Cornerstone

Tues & Thurs they have Buffalo Chicken cutlet! This is not advertised, people just know and show! The line is long, but moves fast. The Buffalo chicken is really delicious! Quality cutlet, not heavy, perfectly sauced, spicy but not out of control… my nose started to run a little…
I ordered a small buffalo chicken salad, which was less than $ 6, they take cards, and it was a good sized lunch!
I now have the internal battle… tell everyone about the wonderful Tues/​Thurs Buffalo chicken, OR keep it to myself.
I’ll tell everyone… I can’t keep a secret like this!

Easy place for lunch. The line moves quickly, so make sure you know what you want.

great value and quality. fresh bread with this simple sandwich shop. sometimes certain employees can’t get the order right but it’s still good. simple but done well

Best deli in Town. By far the best bang for your buck as well. You can get a full-​size grinder with chicken cutlets (they pile it on and the best chicken cutlet I have had in Hartford so far) chips and a drink and its only like 9 bucks. Worth the walk I work at Trumbull and Asylum streets so this is kind of a hike on a muggy summer day but so worth the walk. The line is always crazy long but it moves quickly and the inside could use a little touch up (I think they are in the process of doing this now). By far my favorite lunch spot for a sandwich in Hartford.

If you are around Hartford and want to have delicious luncheon with minimal price this is the place. I love their buffalo chicken sub, Ruben sandwich and eggplant Parmesan pasta. The staff is super friendly especially Sara! Thanks for providing us with great food.

A small update to note that they do take credit and debit cards (I noticed a review below that states that they are cash only — not true!). I still haven’t been here for breakfast but I do love finishing my afternoon walk with a great sandwich or salad with the fresh ingredients and super friendly service.

Great place for breakfast and lunch!!! Food quality/​selection is good, location great and plenty of room. Lunch time is very busy, however, the line moves fast. If you call ahead and order, you are all set, just skip the line. The owners are a definition of phenomenal customer service, which unfortunately is a lost art. You go there, you are treated like part of the family. If you are in town and want some breakfast or lunch, give it a try, you will not be disappointed. Someone mentioned they do not accept credit cards, FALSE. They do accept credit cards!

Best sub/​sandwich shop in downtown Hartford. Large, meat filled sub & chips for $ 7. Great prices, service, food quality. Get there before noon or after 1 to avoid the line. But well worth the wait
DAILY SPECIALS TOO!
I highly recommend the tortellini salad

This just isn’t Downtown’s best effort at a sandwich. Cornerstone’s enduring popularity has always baffled me. I think in some ways it might be tradition — Cornerstone predates most if not all of its rivals. Now, though, there are simply so many other places to grab a higher quality sandwich in Downtown Hartford, there’s no need to have Cornerstone in your rotation. I would order a sandwich or salad at Max Bibo’s, the Kitchen at Hartford Public Library, or New York Deli and Market ahead of Cornerstone. All are higher priced, but they also feature higher-​quality ingredients and cleaner stores.
Pros: large tables to sit at after ordering that feel, popular with locals, hot sandwiches (eggplant parm, chicken cutlet) in addition to cold cuts, convenient location.
Cons: cash only, long lines, limited hours, not Hartford’s cleanest establishment, lower quality ingredients than other local sandwich shops.

Perfect sandwich shop for lunch in downtown Hartford. This place is quick to grab a sandwich to go or to sit down and enjoy your food there. Typically during the lunch hours there is a line of people waiting for their sandwiches, it moves fast. Their cold cuts are all cut for each order.

Really good deli food, but the line was 20 people deep right at noon during the work week.

Buffalo chicken is the only reason to go– Not the cleanest watching liquid condensation roll of the glass into the food case once made me leave… You pay for what you get.

Great lunch place in Hartford — you know that it’s good because the line at lunch time is always long, but moves quickly. There are a ton of options, from hot and cold sandwiches, to wraps and salads.

1.) Just to warm you up:
Just like another place I’ve been wanting to go to, Corner Stone has very limited hours. I hate that. Finally, I was able to come here and try everything out.
2.) What your eyes may see (Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars):
a.) Location (5 out of 5):
Down town Hartford. Right across from the Hartford Library and museum, great place to pick up food before, during and after.
b.) Inside (4 out of 5):
It’s actually a pretty big place to sit and eat with a good amount of tables. It looks generally clean. They serve an assortment of chips and beverages.
3.) Food (Overall rating 4 out of 5 stars):
a.) Sandwich:
I ordered the 8″ Pastrami Sandwich with the works (L, T, O, P, Oil, Mayo). Delectable. Friggin awesome! You get a nice heaping portion of meat. I got it with a side of Deep River Sea Salt & Vinegar chips. A sandwich isn’t complete without its family — chips, his wife, and soda, his grown up son/​daughter. That’s what I like from an Italian deli. That’s Amore!
4.) Service (Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars):
a.) Speed (5 out of 5):
It was the afternoon rush. I managed to order my sandwich and had it ready in about 3 minutes.
b.) Staff (3 out of 5):
I guess I should give it the benefit of the doubt. There was a rush so some of the staff were trying to expedite the process of getting the food out to customers. One kinda gave me a little attitude, but the cashier was a sweetheart.
5.) Impressions:
I love my Italian deli sandwiches. My head is in Connecticut, but my soon to be clogged arteries and heart reside in New York. Come here if you’d like to Manja Manja Manja on a great pastrami sandwich. Next time I’ll be eating the othe raved about sandwiches. Massaging all those numbers from each component makes me rate them between a 4 or 5 stars. Unfortunately Unilocal doesn’t do .5 of a star, unless you’re looking at the overall distribution. This is my new before work sandwich place!

While starting a new job, in a new office, in a new neighborhood, has all the excitement of a carny at a world’s fair… it can sometimes be daunting when all your support places (i.e., coffee shop, lunch spot, dry cleaners, etc) are no longer anywhere close by. So, this past week I decided that any nice day out, I will try a new lunch spot now that I’m working right downtown.
After asking around the office, one name that kept being mentioned was the Cornerstone Deli. Never one to ignore good advice, I took the very multicultural 3-​block walk and found myself, even at almost 1pm facing a significant line… not the out the door and around the corner one I’d been warned about… but a solid 10 – 12 people ahead of me. Must be a good sign!
I went for their famous Chicken Cutlet sub… coming in at a whopping $ 5.75, and loaded with homemade cutlets di pollo (as in I watched the cook carry the piping-​hot cutlets out of the oven and up front. Excellent 8″ sub on fresh bread, with very thin, hand-​pounded cutlets of chicken. You can use your imagination from that point on by adding whatever condiments and/​or veggies and cheese you’d like.
I’ll definitely be making this walk again, and trying other delicacies off of Cornerstone’s blackboard of delight.

I am glad I finally made it to Cornerstone today! The quality of the food is great for the cost. The subs ran between $ 5 -$ 6 and the rolls were less. The staff was friendly and efficient. The line looked like it could take a while, but it moved very fast. I had the 8 inch turkey with lettuce, tomato, and mayonaise and enjoyed it. I had enough to share too!
If you are not within walking distance, be aware that parking is not the easiest. If I drove I may have given it less stars just for that, but since I walked I am confident giving it 5.

Friendly service, decent prices, good selection of food. I went here for breakfast and as my quick tip says the bacon, egg, and cheese on a hardroll are $ 3.25. I called ahead and ordered them and when I walked in the place it was much larger than I would’ve expected due to the small store front. There was a decent sized area of tables and chairs for you to eat at which is nice option for someone like me who lives downtown. I plan on eating here for lunch and expanding on my review, but for now I’ll be using them for breakfast since they make a better breakfast sandwich than Max Bibo.

Note: I’d probably give the place just 3 stars based on taste, but the prices are excellent for the quality of the food.
Cornerstone is one of those places that I would pass at least once a week and say «Hey, I should try it.» Over the past couple of months I have visited it 3 times, and am glad I did.
First, if you’re not familiar with the area, parking can be difficult. It’s all street parking and is near Hartford City Hall, the federal court and the library. So, the area is busy at all times, and it can be tough to find a close parking spot.
Second, if you go around lunch time the line is long. Not just «maybe this will be a few minutes» long, but «wrapping around the interior, will I ever get my food» long. Don’t be alarmed — the line actually moves quickly. I’ve been in a line that goes all the way around the interior of the place, and been in and out in about 10 – 15 minutes. They are actually very quick with making sandwiches and getting the food.
Now, the food — I’ve tried the chicken cutlet sandwich, the eggplant parm, and the chicken salad. All were very good and tasted fresh. The eggplant and chicken were seasoned nicely. For size, you can choose either a sandwich (hard roll-​size) or an 8 inch sub. Pricing runs less than $ 5 for a sandwich, and $ 5 – 6 for the subs.
If I were comparing sandwich spots, I would put Franklin Giant Grinder and Maple Ave. Giant Grinder above Cornerstone. However, I would put Cornerstone on par with Max Bibo, and above Max Bibo when it comes to price.
Overall it’s a solid lunch option if you are in the area.

Awesome lunch spot and very reasonably priced ! Great food and great service — great alternative to the chains nearby. I’m a big fan of the crab/​seafood sandwiches. But the standard Deli sandwiches are good as well.
It does get busy so you probably want to get there around 11:30 or earlier. The lines get long (good sign).

This deli is pretty popular. It’s always packed around lunchtime. It’s best to show up before 11:30am or expect to spend most of your lunch hour waiting in line. Don’t go late or all the good stuff will be gone!
The popularity is justifiable. Service is friendly and their sandwiches are great. I’m a big fan of their chicken cuttlet and their roast beef. But it’s their buffalo chicken on Thursdays that most of my coworkers go crazy for. Highly recommended if you work in downtown Hartford.