Find Good, Simple Eating on St. Armands Circle at Madison Avenue

In the upscale tourist Mecca that is St. Armands Circle, full of its fine boutiques and gourmet restaurants, it is always refreshing to stumble across a down-to-earth, no-frills eatery with food that won’t come at the price of a blouse at Chico's.

, located at the northern part of the circle at 28 N. Boulevard of Presidents, is the perfect place to grab a bite, whether you’re popping in for a sandwich on the way to , refueling for another round of St. Armands shopping or stepping away from the office for a quick and tasty lunch.

You won’t find any pre-packaged sandwiches or salads at Madison Avenue, as the deli has a strict policy that everything that leaves its counter is made-to-order. The deli is also committed to quality and uses Boar’s Head brand meats and cheeses for its menu items such as the popular Chicken and Avocado BLT Wrap and signature Tuscan Chicken Panini, which is made with provolone cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, balsamic vinaigrette and sundried tomato spread on fresh foccacia bread.

“The goal here is to keep it really simple, but really good,” said the Madison Avenue co-owner and general manager Brian Wilson.

Wilson and his business partner, Todd Galletti, have been best friends since they met in college at University of Central Florida 20 years ago.

When they opened Madison Avenue in 2007, they decided to stick to the basics, serving typical deli fare such as sandwiches, soups and salads, as well as bakery items like bagels, muffins and strudels. In addition, the store carries more than 60 varieties of wine, sold either by the bottle or the glass.

“We just thought it was natural to combine a wine business with the deli, and it’s turned out really well,” said Wilson, who worked in the wine and liquor business for several years prior to opening Madison Avenue.

In the five years since the café and deli opened, Madison Avenue has undergone three remodels — the most recent and final of which was a $25,000 project that took place last summer, Wilson said.

“We saw a chance to turn it around,” Wilson said, who explained that the restaurant formerly housed at the same location had a bad reputation due to its erratic hours and frequent staff changes.

“It just seemed like the right location and the right time for us. We saw an opportunity to put some money into it and make something pretty great, so we went for it,” he added.

The journey to success was not without struggles. Practically as soon as Madison Avenue opened its doors, the economy took a plunge, Wilson recalled.

“I’ll admit that we had a lot of second thoughts during the first couple of years,” Wilson confessed. “We’re in tourist central, but it was still really tight for awhile. There were two summers when I worked alone seven days per week from open through close – 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. – for four months straight.”

After the particularly slow summer of the 2010 BP oil spill – about which Wilson joked “Everyone thought we were walking around in Hazmat suits, covered in oil down here,” – business began looking up for Madison Avenue. Wilson believes that is largely due to the deli’s friendly, hand-picked staff.

“When I hire employees, I don’t care whether or not they have a background in the restaurant industry. What I care about is personality and attitude. We don’t feel put out by our customers – it’s their deli too, and our success depends on our being able to make them feel wanted here. A business simply cannot make it out here if it isn’t treating its customers really well,” he said.

Wilson said that several regular seasonal customers have told him that Madison Avenue is their first stop as soon as they step off the plane from locations like New York, Canada and England.

“They know my family – my wife, Katie, my 18-month-old son and my 11-year-old daughter, whose name happens to be Madison – and our whole story,” he said. “Our customers are like family to us.”

Wilson explained that the deli is also committed to doing what it can to give back to the community. Madison Avenue Deli is involved in the Juvenile Diabetes Walk that takes place at the circle each year, and also donates to the American Heart Foundation, Fraternal Order of Police and various local church events.

“Pretty much anyone who walks through the door with a worthwhile charitable cause will get something from us,” said Wilson. “We’re not some big behemoth who can give out tons of cash, but I can easily give out things like gift certificates to help them out, at least in a small way.”

For simple and delicious sandwiches, salads and baked goods served at reasonable prices in a café and deli where the staff knows you by name, St. Armands Circle’s Madison Avenue Café and Deli is worth checking out.

“It’s not rocket science. We just do it well. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel or anything. We keep it simple and that’s what makes it so good,” Wilson said.