DELAWARE, Ohio — Rocky and I got together at COhatch Delaware last week for a business meeting, which took us through lunch. Being very hungry fellows, we took a walk out to one of downtown Delaware’s newest establishments, NYC Deli Mart.
Location
NYC Deli Mart is located at 38 S Sandusky St in Delaware. That’s on the west side of the street, half a block south of Amato’s Woodfired Pizza.
Atmosphere
NYC Deli Mart’s atmosphere is exactly what the name would suggest. It’s a large corner market type of store with a deli counter in the back. It seems like it’s meant to replicate the feel of a New York City bodega, though it’s not quite as cramped.
You’ll find a number of convenience items throughout, such as chips, candy bars, bottled drinks, canned soup, drink mixes, and cleaning supplies. Prices for many of these items are on the higher side, but that’s the price to be paid for convenience.
There’s also a large selection of weed accessories and decorations. If that’s your thing, you’ll find jars, air filters, grinders, scales, and pipes.
In the front of the store, there are two large tables, if you want to eat in.
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Menu
The menu at NYC Deli Mart is pretty extensive. I counted at least 50 different items listed. The menu is displayed on three TVs mounted above the deli counter. The display on each TV rotates independently, so it’s tough to see all the choices at any given point. There are salads, hot and cold subs, burgers, quesadillas, appetizers, desserts, and more. The menu has frequent misspellings, but not so severe that the meaning is lost.
One thing you won’t find on the menu at NYC Deli Mart is pork. There’s no ham. The Salami is 100% beef. The bacon is beef bacon. This isn’t a kosher deli though, rather, it holds to Halal-style standards. I’m no expert on Halal rules and preparation though, so I can’t speak to whether their meat suppliers strictly adhere to those rules.
Most of the deli meat in the case appeared to be from Boar’s Head.
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The Food
I ordered the $12 Hot Pastrami, which comes with Swiss cheese, fried onions and mustard on a sub bun. It was served in a foam takeout container, lined with deli paper. The meat was delicious, and everything went together nice. The sub bun was perfectly toasted, which gave a nice crunch to the overall sandwich.
Rocky ordered the ($10) Crispy Chicken Sandwich with bacon added and without chipotle sauce. At the time of ordering, there was some confusion about what was ordered, as the man taking his order kept repeating “Chicken Smack” back to him. The two sandwiches are very similar. Rocky says he had never had beef bacon before and said that it was ‘surprisingly delightful’ and very crispy. The sandwich was also served in a deli-paper lined takeout container.
We also ordered a side of fries to share. They were served in a round foil takeout container with a paper lid. The fries were fresh and crispy, but nothing that stands out.
The Wait
Looking around Delaware, Ohio groups on Facebook, we knew to come in expecting a long wait for food. When we arrived, we saw only a couple people ahead of us and assumed the internet was wrong. We assumed incorrectly. We didn’t run a timer, but from the time we ordered, it was probably around 10 minutes before we had our food in hand.
Conclusion
I think NYC Deli Mart is a unique addition to downtown Delaware, with a lot of potential. The food is wonderful, and worth the wait.
There’s also a lot of room for refinement. It seems clear that as of this writing, they are still refining their processes and menu. As time goes on, I hope to see wait times decrease.