There are sandwiches you eat because you’re hungry.
And then there are sandwiches that somehow become part of the road trip.
Kauffman’s Market, along Highway 82, falls very firmly into that second category.
Calling it just another "grocery store" would be a travesty. Kauffman’s is part country market, part bakery, part deli, part treasure hunt, and exactly the kind of Oregon stop where you walk in thinking you’ll grab lunch and walk out carrying bread, pie, jam, baking supplies and something you absolutely did not know you needed ten minutes earlier.
But let’s be clear.
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The sandwiches are the reason you need to come hungry.
The Turkey Sandwich Is the One We’d Tell You to Start With
There’s nothing particularly complicated about a great turkey sandwich.
That’s also why so many places manage to get it wrong.
At Kauffman’s, the difference is obvious almost immediately. This isn’t a sad pile of paper-thin processed turkey hiding beneath lettuce and mayonnaise.
The turkey is hearty and fresh, the bread actually tastes like bread, and the whole thing has that homemade quality that is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
You fill out your sandwich order and customize it the way you want it, which is dangerous if you’re hungry because suddenly every topping sounds necessary.
Then the sandwich arrives looking considerably more serious than the average roadside lunch.
It’s the perfect thickness. It’s satisfying. It’s not pretending to be fancy.
And that is precisely why it works.
There’s also a house-spread sauce situation here that has developed a bit of a reputation among people who stop in. We won’t attempt to reverse engineer it. Some mysteries are better left alone.
Just put it on the sandwich.
Trust us.
This Is Not a Place You Rush Through
Part of what we love about Kauffman’s is that it feels almost completely removed from the modern grab-it-and-go food experience.
You don’t shop through an app.
Nobody's trying to sell you a subscription.
There isn’t a giant glowing menu board screaming at you from above the counter.
You order your food, look around, talk to actual human beings and inevitably start wandering through the store while you wait.
That wandering is where Kauffman’s gets dangerous.
There are shelves loaded with jams, jellies, local honey, pickles, spices, baking ingredients, sauces, teas and pantry items you won’t necessarily find in your neighborhood supermarket.
There's books, artisan goods, curated holiday spreads, handmade furniture, and gift ideas.
Then there are the baked goods.
Oh boy. Now we're in trouble.
Do NOT Ignore the Bakery Case
You could make a respectable argument that going to Kauffman’s for nothing but baked goods would still be worth the stop.
The cinnamon rolls have developed their own following, and once that smell starts floating around the market, your carefully planned “I’m just getting a sandwich” strategy begins to collapse.
There are cookies, breads and pies, too.
The marionberry offerings are exactly the sort of thing we can never seem to leave alone because apparently being lifelong Oregonians means we're legally obligated to investigate anything involving marionberries.
We don’t make the rules.
If there’s fresh pie available when you visit, at least consider grabbing some for later. In fact, one of their recent social media posts included...ahem...HUCKLEBERRY CREAM PIE.
Actually, forget “later.”
Eat it in the car.
We’re not judging you.
Soup Weather Might Be the Best Time to Visit
There’s something about northeastern Oregon when the temperature drops that makes homemade soup feel less like lunch and more like a survival strategy.
Kauffman’s serves soups alongside its sandwiches, and pairing the two is probably the move if you arrive on a cold fall or winter day.
The soup selection can vary, which is part of the charm.
You’re not walking into a national chain where the exact same bowl has been engineered to taste identical in 400 different locations.
This feels like food made for the people who are actually walking through the door that day.
Add fresh bread and a big deli sandwich and suddenly that quick lunch stop has become one of the highlights of the drive.
Then There's the Produce
Kauffman’s also has something that immediately separates it from the average roadside deli: seasonal produce.
When local fruits and vegetables are at their best, the market becomes even more fun to browse.
Eastern Oregon doesn’t always get the agricultural attention that the Willamette Valley receives, but this part of the state has some fantastic growing areas tucked into its valleys.
Nearby Cove, for example, has been known for fruit production for generations, particularly cherries and peaches.
When good seasonal fruit is available, grab some.
A ripe peach and a homemade cinnamon roll sitting next to you in the car is about as sophisticated as our road-trip snack strategy gets.
