Corky & Lenny's Deli Closes After 67 Years in Business

Lox, Onions and Eggs at Corky & Lenny’s Corky & Lenny’s , 27091 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere, 216-464-3838, corkyandlennys.com Dining at Corky and Lenny’s was like visiting an old friend. The Jewish deli had been chugging along since 1956, when it opened at Cedar Center. The most recent location at Village Square in Woodmere had been in business for 50 years. We lost founder Lenny Kaden earlier this year, and we lost the institution at the end of the year as Cleveland said goodbye to a 67-year institution. Credit: Photo by Doug Trattner

“It’s a sad day,” says Adam Siegel, effectively summing up the sentiments of generations of Clevelanders who grew up going to Corky & Lenny’s.

This morning, owner Kenny Kurland made the excruciating decision to not open the doors of his Woodmere deli, which debuted in 1973 – and that’s the NEW Corky & Lenny’s; the original opened at Cedar Center in 1956 and operated until the early 1990s.

“We’ve worked so hard post-pandemic to keep this ship afloat but unfortunately it’s time, I guess,” adds Siegel, who has been a daily presence at the restaurant for 26 years. He has colleagues who have worked there for 39 years, even 52 years.

The Jewish deli was founded by Lenny Kaden and Corky Kurland at a time when real-deal Jewish delis dotted the landscape. Those days, sadly, are behind us.

Demographics, diets and the restaurant world in general have made running a deli like Corky’s all but impossible. Attempts by owner Kenny Kurland to sell the aging behemoth have been unsuccessful.

“We’ve had people come in and look at it, but it’s such a unique thing,” Siegel explains. “It’s not a restaurant, it’s a deli. It’s old-school and it’s not normal, it’s special. It’s a special place because of the uniqueness of the food. It’s comfort food.”

Clevelanders have had it pretty good with respect to delis thanks to places like Jack’s, Davis Bakery, Slyman’s and Larder. But Corky & Lenny’s was that rare breed of place that qualifies both as a community mainstay and destination restaurant, bringing in fans from far and wide.

Seigel has been fielding calls all day from customers, who are understandably “heartbroken,” he says.

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