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# Pastrami on Rye at Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen
- URL: https://onesandwich.com/berkeley-saul-s-restaurant-and-delicatessen-pastrami-on-rye/
- Published: 2026-10-06T23:10:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-06T23:10:55.000Z
- Description: Brined, spice-rubbed, smoked pastrami on warm rye. Sandwich Score 89, outstanding. At Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen, Berkeley.
- Author: Andrew Lekashman
- Tags: USA, California, #shop-sandwich, #auto-imported

A sandwich at [Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen](https://onesandwich.com/berkeley-saul-s-restaurant-and-delicatessen/), a deli in Berkeley, California.

Rye BreadMustardMayonnaiseTomatoLettucePastramiRye Bread

**89**

Sandwich Score  
out of 100 · outstanding

Outstanding, and the road to 90 is open.

A pastrami on rye with layers outside the form; six of six roles.

Balance

100

Harmony

100

Contrast

100

Structure

98

Focus

100

Composition

98

Quality

100

Envelope

93

More heat than 90% of the catalog.

Each bar is one pillar of the score, 0 to 100\. The tick marks what a sandwich at the summit needs; an amber bar is the one holding this sandwich back.

**warm rye**, toasted: brined, spice-rubbed, smoked pastrami; *lettuce*; *tomato*; *mayonnaise*; *mustard*.

In italics: what the name implies and the menu does not list.

Much of this build is inferred from the name; the score is a reading, and it stays out of Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen's typical score.

## Balance

salt1.8 · 82ndacid1.6 · 90thfat1.9 · 40thsweet0.2 · 24thumami1.7 · 61stheat0.7 · 90thbitter0.6 · 90th

__Flavor axes__
| Axis   | Value | Catalog percentile |
| ------ | ----- | ------------------ |
| salt   | 1.8   | 82nd               |
| acid   | 1.6   | 90th               |
| fat    | 1.9   | 40th               |
| sweet  | 0.2   | 24th               |
| umami  | 1.7   | 61st               |
| heat   | 0.7   | 90th               |
| bitter | 0.6   | 90th               |

**100** Balance, out of 100

The seven flavor axes of the whole sandwich, each summed across its layers. The shaded ring is the catalog's middle 80%; the small number under each axis is where this sandwich falls in the catalog. A shape that sits inside the ring is in the range most sandwiches live in; a spike past it is where this one stands apart.

## What each layer brings

| Layer                                                   | Role    | Flavor and texture                      | Points    |
| ------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | --------------------------------------- | --------- |
| warm ryescored as Rye Bread                             | bread   | bitter 2 soft crusty                    | the frame |
| brined, spice-rubbed, smoked pastramiscored as Pastrami | protein | salt 4 umami 4 fat 3 soft silky tender  | **+12**   |
| lettuce                                                 | texture | crunchy juicy fresh                     | **+1**    |
| tomato                                                  | texture | acid 3 umami 3 sweet 2 juicy soft fresh | **+1**    |
| mayonnaise                                              | sauce   | fat 5 acid 2 creamy saucy               | **0**     |
| mustard                                                 | sauce   | acid 3 salt 2 heat 2 saucy smooth       | **0**     |

Points: what the Sandwich Score would lose if that one layer were left out, everything else the same. A negative number means the sandwich scores higher without it. Flavor runs 0 to 5 on each axis.

## Pairings

- **Rye Bread + Pastrami**: pastrami on rye, the new york standard
- **Pastrami + Mustard**: deli law: sharp mustard against cured beef
- **Tomato + Mayonnaise**: summer tomato sandwich: acid on rich

## How to raise it

- Outstanding, not legendary: nothing on this sandwich is house-made, named or exceptional.

[All the sandwiches at Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen](https://onesandwich.com/berkeley-saul-s-restaurant-and-delicatessen/) · [The menu this was read from](https://www.saulsdeli.com/s/05-SANDWICH-gksw.pdf?ref=onesandwich.com) · [Build your own in the Sandwich Builder](https://onesandwich.com/builder/)

Menu read 2026-09; items and prices change. The score is the site's opinion of the recipe as listed, not a review of the shop; tiers and house-made marks follow the menu's own wording.