Oak Street Deli
Royal Oak, Michigan, is home to so many gloriously vegan-friendly eateries. It’s no surprise we often find ourselves there happily munching on veg burgers at Ale Mary’s, cheesy pizza at Blaze, or savory crepes at Le Crepe. In our most recent trip to this Detroit suburb, however, we opted for lighter lunch fare, deli eats to be exact.
Oak House Deli, which opened its doors just months before Covid hit (about the same crumby timing that yours truly launched consulting services), originally offered a few vegan sandwiches. Much to our delight its vegan menu offerings have multiplied over the last year (now you’ll find almost a dozen different vegan subs and sammies!), putting it high on our list of must-try Royal Oak eateries.
Really, this vegan foodie couldn’t get there fast enough. There’s nothing quite like a well-made sub, both satiating and versatile. The crusty bread, crisp veg, and creamy sauce have all the hallmarks of a perfect working lunch, picnic, or laid-back dinner. While we routinely make them at home, we think there is an inherent truth in the assertion that when someone else is making the sandwiches, they always taste better! It also doesn’t hurt that Oak House Deli sources some of its plant-based meats from Unreal Deli, of Shark Tank fame.
So with vigor and the promise of a trained sub chef on the horizon, we headed to Oak House for a classic deli lunch. How pleasantly surprised were we to see that Oak House offers not only a range of vegan subs and sammies, but a smorgasbord of deli complements too. Vegan salads (like egg, potato, and pasta), soup (which changes daily), Great Lakes potato chips, and scads of vegan sweets transformed our simple sub order into a well-rounded meal to go!
We were so pumped for our carefully selected deli subs and sides, we sped walk to the closest bench to devour. (Oak House offers take-out only, but Royal Oak offers plenty of bench seating and parks for those, like us, who can’t wait to dive in.) What, you ask, was in our midday bench picnic?
Italian hoagie sub: Vegan capicola, pastrami, and pepperoni? Yes, please! Paired with provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, and Marzetti’s golden Italian dressing, this sub was our fav! This dynamic combo of salty meats and fresh veggie layers reminded us of long ago (pre-vegan) days when our go-to sub order was always the hot Italian! Even more thrilling? Oak House offers this tasty combination as a 3 foot party sub. Let the celebration begin!
Pizza sub: Loaded with sauce, vegan capicola and pepperoni, mozzarella, and parsley, served warm on a hoagie bun. For pepperoni-lovers, this sub offers lots of meaty pizza flavor in the convenience of a roll. We would add banana peppers if ordering again.
Reuben: Plant-based corned beef, sauerkraut, provolone, and Russian dressing stacked on marble rye bread. Thanks to its thick bread and generous filling, this tangy sammie was a beast to eat! Between the sour sauerkraut and horseradish-forward dressing, this sammie packs a lot of bite. Next time we’ll opt for its milder sister sandwich, the Turkey Rueben (which subs coleslaw in for kraut).
Potato salad: A creamy combo of red skins, mayo, Dijon, onion, dill and celery. This side proved to be perfectly dressed and very tasty. While we would have normally elected for coleslaw as a side, Oak House was out, so we stumbled into this charming second choice. Yum!
Thai Lentil soup: We lucked out on the vegan soup of the day! We love lentils and Thai spices, so this was a no brainer. Texture and taste were spot on, providing a colorful and tantalizing side for our sammies.
Revolution Gelato: A plant-based mini gelato pie made for the finishing touch on our picnic. This Atlanta-based company has been winning dessert awards for years, making it a must try (and a fun find) at Oak House Deli. It was no simple job selecting among the tempting flavors; ultimately, we landed on mocha madness. The gelato, nestled in a cookie crust, was as creamy and luxurious as any vegan ice cream we’ve tried. Even better? It’s a handheld pie, making it the perfect grab and go dessert!
Whether you are looking for a quick bite to go or planning your next party, check out the vegan eats at Oak House Deli! And tell them The Vegan Mary sent you!
