The Real Deli Serves Homemade Fare

It is always a treat to meet someone who is passionate about what they do. When we went to the this week at 34320 Pacific Coast Hwy., in Dana Point, we met the owner, Charlie, who was working behind the counter. His enthusiasm was palpable as he introduced himself, asked our names and said something like: “It is about real food, made from scratch.”

The restaurant is tiny and the large deli case, and counter take up most of the room. There are a couple of small gingham covered tables inside, but most of the seating is outside at small tables scattered in front of the deli.

The menu is posted on the door and at the counter where customers order. The menu starts with breakfast items, like Brazilian acai bowls and acai smoothies. If you are looking for a heartier breakfast, you can order eggs and cheese served on a croissant, bagel or English muffin. Ham or turkey can be added for an additional charge. Of course, bagels are also served with cream cheese or butter, and jam. In addition, they serve homemade croissants and pastries. The beautiful thing is that breakfast is served all day, which I love.

For caffeine lovers, there is tea and drip coffee, as well as espresso and cappuccinos and lattes, available hot or iced. They even sell coffee beans by the pound, if you prefer to make your own. Freshly-squeezed juices and fruit smoothies are also available.

Because it is a deli, of course, the sandwiches are the highlight of the menu. The owner explained that The Real Deli smokes its own meats and cheeses. It offers several hot meat sandwiches, including rib eye au jus, pastrami, brisket, corned beef, and croque monsieur. Cold meat offerings include smoked turkey, hickory ham, mortadella, Genoa salami, prosciutto parma, capacolla, and sopresatta.

Seafood options include tuna salad, made from fresh tuna and Norwegian smoked salmon. Sandwiches can be made on the bread of your choice and with a variety of cheeses. Many of the condiments are homemade, including the mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressings, pesto aioli and barbecue sauce.

Vegetarian options include a veggie sandwich, peanut butter, banana, and honey and Nutella sandwiches. Salad choices, include a Nicoise, quinoa and black bean, coleslaw, and potato.

As we were checking out the menu, another patron came up and raved about the pastrami. The owner was also very excited about the rib eye, he had just prepared. My husband was persuaded and chose the rib eye on rye. I went with the tuna salad, and Charlie mentioned he had just poached the fish that morning.

He asked me a few questions about how I liked it prepared and what kind of side salad we would like. We both chose the coleslaw. We ordered iced tea, even though they were selling beer for $2 with the purchase of a sandwich, sound tempting. We headed out to the tables in front and enjoyed our tea, which we were pleased to see was served in compostable cups.

I would say about 20 minutes later, our sandwiches were delivered to our table. They both looked great and we were pleased, but felt like it had been a long wait. Both sandwiches were huge. The rib eye came with grilled red onions, provolone cheese, shredded lettuce and pepperoncinis. The bread was delicious, the meat was tender and the whole thing was excellent. My tuna sandwich was also fantastic. We both agreed it was the best tuna salad we had ever had. The coleslaw was amazing, and had a lighter dressing than mayonnaise, which allowed us to taste the fresh carrots and cabbage.

If we had not been so full, we might have tried the homemade desserts, Tiramisu, New York cheesecake, Key lime pie or three-layer mousse, all sold by the slice or as a whole dessert to take home.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience at The Real Deli. It is very, very casual spot and maybe more suited to getting take-out due to the limited seating. The food is fantastic, but the service is slow. You definitely need to allow a little extra time to eat here, but once you get your food, I think you will enjoy it. The Real Deli is open every day except Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

I give The Real Deli 3 ½ Patches out of 5.