About Us

Our Story

Knuckles Deli was built the only way we know how—by two best friends who spent years grinding in other people’s kitchens, opening other people’s spots, and finally deciding it was time to put our own name on the door. We’ve opened a few places together before, but this one’s different. This one’s ours.

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We teamed up with our longtime friend David—a bar and restaurant consultant who knows this industry inside out. He believed in us enough to back the vision and get in the trenches with us. The three of us built Knuckles from the studs up, no shortcuts, no handouts—just sweat, busted knuckles, and a stubborn belief that Historic Columbia Tusculum deserved a sandwich shop that actually hits.

This isn’t some corporate concept cooked up in a boardroom. It’s a neighborhood joint with Chicago roots, Cincinnati heart, and friends who finally decided to bet it all on themselves.