Lucky Dill Deli to Move

A Palm Harbor landmark, the Lucky Dill Deli, will soon be packing up and moving to a larger location in another part of town. The restaurant's owners have sold the property at the corner of Alderman Road and Alternate U.S. 19 to Chase Bank.

If you're a fan of the popular New York-style deli, you don't have to worry about missing out on a meal during the location change. The  will remain open through the grand opening of the new location on U.S. 19.

Right now, construction crews are remodeling the restaurant's new location at 33180 U.S. 19 with the goal of opening in August. A restaurant called Jonny Primo's Italian Grill used to occupy the space.

Lucky Dill Deli General Manager George Matteo says the new location will be about two and a half times larger than the current restaurant. He says the space will be a welcome change for the busy restaurant. "We were busting at the seams, even when the economy dropped," Matteo says.

The new location will also have a New York theme and will feature a bakery, a full bar with a cocktail lounge, patio dining and multiple dining rooms. "We're bringing everything up to the next level," Matteo says. It will also offer entertainment on the weekends and will be able to accommodate banquets and offer catering.

Like the current Lucky Dill Deli, the new location will be decorated in a New York theme with genuine MTA New York City Transit signs on display in dining rooms named after the city's boroughs. A New York Yankees picket fence will be part of the decor in the Bronx dining room.  

Matteo is excited about the new location on U.S. 19, one of Pinellas County's busiest roads. He thinks the location may expose more people to the restaurant.

However, Palm Harbor residents who live near Alternate U.S. 19 may still end up being able to dine at a Lucky Dill Deli near their neighborhood. Matteo says the restaurant's owners are looking into the possibility of moving the Alternate U.S. 19 building to a different location, possibly Crystal Beach. 

"So if you see the Lucky Dill building driving down Alt. 19, you'll know why," he says.

Matteo envisions that restaurant would accommodate the Crystal Beach lifestyle with a crushed-shell parking lot for golf carts, a preferred method of travel in the laid-back community.