Plaza Deli

I work in the building, so I have come here a lot. Personally I love it, some times the tables are a little dirty (I’m a clean freak) but the food is good, and I LOVE that if you guess the weight of the sandwich you get it free. I have never gotten it :(, but I have seen people get it for free. Its the little things that count haha!

The Walnut Creek Center has three eateries, each with their own unique aspect. This is the DIY deli. They lay out a salad bar, a sandwich bar and a potato bar and let you have it, with your limitation being the weight (of your sandwich and salad, that is). Weighing your own food always feels unfair the first time and then you come back the next time thinking you’ve skimped on the heavy stuff, but… oh, you forgot about adding say, a hard boiled egg. The scales are fair, and consistent. Learn to love them. Accept the fact that you’re getting fresh ingredients, built exactly how you make it and the price you pay doesn’t seem so bad any longer. Also, when you balance it out with some great baked goods (mmm, cookie), the prices seem pretty much on par with the local competition.
They say if you can guess the price, you get it free. I’m embarrassingly far off each time. I may try to get it to read 9999 and hope that tricks it-​if not I’ll be eating salad for a long time…

There’s a whole lot of deli options in a tight little cluster if you are a Walnut Creek worker bee like me. And if you partied here for over a decade like me, then it’s all become REALLY familiar and a bit lacking in pizazz. This is why Plaza Deli stands alone in greatness — along with their fix-​your-​own salad bar, they have a fix your own sandwich bar! Two scoops of pesto mayo and a foot of deli ham? If that’s how you roll! Truly, I love them most for their sandwich bar. It can get a little picked over and nothing is labeled, which is particularly challenging when it comes to meats and cheeses but common sense comes into play too. A fun little twist is you pay for your sandwich by weight and if you can guess the dollar amount your concoction will come out to, you get it for free! Lunch and a game! In my experience the sandwiches are generally between $ 5 and $ 6 (my standard sandwich is turkey on wheat with veggies and a shmear of cranberry jelly), but you have to get it right down to the penny. I’ve never succeeded, and if I do, you’ll likely see me doing my victory dance on the evening news.
They’re also a good option for salads, though they suffer the common affliction of a small build-​your-​own salad bar in that folks drop whatever they’re scooping into every other bin — if you’re a vegetarian, vegan or have a food allergy this might be a scary situation. Their sneeze guard is also quite high, so scooping can be challenging. But they offer 3 types of greens, including fresh spinach, and all the usual toppings plus fun items like sunflower seeds and raisins which I’m always grateful to see.
At breakfast time, owner Sue makes a mean mocha and latte, complete with flavors added for a small charge. I recently tried a hazelnut latte there and it was like a drinking a perfect Fall morning! Paired up with their banana muffin, life was gooooood.
Plaza Deli is a great option for the business lunchtime crowd — they also cater parties and meetings, and send out weekly emails to businesses with their daily specials for the week listed out, including tempting treats like roasted garlic chicken and carnitas. I also very much appreciate that they have a TV in the sitting area generally set to a news station — I was able to watch the Giants parade while I ate my lunch and hid from the rain. Doesn’t sound like much perhaps but it was a small consideration that meant a lot. Come visit the Plaza Deli — no matter what you’ll be a winner!

There are many great places to eat in Walnut Creek. Tucked away in Mt. Diablo plaza sits Plaza Deli. A small deli that has both a build your own sandwich bar as well as a build your own salad bar. At the end of the sandwich bar are baskets packed with a variety of breads. A vast selection of spreads, meats, veggies and cheeses. You build it any way you want it, and in the end, you pay by the pound.
Here is where the real fun comes in. Before paying, you get to guess how much you think your sandwich will cost. It’s a game that you have to build a strategy the more you play, since you don’t know how much it is per pound to begin with.
My sandwich starts with a Dutch crunch roll. I spread both sides with the pesto sauce. Add a few slices of roast beef, Swiss cheese, tomato, onion and a few slices of pickles. My sandwich came out close to six dollars. Not bad considering how filling it was. With such simple ingredients my sandwich came out tasting amazing.
There is a reason why this place is packed and popular.

