Gambier Deli

Turkey BLT 5 stars. Customer service? Not so many. My wife asked if she could augment her fruit plate with some yogurt from the market next door (no yogurt on the menu). Offered to consume outside. Counter person and probable co-​owner says, «No. We don’t do that HERE (emphasis mine).» Accentuating that we, the obvious out-​of-​owners in this lovely quaint without a stoplight town, were so out of line. Okay. Fine. We get it. That’s why we asked. But Mr Counterman did you really need to follow that up with «Please!» And not «please?» But «please» as in «please [how freakin stupid are you?]!

If you don’t have a family member attending (or thinking about attending) Kenyon College, you might not have occasion to travel through Gambier, OH. But if you are anywhere in the neighborhood, (i.e. within 20 miles) I’d encourage you to make the trip. We’ve eaten here a few times, and it’s always good, but the breakfast the other day was just PERFECT. Maybe it was seeing our son again, maybe we were just famished, but the eggs and bacon were about the best I’ve tasted. And the toast is (I think) homemade bread. And the bacon! My husband and I spent our wedding night decades ago at the Pierre Hotel in NYC and the breakfast the next morning included the best bacon I’ve ever tasted in my life (again, timing is everything) and that’s what the bacon at the Gambier Deli reminded me of. The owner takes your order with great gravitas, asking a lot of questions about how you want your food prepared, and the directness was a little startling, but he wants to make sure you get what you want. They have every possible inclusion for omelettes, and the coffee was outstanding – although the cups are somewhat small and you have to go back up to the counter to ask for a refill, which could be intimidating if there is a long line at the counter. I get it though – can you imagine how much free coffee would be consumed at a college campus?
The food is a big cut above deli food – with gluten free options, interesting cheeses and an array of fine coffee choices, and after speaking with the owner for a bit, it’s clear that this family business is a pride and joy – they go to food shows and really develop the menu way beyond ‘ham and cheese on rye’ with everything fresh, fresh, fresh. And have I mentioned the bacon?

Great food when they’re open their hours can be somewhat unpredictable. A sandwich and a beverage type of place. Service is at the counter and you carry to your table. Very limited seating inside particularly if it is between classes and a lot of college students are there. The wait to place your order can be quite lengthy at those times.

I had never been to Kenyon College and stopped at this deli for breakfast on my way out of town after visiting for Pelotonia. The bagel sandwich was excellent, everything was very fresh and simple. They even have gluten free bagels and bread! I had a toasted gluten free bagel with eggs and muenster cheese, and some crisp bacon on the side. I already had coffee from my hotel, but the drink specials sounded delicious too. They had a full selection of café choices for coffee lovers. Cute place!

Food tastes ok, although they are stingy with the toppings. There is no way a veggie sandwich with a few spinach leaves and smattering of a couple other toppings should cost $ 5 or more.
But the main problem here is the service and the lack of hygiene.
I stopped going to the Gambier Deli because they are completely unsanitary in their handling of the food. I have yet to see an employee wash their hands or use gloves. Instead, the employees use their bare hands for EVERYthing, including dipping into the pickle dish for your dill spear.
After a long absence, I decided to give it another try. Same cleanliness issues. The «sandwich lady» uses her bare hands to choose ingredients and assemble sandwiches, pack orders, etc. No washing at any time. To round it all out, the deli case looks FILTHY, with dried food splattered all over it.
To add to my irritation today, the employees demonstrated no interest in customer service whatsoever. They acted confused when I asked questions, did not want to find the answer for me, and did not «know» anything. The cashier and the «barista» moved in frustratingly slow motion.
I got a coffee that was just horrible. It was over priced and resembled a «praline and cream» latte not in the least. If there was flavored syrup in there it was in such miniscule quantity that it was undetectable. There was only a vague sweetness to it.
Hopefully the fact that I got my sandwich grilled and gave my pickle to the dog has saved me from contracting food poisoning.
This was the last straw– I will not go back.