San Rafael institution Perry's Deli reopens
It's likely that regular readers of a restaurant column have felt the strong sense of loss when a dependable outlet for culinary pleasure goes away for good. For those with some history in or around San Rafael, the potential 2020 end of Perry's Deli after a 62-year reign could have meant just that.
Instead, when the Schilling family decided it was time to step away from the centuryold downtown sandwich shop that patriarch Bob Schilling purchased in 1958, they approached Kaity and Roberto Galvez, owners of the fouryear-old LJ's Deli in Terra Linda, about taking it over. After an extended renovation and refresh, Perry's Deli is now open.
Like the Schillings, Kaity Galvez's family has deep San Rafael roots.
“I went to San Rafael High School with Bob Schilling's grandchildren, my parents went there with their parents and our grandparents also went there,” says Galvez, who is proud to carry on the legacy after Schilling died in 2021.
“He was an amazing force,” she adds about the mini deli empire Schilling created.
At one point, he had 16 stores, of which two remain, including one in Fairfax that's operated by his grandson. His daughter Teresa Schilling Barrett took over operations of the San Rafael shop in 1981.
Perry's fans will be pleased that the Pastrami Bomb and Perry's Ranch are still on the menu. Galvez also incorporates
a few favorites from LJ's that, when it originally opened in 1969, was called Sub Hut and is the birthplace of the Subhut Special, a stack of four meats and three cheeses with veggies, pickles and hot peppers.
For now, Perry's has eight signature lunch sandwiches
(or customize your own) all made on bread from Bordenave's
French Bread Bakery in San Rafael, four breakfast sandwiches and four salads (Caesar, Asian chicken, chicken cobb and a combo of house-made chicken and tuna salads).
When the team has more fully settled in, Galvez plans to expand the menu with seasonal items, mimosas on the back patio and more items
from local vendors. She mentions that beer is on order from nearby Pond Farm Brewing Co., and she intends to bring in the “addictive lemon drizzle” from San Rafael's Mill Valley Pasta Co. that she puts on the avocado toast at LJ's.
The interior overhaul that includes a brand-new kitchen was a two-year process.