The Deli

At the risk of sounding contrarian, I have to say that I much prefer this place to Bottega del Vino. Friendliness goes a LONG way for me, and the servers at this little deli have it in spades; I frequently get less than a smile at the other place. I find the awesome rotating selection of salads make a perfect side to your at-​home dinner… or just get several and make that your whole meal!
The desserts are delish — my favourite is the gluten free banana and coconut cupcake.

In the olden days (okay, maybe just three years ago) I worked in Potts Point and made a habit of getting myself to The Deli at least once a week for lunch. It’s the tiniest of stores and it’s filled to the gills with all sorts of edible delights. A cabinet awaits, filled with home-​made salads, lasagne, frittatas, stuffed baguettes, gigantic rice paper rolls, cakes, turkish delight, chocolate — and their two fridges overflow with dips, soups, pates, terrines and ice creams that would be sure to get a five star review from any Parisian housewife. Everything is fresh and beautifully presented, and everything is ready to be taken home, or back to the office for lunch.
On most of those visits, I would come and get myself a container stuffed full of salad — perhaps the sweet roasted beetroot, the quinoa and tuna, the greek salad, or, my all-​time favourite: the fatuoush. I think The Deli was responsible for no less than 50% of my vegetable intake and 100% of my turkish delight intake, such was the lure of the delights there.
On a recent trip to Sydney I had the good fortune of having the time to get over here for lunch and I was pleased to discover that nothing had changed. With Christmas cakes and gingerbreads lining the windows and the fridges filled to bursting point, it was obvious that The Deli continues to be a local favourite.

Celebrating its 7^th year, it’s apparent that this small (but perfectly formed) deli really knows how to make the most of its compact package. (If only all those with this issue could do as well…)
Stuffed full with locally baked breads, dips, cakes and ice creams alongside the homemade cakes, tarts, soups, frittatas, macaroons and most notably, a rotating selection of beautiful salads, this closet-​sized Deli is a near daily stop for me. It’s generally a lunchtime must, but I’ve recently learned that they are open until 8:30pm on weeknights so a two-​a-​day is conceivable — proving to nonbelievers that real men *do* eat quiche at all hours of the day.
While they do have some pre-​packaged goods, you’ll want to go elsewhere for your cutesy-​wrapped, packaging-​focused grabbables as this is more of a stuff-​your-​face-​before-​you-​can-​even-​get-​home type of establishment. There’s just no room for cute when the delicious is this, well, delicious.

The Deli in Potts Point is all about sweet things. As far as being a delicatessen goes, they cannot really compete with Bottega Del Vino, however The Deli comes into it’s own with their selection of amazing cup cakes, slices of cakes and other dessertish delights.
It is extremely difficult to make a selection when confronted by the cake counter as they all look so amazing., My choice today was the cheesecake and a good choice it was, creamy, not too rich, just perfect.
Also they have a fantastic selection of gourmet ice creams including brands I have never seen before, one of the brands they stock is the divine Maggie Bear ice cream (possibly the best pre packed ice cream I have tried) and they have flavours, which are not available in supermarkets.
If you need that sugar fix, The Deli might be your solution.