Nelson's Old Riverton Store Deli

The deli operates inside the Eisler Brothers main store space — under the same pressed-tin ceiling, surrounded by the same wooden shelving and general-merchandise displays, in the same building configuration that has served Riverton continuously since 1925. The integration of the deli into the broader store environment produces a dining experience unlike a standalone restaurant: visitors are eating sandwiches in a working general store with a century of continuous operational history.

The small tables inside the store accommodate eat-in dining for visitors wanting to sit and enjoy the meal in the historic setting. The seating is informal — the store is not configured as a restaurant primarily — and the volume of seating is limited. During busy periods, takeout may be the more practical option. The store's ambient atmosphere (other customers shopping, the staff working the counter, the general-store sounds and smells) is part of the experience rather than a distraction from it.

Takeout works equally well. The deli wraps sandwiches for transport, and travelers continuing west toward Brush Creek Bridge and Baxter Springs can take a sandwich on the road and eat at any of the appropriate stops along the way. The Brush Creek Bridge parking area or one of the rural pullouts along the historic alignment make pleasant rural lunch spots.

The sandwich menu is straightforward American deli fare executed with attention to ingredient quality. The bread is fresh and substantial; the deli meats are good-quality standard cuts (the operation doesn't specialize in artisanal charcuterie but executes the basics well); the cheeses, vegetables, and condiments are appropriate to the price point. Construction is competent and consistent.

Specific menu items rotate seasonally and with deli-staff changes, but a typical menu includes Italian-style submarine sandwiches, ham-and-cheese variations, turkey clubs, classic BLT, and house specialty sandwiches. Sides include chips, potato salad, coleslaw, and similar standards. Soup options expand during cooler months — chili, vegetable soup, and similar comfort options.

Prepared salads (chicken salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, potato salad, coleslaw, occasional fruit salad) provide alternatives to the sandwich menu and work well as either accompaniments or standalone lunches. Combined orders (sandwich plus side plus drink) bring the total into the $10-15 range — reasonable value for a Route 66 meal.

The deli operates within the broader Eisler Bros store hours (generally Monday-Saturday 7am-6pm and Sunday 8am-5pm), with sandwich service typically starting in the late morning and continuing through the afternoon. Specific sandwich-service hours can shift seasonally; arriving between 11am and 3pm is reliably within the active sandwich-service window.

Plan 30-60 minutes for an eat-in lunch including the time spent ordering, the meal itself, and the inevitable wandering around the store before or after. Takeout is faster (15-30 minutes typically), and combining the deli stop with the broader Eisler Bros visit (general store browsing, souvenir purchases, photographs) works well in either mode.

The Nelson's deli stop combines naturally with the full Kansas Route 66 itinerary — Cars on the Route in Galena (15 minutes east), the Brush Creek Rainbow Bridge (5-10 minutes west), Baxter Springs (another 10-15 minutes west). A full Kansas Route 66 day can comfortably include a Nelson's lunch in the middle, anchoring the day with a meal in the most historically significant building on the entire Kansas stretch.