client nearby. Previously I had a recommendation to meet with Lou the owner here but, didn’t have that opportunity till today.
Ambiance: Old school Italian style deli with gadgets that we normally don’t use in this day of age. Sidewalk seating with two plastic tables with matching chairs, one table with umbrella along with gas range griller. Inside 5 – 6 tables with one oval communal. All condiments and menu held up by receipt stand. Cold deli case, vintage wooden fridge (display purposes only), 4 door cold beverages fridge, 2 door freezer (currently out), 8 door old school vintage fridge for show only, horseshoe counter, shelf wall fill with grocery goods, couple of chips/​snacks racks, Nestlè ice cream freeze. Behind counter chopping block, butcher paper dispenser, butchers equipments, prep area, slicing/​dicing. Lots and lots of old antique/​vintages gadgets of its days. Even a kid’s tricycle was in working order on display. Old b/​w pictures of the owners family hung up high and proud.
Staff: Lou and a worker could be family member for all I know were the only daily runners for this business. Mellow friendly guy with no non sense demeanor. He knows when its time to crack a joke and when its time to meet demands of the customers. Every now and then when there’s a slow down Lou would come out for a break say hi to by passers.
Cleanliness: Grade A, pretty much clean for its old school/​old world deli with non of the latest fancy smancy gadgets. I couldn’t find anything to say here, its just clean enough.
Eats/​Drinks: Chicken sausage on sourdough roll $ 6.99 tax included and a bottle of Snapple $ 1.89. Sausage was hot to the bite with oozing marinara compliments the sourdough roll. The steamed peppers and onions made it more of that pungent zingy taste. I really like the sausage as it made in house with no artificial ingredients. You won’t taste sodium nitrate on any of their links/​sausages. I made a mistake of forgetting to ask them grill my roll and splash on some olive oil. No fault of them just me on this on this minor issue.
Products/​Services: Hot plates, hot single serve items, house made soup, garlic bread, meatball, links, cold cut cured meats, marinara sauce, salad, tiramisu, party trays, cold/​hot, vegetarian 3 cheese combos, sandwiches, sodas, grocery DIY, pasta, cheese, meat, house made marinara, Portuguese smoked sausage, grandma’s meatball. Extra cheese is $.80/​2 slices. Occasionally BBQ setting on sidewalk/​special events. Catering available must be 24/​hr notice.
Punch Lines: Old school/​old world service, nostalgia, family run, charming, can do attitude, worth the wait, wait time exceeds 10 mins, casual and delicious, can’t go wrong, calm vibe, budget friendly, drool-​worthy, vintage/​antique equipments-​toys, neighborhood deli, easy street parking, solid wooden doors and counter, no frills, grocery, imported goods, house made marinara/​sausages, limited dessert options, Unilocal letter posted, tax are included with prices.
Tradeoffs: Why go to subway or quizno for meatball sando when you can get an authentic original receipe sando for extra $ 1.59 more? Here its made with love, not that corporate bulk food buying power locking up prices with vendors.
Final Thoughts: I’m not saying I’m a pro or novice when it comes to Italian food but, I just know the difference. Growing up in North Beach/​Chinatown area has change the standard for me. In the early years I thought Sbarro and Panda Express was the *hit. I’ll admit, I was wrong eating Americanized Chinese and Italian food made me so sick and tired. Then when I hit about mid 20s I developed a taste for the better, since then never look back. Lou, thumbs up for you and your nostalgia deli, ever lasting memories.

Family-​owned and being around since the early 1900’s, that’s something to be proud of. Surely their sausages live up to the hype?
For myself and a colleague, it was certainly edible, but also falls into the average category. The sausages weren’t warm when we received them and the bread, though fresh, wasn’t toasted, just simply sliced with a layer of sauce on it.
Certainly worth a stop if you’re nearby and want something simple and affordable. Just don’t expect anything more than that.

What a gem in a place you’ll not expected.
I discovered this wonderful place on my daily trips to visit my father in law in a rehab place on the same street. As I was taking my mother in law to see her husband, I always passed by big sign on a sidewalk «Italian sausages sandwiches».
OMG, I did not had good Italian sausage sandwich for years, since I retiered from driving a limousine in NYC and moved to the Bay Area. Unlike the hospital «San Jose Healthcare & Wellness Center» does not have cafeteria to buy lunch. So one day I finally stoped at this delli to p/​u lunch. Yes, you have to wait a little because the are busy and they do it all sandwiches while you wait. But I’ll tell you: «it was worthwhile to wait» and the price is unbelievable for this part of California (sandwich for under $ 6)! After that I stoped there almost every day untill my dad in law was released home. Now I’m looking for good excuse to go there again. But from Redwood City is little bit of ride…

If you love sausage and find yourself on 13^th Street in San Jose, don’t skip Charamonte’s Deli. As expected, the sausage is excellent and the sourdough bread must have been made in heaven. I ordered the original hot sausage sandwich and it was love at first bite.
Pros: they take American Express and Discover Card too. I like to rake up points. Oh, they also have scoops of potato salad or macaroni salad for 99 cents.
Cons: it could be a long wait if you don’t call ahead or go during non peak times. I came today at 1pm on a Saturday and it was easy.
Overall, don’t pass this place. If you do, you will probably regret it and the sausage police will ticket you for wreckless behavior.

I’m not really sure what all the fuss is about… There was absolutely nothing that stood out to me. The sausage lacked any distinctive taste. The bread was not outstanding and neither were any of the other ingredients. This place looks like it has a ton of history, maybe one of the first few places in San Jose. But I can’t see anything special about the food here. Further more, it took quite a while to get my sandwich. I do wish them success, and I will give this place another shot, but at the moment I can’t see anything worth raving about.

Pastrami is good. Sausage is good too. I had the spicy sausage with pasta, and the sauce was too salty for me. Also, it tasted like it was microwaved, because some part was still cold and some spot was hot. I will come back, but probably just to buy the sausage to make my own pasta dish, and for the pastrami.

Yes Im a FAN for sure! hole in the wall place but those are always the best!
Upon arrival, i ordered the special which was chicken breast sandwich for 6.99 =)
Speaking to the cashier Lou, he seems to be the owner of this place and this guy is the most sweetest person ever! Speaking to him about trying to eat a sandwich before going to the dentist and getting a tooth pulled, he says well «ill say a prayer for you» that automatically brightened my day knowing that there are still good people out there who dont just look at you as just some regular customer but more part of the community.
The meats are fresh, the bread is pretty good, and they also have old school bottled sodas.