A glimpse inside iconic Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli during a weekday lunch rush is to witness the intersection of Chicago's past and present. Chicagoans of all ages, shapes and incomes line up for corned beef sliced and piled high on rye by grizzled deli lifers, soups and hot entrees in metal steam tables, and settle in at formica tables under a fluorescent hue at the old-school kosher-style cafeteria that opened in 1942.
Chicago may not have as many delis and diners as it used to. But the iconic Manny's is alive and well, as the scene on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. shows.