Inside the corner of a tiny Houston strip mall, Pete’s Fine Meats & Deli sells a chopped brisket sandwich for $2.39. It beggars belief given the economy and what a chopped brisket sandwich usually costs. And yet, here it was at a little butcher shop at 5509 Richmond Ave.
The history of Pete’s stretches back nearly a century when George Duran opened a supermarket in Rosenberg in 1932, according to the Houston Chronicle. Duran hired Peter “Pete” Cruz, who went on to marry Duran’s daughter. Pete opened the Galleria-area butcher shop and deli in 1961, and it’s been in the family ever since.
I learned of Pete’s chopped brisket some time ago and made a note to try it out. The deli inside is a tightly packed corridor an old-timey
You can’t walk an inch without seeing some kind of promo advertising specials stuck to a wall or display case. The right side of the store has a selection of spices, seasoning and other goods. The center display counter has a variety of meats, from chicken to beef. And on the left side is the food counter where customers can buy food. Small wooden tables and chairs line up against the wall from the front door to that side of the store.
It’s all very old school.
Pete’s chopped brisket sandwich is around the same size of a McDonald’s cheeseburger. It’s simple: two white bread buns with a generous dollop of chopped brisket in between. Nothing more and nothing less.
Considering the price point, it’s a good-enough sandwich. It’s served warm in a foil wrap, and the bun isn’t wet or dried out. The chopped brisket is a little too finely chopped, almost to a point where I might call it minced. I didn’t mind too much considering it was probably done this way to hit that $2.39 mark.
I’d say Pete’s is a perfect grab-and-go item for folks either working in the Galleria area or on their way someplace else. Even better, you can build around it. Grab a bag of Joe’s Chips or maybe a sausage on a stick, and you can make it an easy, filling $10 lunch.
Heck, why not grab two sandwiches and call it a day?