Why Kauffman’s Market Feels Different
Oregon has no shortage of great restaurants.
What’s harder to find are places that still feel completely tied to the community around them.
Kauffman’s has that feeling.
It’s simple.
It’s friendly.
It's family-owned and operated.
There are shelves full of actual cooking ingredients.
The sandwiches feel homemade because they essentially are.
You’ll see locals coming in for groceries while travelers are discovering the place for the first time.
And even when it’s busy, there’s a warmth to the place that makes you want to stick around for a few extra minutes.
That matters.
Some of our favorite Oregon food stops aren’t the ones with elaborate dining rooms or giant marketing budgets. They’re the little places you tell somebody about afterward.
“Hey, when you’re near La Grande, you seriously need to stop here.”
Kauffman’s is one of those places.
Make Kauffman’s Part of a Bigger La Grande Road Trip
One of the biggest mistakes people make with northeastern Oregon is treating it like something they need to race through.
Don’t.
La Grande sits in the beautiful Grande Ronde Valley and makes an excellent base for exploring a huge chunk of Eastern Oregon.
Our complete guide to La Grande has more places to eat, stay and explore around town, including other local favorites worth adding to your trip. Go stay and take a soak while you check out the wild, haunted history at the famous Hot Lake Hotel. Then there's Baker City with its rich mining backstory and old-town charm.
If you’re continuing east, Highway 82 eventually carries you toward Elgin, Enterprise, Joseph and Wallowa Lake.
That's seriously one spectacular drive.
At Wallowa Lake, you can even ride the Wallowa Lake Tramway to more than 8,000 feet above sea level, where the views over the Wallowa Mountains are absolutely ridiculous.
And if you have several days to play with, keep going.
Our Hells Canyon Adventure Guide can help you explore one of the wildest landscapes in the state, while our deeper look at the history of Hells Canyon explains why this enormous gorge is far more than just another scenic viewpoint.
That’s the beauty of stopping at Kauffman’s.
Lunch can very easily become the beginning of an entire northeastern Oregon adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kauffman’s Market
Where is Kauffman’s Market in Oregon?
Kauffman’s Market is at 10214 Highway 82 in La Grande, Oregon, in Union County. It sits along the route leading from La Grande toward Island City and the Wallowa Valley.
What is Kauffman’s Market known for?
Kauffman’s is particularly known for its made-to-order deli sandwiches, fresh bread, homemade baked goods, soups, pies, seasonal produce and specialty grocery items.
Does Kauffman’s Market serve lunch?
Yes. The market has a deli serving customizable sandwiches along with homemade soups and other foods.
What sandwich should I get at Kauffman’s Market?
We’d start with the turkey. The freshly carved meat, homemade-style bread and customizable toppings are a big part of what has made the deli such a local favorite.
Is Kauffman’s Market worth stopping at on the way to Wallowa Lake?
Absolutely. Highway 82 is the primary corridor from La Grande toward Elgin, Enterprise, Joseph and Wallowa Lake, making Kauffman’s an easy food stop near the beginning of an Eastern Oregon road trip.
One More Reason to Slow Down in Eastern Oregon
There are places in Oregon where the attraction is obvious from half a mile away.
Kauffman’s isn’t one of them.
That’s part of why we like it.
It’s a modest country market sitting along Highway 82 that happens to make a seriously good sandwich, bake things that destroy your self-control, and stock enough interesting food to turn a ten-minute stop into an hour.
Those are exactly the kinds of places we love finding.
So next time you’re rolling through La Grande on your way toward the Wallowas, don’t just fill the gas tank and keep driving.
Pull over.
Order the turkey.
Get the spread.
And for the love of all things holy, leave room for the cinnamon roll.
More Oregon to Love
Turn lunch into a full road trip with our La Grande travel guide, browse the statewide Oregon Hiking Guide for trails along your route, or see what’s happening during your trip in our new Oregon Events Calendar.
Because the best Oregon road trips rarely involve just one stop.
All The Details
Address: 10214 OR-82, La Grande, OR 97850
Phone: 541-663-8404
Hours: Tues-Fri: 9am-5pm, Sat: 9am-4pm, Sun-Mon: CLOSED
Web and Social: Facebook