Found this place today after searching for «lunch» in WC. Great place for a quick bite, I did the build-​your-​own salad bar, which is perfect for people like me who don’t eat a huge portion. The lettuce and toppings were very fresh, and the ranch dressing tasty. I’m picky about ranch, so this was a win for me! Love the concept of the build-​your-​own sandwich bar, will definitely come back to try that as well. Didn’t see any hot food options as others mentioned, but I did come in around 1:30 which is a little bit after the usual lunch time. The décor is nothing fancy, cafeteria-​style but the place looked clean and sanitary. Friendly staff, which is always a plus. Plenty of seating inside with air-​conditioning, or seating outside with nice views of the surrounding hills.
If you want a fresh and quick, no-​frills lunch this is it!

I work in a wonderful building near downtown Walnut Creek. There are a handful of places to eat nearby (within walking distance) and downtown is less than a mile away and full of amazing restaurants. Unfortunately, parking can be a nightmare and traffic will sometimes crawl down Main Street, taking up too much of my lunch hour to decided on a spot, then get there, eat, and be back to work on time.
I bring my lunch a lot, and we have a vendor come to the office daily with fresh salads, but some afternoons when the weather is nice (90% of the year) I enjoy walking around and finding new places. I’ve learned that almost every one of the large professional office buildings in this area have a café or deli of some sort inside their plazas. It’s really fun to walk through the big buildings (sounds silly) but many have cool fountains, statues, and even gardens! Plus their great delis. My most recent discovery is Plaza Deli — only a few blocks away from my work, and very close to the new permanent food truck lot («The Bend») which I still haven’t checked out!
I walked into the Plaza Deli and a friendly employee greeted me. They had a salad bar set up, and also a station to make your own hot (or cold) sandwiches. LOTS of fresh veggies (everything you could thing of to top a salad — I ate them all) on the salad bar — and it was very clean! You weigh your container at the end and the weight of your salad determines the price. I grabbed a couple thick slices of salami and some mustard cheese from the sandwich bar. A baked potato station is also nearby, and they have a large selection of drinks and fountain sodas.
My veggie salad and a small iced tea totaled $ 12.62. I didn’t put any dressing on it since I keep some of my favorite dressings at work (and also keeping the weight and co$t down). I did add some hot sauce before I left. I was almost sad to go back and eat at my desk. This plaza is just beautiful! Next time I visit I’ll definitely sit and eat outside.

Their hot sandwiches were awesome! I ordered the Poor Boy, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and how tasty it was.
Would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a quick lunch. I went around 11:00 and had most of the place to myself.

Oh how I will miss this deli. Only been here a few times during my employment to the neighboring building (California Plaza). The specials here are a favorite with the partners, so I decided to try this place out. What was a sad face for me was the fact that I did not discover Sue’s delicious latte drinks or oh-​so-​filling breakfast bowl (no carbs all protein!). And the service here is just on-​point with the friendly Sue. And their sandwich bar was actually a favorite of mine as I got to choose what I wanted plus play the game of guess the price of the sandwich and get it free. Glad I got to be a patron here when I did.

This is the best option if you are looking for a deli in the area. They have delicious specials like the Katsu Chicken and the Tequila Lime Chicken salad. The chicken wings and noodles are also very good! Sue, the owner, is a very nice lady and always very friendly. Check it out!

The «better» lunch spot in the California/​Diablo plaza. Hot food, salad bar, and better priced sandwiches and specials.
The sandwiches are pretty standard fare for lunch food, nothing to write home about but when your stuck in the area near BART and don’t have time to head downtown, this place will do the job.
Avoid the other two delis/​cafes nearby unless you like hurting yourself.

I worked down the street from Plaza Deli only briefly. While the job itself was horrible and obviously unbearable, «Sue’s» was always a bright spot on our Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. I usually went with the daily special, whatever it may be, but almost all of their sandwiches we awesome. Truly miss this place and glad some business brought me back there last week.

