Eppy's Deli is like a Jewish mother's kitchen: dare to enter only if you're hungry. And like that kitchen, everything is homemade, from egg salad to cream cheese. The portions hark back to those of New York delis, with sandwiches too big to fit in an average-sized mouth. These "overstuffed" sandwiches (bursting with half a pound of meat) also come with a drink, potato chips, potato salad or macaroni salad, cole slaw and a pickle. Choose from bread, lettuce leaf (for low-carb slaves) or bagel, supplied by New York Bagel and Bialy.

Other menu options include salads, custom made from a variety of ingredients including cucumbers, jicama, walnuts and chick peas. For the coldest days of Chicago's winter months, Eppy's Deli offers "temperature soup": customers pay the temperature for a cup of soup. If it's 39 degrees outdoors, a cup of soup costs 39 cents. If it's negative three degrees, Eppy's will actually give customers three cents.

Desserts range from large cookies bearing frosted smiley faces to traditional Jewish recipes of mondel bread, ruggelah and noodle kugle. The early morning breakfast special (6-9:30 a.m.) is a perfect wake up call: a 12-ounce coffee with bagel and cream cheese for $2.39. Eppy's aims to please; for its student customer base, it offers a 10-percent discount with a student ID and free wi-fi. Catering and party trays are also available.

Centerstage Reviewer: Corrie Driebusch