Schilo’s is a German-influenced restaurant. The deli now has a bar serving beer and shots of the good stuff, but it’s famous for its root beer. Root beer is heavenly, like a sweet kiss for the tourist visiting San Antonio or the regular who considers it a home away from home. You can get it by the cup or bottle, or take home a six-pack or case, but not getting any is a borderline sin.

From the entrance, the nostalgia is not mistaken. After a few moves from its Beeville roots to the big city, Schilo’s has commanded the space at 424 E. Commerce downtown since 1942 in a River Walk-side building that had a former bank life; the vault has been transformed into a cold room. When I first visited San Antonio in 1997 to attend the Alamo Bowl, my first lunch was at Schilo’s and I walked out happy. Lunch on this tour was to dive into the 10-sandwich menu (or you have the option to make your own), and it was just as good.

They don’t bake their own bread or cure their own meats at Schilo, but they source quality produce. All sandwiches are served with scrambled fries, and most come with thick slices of ripened tomatoes and crispy lettuce.

Learn more at ExpressNews.com: Down on Grayson near the Pearl serves up a veggie sandwich that ranks among the best in San Antonio

Best sandwich: You’ll never go wrong with the Reuben ($13.25), a hot deli classic that deserves a place in the pantheon of sandwiches. It’s loaded with a good third of a pound of corned beef, tangy sauerkraut that pays homage to German roots, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on slightly nutty rye bread. All of these flavors, ranging from salty to sour, hit your taste buds, making this a signature San Antonio sandwich that must be experienced at least once in your life.

Other sandwiches: You also can’t go wrong with the fluffy buttery croissant sandwich ($9) with chicken or tuna salad. I opted for chicken, which was soft and tender. The generous portion, which seemed to be stacked with two scoops of ice cream, had the perfect ratio of mayonnaise to other ingredients to keep it from being too dry or too wet.

The clubhouse ($10.75) was another winner, loaded with enough well-brined turkey to feel like a Thanksgiving dinner. It comes with thick, smoky bacon and is served on your choice of white bread or toasted wheat; you can’t go wrong either. And just to be nice and convenient for such a stacked sandwich, it’s cut into wedges and held together with toothpicks, making it easier to eat.

Schilo’s also does justice to the BLT ($8.25), which is held together with those fresh veggies and what must have been at least four slices of that same thick smoked bacon. Perfect for children. Perfect for adults. It’s further testament to staying true to the classics.

But let’s talk about the Polish neighbor ($9.75) and why it needs to be reinvented in a restaurant that doesn’t like change. The sliced ​​sausage link was overly salty and was served on a twice the size hoagie roll with no condiments or extras. Eating it was sad. Photographing it was sadder, and it’s definitely something to avoid for Schilo’s experience.

But put just about anything else in front of me and pour me a cold mug of root beer, and I’ll show you proof that Schilo has the legs to stand the test of time.

Delicatessen Schilo, 424 E Commerce, 210-223-6692, schilos.com. Hours: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily

[email protected] | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver