The Deli

I was looking for a place that does all day quality breakfast in the Didsbury area and Google told me that this was the place to be. I’ve walked past here on numerous occasions and it’s always been busy so I can’t believe that I’d never thought of giving it a try.
We had to wait a few minutes for a table, but it was obvious that the staff were trying their hardest to clear tables and get people seated as quickly as possibly. Due to the café being so busy we expected to wait a while to be served but after a few minutes someone came over to take our order. We also didn’t have to wait very long for our food to arrive either — the kitchen staff were clearly running around like headless chickens, but the food came out looking like a piece of art on the plate. I ordered eggs Benedict royal which has salmon in place the of the ham and my friend had normal eggs Benedict. All of the eggs were runny in the middle and the sauce was to die for. The portion sizes were great as well, we were both happily full afterwards.
After sitting and chatting for a while whilst drinking tea, we saw a few people ordering slices of cake, the cake looked delicious so we headed over to the counter to have a look at the options. There was a good selection of around 6 different cakes. I opted for the banoffee pie and I’m so glad I did. Each mouthful was a little taste of heaven — crunchy base, creamy topping and a flavoursome banoffee filling with little chunks of banana. Yum.
The only fault I can give is the name of this place — its not really a ‘deli’ more of an italian themed coffee shop, apart from that, it was absolutely amazing. The staff were friendly, the food was of exceptional quality and the menu was pretty big too so there’s plenty more things to try on my next visits.

Had a lovely brunch here on Sunday. I opted for the eggs Benedict royal which was smoked salmon in place of the bacon on muffins with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Drinks wise i went for earl grey tea (£2.95) which was real leaf tea so big tick from me on that front (cool teapots too!) poached eggs were perfectly cooked plenty of smoked salmon too (£6.95).
As its run by an Italian family they do lots of Italian treats I’ve heard good things about the Italian chicken stew (£9.95)and the stuffed peppers that you could either eat in or take for looked gorgeous! They do cake i can recommend the carrot cake but they also did a toffee crunch flan which looked a bit heavy for me post Christmas but will be sampled later on the year when my good intentions have passed. It does get busy on a Sunday but if you are a party of 6 you can book.

Got a black pudding special and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice all for £9.50 for breakfast. Lovely place!

Not a place I would visit again, average food, poor service & lack of communication. Seems like they only happy to serve there more regular customers I gather with more respect. Besides the point in great location, but will be having my lunch in gusto next time. Besides the point if you want Quility coffee and great service pop across the road to café Nero or Costo as you will feel less stress then have in hassle from this drab miserable deli café?

I visited this place for the first time today for lunch, and enjoyed it. The space is lovely, recently expanded, light, airy and well decorated with Italian products pasta in jars, and so on. The expansion is still a work in progress the toilets have yet to be finished but this didn’t interfere with my experience. It’s clearly a family-​run enterprise, and the service was friendly and efficient. I ordered a lasagne from the specials board, and found it tasty, if a little dry. The garlic bread that came with it was delicious. I didn’t order coffee, though I was tempted to do so as it feels like the kind of place that knows how to make a good latte. What also tempted me were the brunch dishes, and I plan to come back some weekend morning for an eggs benedict or somesuch. I was eating on my own, and felt totally comfortable there’s a relaxed, informal atmosphere, as you would expect from a place that’s very much a café rather than a restaurant. I was slightly cold as the big plate-​glass windows were open on to the street while it was a lovely sunny day, it is September and sadly not that warm! This is a very minor complaint, however! I would certainly go back.

I heartily agree with all the positive views on here. Lovely staff and great food, with a truly European outlook. They were quite happy for us to call in late saturday night for coffee and dessert, and we returned on Sunday morning for breakfast. I actually think the prices are reasonable. We were staying nearby at a boutique hotel on a room only basis. We decided not to opt for their expensive breakfast and had a delicious eggs benedict and Sausage and bacon barm cake with great coffee for less than half the price of the hotel breakfast. I am the worlds’s most dedicated coffee-​head, and it was made exactly to my taste. Great atmosphere, excellent range of light meals and sandwiches and they really care about the food.
Loved the décor too!

Excellent place. Friendly with good food. Family owned and it shows as customers are welcomed very warmly and special requests (about how the food is prepared and served) are never too much trouble. Would recommend it very highly. It is a true meeting place. Long may it serve. David & Anna

This is NOT a deli! I got well excited when I first saw The Deli, imagining sheets and waves of ham, delicious pickled… stuff, chutneys and fresh bread. Instead, I got Americanos and panninis. Bah, humbug! I wouldn’t open up a deli and call it The Coffee Shop. I wouldn’t open a petrol station and call it The Bra Shop. I wouldn’t open a bra shop and call it Ye Olde Toffee Shop. I wouldn’t…OK, you get the idea. It irks me, this name business.
Awkward irkings aside, this is an alright place. The coffee could be stronger, but they do use Illy, so at least it’s good quality, they just need to pack a little more into the Gaggia (I am not sure if it’s a Gaggia, but you know what I mean, it’s like calling all hoovrs Hoovers.)
The terrace mentioned in Angela’s review left me cold, I’m afraid. It’s right next to a busy bus stop, and is not a patch on next door neighbours, Gusto’s more enclosed and intimate terrace. Still, nice if you fancy a fag with your Joe.
It’s OK but… but…it’s not a deli!!!

Despite the name, and having a Deli counter inside, this place is really a coffee shop. An Italian-​run establishment, this place is definitely where you come if you want a decent coffee. With a choice of nine different varieties of coffee bean from quality coffee provider Illy, the well trained baristas serve up delicious cappuccinos, lattes, espressos, macchiatos and americanos amongst others.
Apart form excellent coffee, you can order bagels and paninis for around £4−5 a pop. Favourites are Black Pepper Salami, Minty Lamb and Brie and Cranberry for the bagel. A very popular hang out for the locals and the pram brigade during the day, and benefitting from a great front terrace for summer al fresco.

I went here recently with an elderly relative. We ordered salads, which when they arrived were very disappointing and small for the price. Just some cheese and some tuna with a few leaves and a tomato. We pointed this out and were brought another small bowl of salad leaves. When the time came to pay we were charged an extra £3.50 for this small bowl! Anywhere else would have apologised and taken it off the bill, but the management here very rudely refused, saying that we ordered it (not true) and should pay. I was told that I was too young to know the right thing to do — I have never been treated so badly. When we left (after paying but protesting) our waitress came down the street after us and said that we needed to watch what we said as her husband (the manager) was an important guy and we didn’t know who we were dealing with! So, threats on top of everything else. I could see that this was a popular café and I am sure it will continue to be popular, but if you are reading this then I would urge you not to go near the place. Ever.

I have been a regular of ‘The Deli’ since it originally opened as ‘Caffe Didsbury’. It has a good location, seating outside for summer and/​or smoking and offers a real alternative to the standard chains that are sadly filling didsbury.
There is a large selection of pannini’s, bagels etc. and some excellent salads. This is combined with some decent illy coffee and a selection of cakes, pastries and cookies.
Good place to have a chat with friends etc. or a good alternative for business meetings etc.
Well worth a visit!

True, it is very tasty, but it is also very VERY expensive. I would say a decent brunch for two costs no less than £20−25.
They do a very yummy goats cheese salad with some of the tastiest tomatoes around, lovely freshly squeezed orange juice, and those nice cookies you get in a jar on the counter. I’m ashamed to say I’ve never tried their cakes (well, Refresh IS just around the corner)
I wouldn’t necessarily rush here if I wanted a relaxed bite to eat, or a cheap lunch. It’s usually very busy and often there are lots of kids about. But the food is good, so it’s worth a go. Otherwise, I am always ready to recommend Refresh (especially if you want take away) but if you’d rather sit in, then try The Art of Tea on Barlow Moor Road.

A spot on Deli situated right next to the Gusto restaurant (formerly Est Est Est). I’ve been eyeing this place up for a visit for ages, but either never had the time or it’s always been too busy to get a seat.
This time I spotted a seat near the back so I dived in before the, ahem, MILF’s/Yummy Mummy’s/Fuchsia’s/Ladies of Leisure etc. parked their posh behinds down.
This is an Italian run café (at least the guys running the joint on the day I entered were). As such the service was top notch and food fantastic. I chose a BBQ chicken and mozzarella par baked sandwich (they cook it for you once you choose) which was delicious. I was half expecting this place to be fur coat no knickers but they’ve backed up the well designed deli with quality food and drink.
Drinks wise you get to choose around nine different varieties of coffee bean (provided by Illy) and an extensive range of Innocent drinks. Amongst the various sandwiches you can pick up olives and cold cuts of your choice. However this is more a café led Deli and as such the choice certainly isn’t as extensive as some of the true delis. It’s also a little pricey, but given the quality, service and ambience of the place easily worth it.
If you’re feeling a little frisky you can order bottles of wine (Shiraz, Chardonnay) to go with your Milan salami and gently procured seafood baguette!
Definitely worth a visit.