I am patiently waiting to leave in a few minutes to grab my favorite lunch at Plaza Deli. They have a tequila lime chicken salad, that is soooo very good! I have a lot of favorites there, but Sue has made me look forward to Mondays for this rockin special.
Sue, thanks for being such a good cook and giving us so many delicicous homemade options for lunch! I have no idea how you are able to cook all night and have such a great attitude at work. Hands down, my favorite Walnut Creek lunch spot!

Baked Chicken Wings are the besttttttttttt! So sad when it runs out! =[
You can make ur own salad and Sandwiches!
The Daily Specials are a great deal!
and the best of all are all the workers and Sue are extremely Friendly! My Go to place when i cant think of something to eat, or crave for some chicken wings!!!

Awesome place to stop by for breakfast or for to-​go.

I love the Plaza Deli. I always feel like I am eating «real» food. You can also get great junk food as well. Sue runs the place and she is an awesome lady, along with the rest of the staff. Great salad bar, sandwich bar, specials, and regul;ar items. I try not too eat out too much for lunch, but if I do it is usally at «Sue’s»

Plaza Deli is your all in one stop for Breakfast and Lunch.
For Breakfast they have a vast variety of items. Bagels, Donuts, Yogurt, Made to order egg bowls & breakfast burritos, Oatmeal. Mochas, Coffees etc.
For Lunch:
They have Daily Specials, they have daily soups made from Scratch. If your not in to the hot specials. Plaza deli has hot sandwiches you can order. If your the kind of person that prefers to make your own? They have a Salad and Sandwich bar.
I wasn’t a big Unilocaler when I used to work near Plaza Deli. I was a regular customer there when my company was located there, and I still make trips there because the food is that good.
They owner and staff are very friendly, and they have fast service. Going there on a regular basis for 8 years, I have tried just about everything they have made.
Even today, my wife brought me the Daily Special. It was just like I remembered… Delicious. I miss that place.

I love this place! The owner, Sue is a fantastic cook. Her specials are amazing! She even takes suggestions and cooks up «special orders» like the mac and cheese she made last week. Yummy!

Finally found a solid deli near my buliding. The hot made subs are really good. The bread is toasted just right and I enjoy the Atomic. Sandwiches are $ 5-​$ 6 and filling. They have the salad and «guess your weight» sandwich bars. If you guess the correct weight, sandwich is free. I was off by a penny. Tried a Friday panko crushed cod special and it was very very good. Great place.

First off, I’m completely addicted to the egg rolls.
This place has a really nice variety of lunch fare. The salad and sandwich bars are well stocked, better than most that you see. There are also daily specials and hot sandwiches. The staff is great, always a pleasure to talk to Sue. =)

I’ve been lucky enough to have Plaza Deli (we call it «Sue’s») in my office building as a go-​to lunch option for the last ten years. We call it «Sue’s» because the owner (Sue) is there everyday and knows all of her customers by name and gives you an incomparable level of personal service. There are three other lunch spots and three fast food places that are just as quick and my co-​workers and I choose Sue’s about 90% of the time.
Sue does coffee, espresso bar, bagels, breakfast burritos, and breakfast bowls in the morning and also has some premade options like parfait and pastries. When I need a break from the office in the morning or I’ve come in before eating I love getting a parfait to get me through the morning.
For lunch you have your option of a daily special (my favorite is her chicken katsu-​affectionately referred to as «Katsu Tuesday» in our office), a half-​dozen hot sandwiches, and some killer asian-​style soups and appetizers (egg rolls, sushi rolls, fried rice, etc). On top of that, she has three «build-​your-​own» bars for sandwiches, salad, and baked potatoes. The best part is that if you can guess the weight of your sandwich, it’s free (I’ve only gotten two in ten years, but it’s a lot of fun when you do).
She’s open from 7 to 3, Monday through Friday so this also makes a great spot to stop in for a mid-​day bag of chips, muffin, cookie, soda, etc. My absolute favorite is her carrot cake which is usually available by the slice, but Sue has been sweet enough to make it for my birthday cake the last few years… THANKS SUE!!!
We all love this spot and if you work in the area, you ought to stop by and check it out.