Mati's Deli, a long-standing Dearborn staple, now up for sale
Mati’s Deli, a Monroe Street staple in west Dearborn for decades, is for sale.
The longtime deli, owned by Louis Weinstein, who died last summer, is known for its matzo ball soup and knish and many other menu items.
At 1842 Monroe between Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street, the art deco-style deli was a former gas station near the city’s historic district.
The asking price is $550,000, according to the listing at crexi.com. Inside the deli is nearly 1,000 square feet of space and the building sits on a 5,000- to 7,000-square-foot lot.
Weinstein’s children, Jerry and Brittany, reopened the deli after their father died, but both of them, Jerry Weinstein said, also have their careers.
More: Former Pasquale's to become a Big Boy Restaurant
Weinstein, 63, of Wyandotte, died on Aug. 1 in Gibsonburg, Ohio, at the White Star Quarry “while scuba diving — something that he loved,” according to a GoFundMe organized at the time to support the staff at Mati's Deli while the deli closed for bereavement.
“My dad never wanted us to run the deli permanently,” Jerry Weinstein said. “His hope was to sell it to a new family and have them take it to the next generation.”
While his dad loved what he did, Weinstein said, he was looking to retire.
“He was in his 60s and his other main love was boating and spending time with his family,” Weinstein said.
The deli did exist for several years before his dad bought it, Weinstein said, but the elder Weinstein put his spin on it and “took it to the next level.”
Its menu consists of classic deli sandwiches made on local baked bread, from sandwiches piled high with the Sy Ginsberg brand of corned beef to turkey breast and chicken salad. At Mati’s Deli, other local brands including Better Made potato chips and Topor’s pickles accompany sandwiches.
More: Buddy's Pizza set to open Canton carryout-only location Feb. 26
Many sandwiches have names, including Carol’s Temptation, Aaron’s Bite, the albacore tuna Goodbye Charlie and Brittany’s Ticket, a roast beef brisket and Uncle Loui’s BBQie — a roast beef sandwich.
“We are hoping to find somebody that will continue our dad's love of feeding the people of Dearborn,” Weinstein said. “He loved to feed people. It was his dream; it gave him passion and joy.”
Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mati's Deli, a Dearborn staple for decades, now up for sale
