Euro Deli & Market
3665 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC
I apologize if I offend anybody for using this word: Nazi. Unfortunately, that term has taking its own twist and turns, specially with a certain episode of Seinfeld which immortalized the phrase “Soup Nazi”, in reference to . (The funny thing is that, while I have watch snipplets of it, I haven’t watched the full episode! Yeah, shame on me…). So what does “Soup Nazi” has to do with Vancouver? Well, let me remind everybody of Salam of Le Charcuterie, the self proclaimed “Sandwich Nazi”. Jokes aside, when I went there last summer (wow, it sounds like it was a LONG time ago!), he mentioned he used to own a second location that he eventually sold. That location became Euro Deli & Market.
Getting there was a bit of a pain. First, their hours are limited. As in Monday to Friday for lunch and close before 5:00 p.m., except on Fridays where they close at 4:00 p.m. Given I work in Downtown and they do not open on weekends, getting here was close to impossible for me… Unless it was a day I had off! Yup, that’s what happened and I took a leap of faith to go there.
When I arrived, the place was quite quiet. Now, it had your share of customers; however, it didn’t have the same “vibe” as Le Charcuterie. However, not sure if to entice customers or as a reminder of old times, they had a small sign making reference to the Soup/Sandwich Nazi. Alas, the person at the counter Soup/Sandwich Nazi he wasn’t… In fact, I would even say he was quite nice.
I started off with a lentil soup, which you can add to any order for $2. I won’t comment much on this one as I have a certain preference for my lentil soup, specifically, I like them thicker. However, from a restaurant perspective, despite legumes are relatively “cheap”, it is not that feasible. As for this one, it was hearty with its share of vegetables so I am sure it will certainly hit the spot.
Alas, the sandwiches offered were not even close to the ones offered in Le Charcuterie. OK, actually, they had subs; however, the way they were listed… They also had some Middle Eastern wraps and, what I ended up ordering here, “Euro Grilled Sandwiches”, specifically, their “French Eifel (sic) Tower” – Smoked turkey, spicy herb turkey, Monterey Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onions, pesto mayo, grilled. Normally at $7, on that day, it was the special for $1.5 less. I won’t say I was particularly excited about it, as it was really simple and, then there is La Grotta del Formaggio for comparison purposes… However, I might be comparing apples to oranges, given the popularity of the later.
To put it in a perspective, probably Euro Deli is there to cater a more local crowd and, if that is the case, that might certainly fit the bill. Unless that is, you want to go around the corner and stuff your face with all-you-can-eat sushi. In my case, if I am on that building and want lunch without leaving that block, it presents an alternative. But, back to the Sandwich Nazi part… Sorry, Euro Deli does not live up to Salam’s legacy.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
well, they call me the furniture Nazi.
A. Because I am Austrian( Such blatant denigration of my home country)
B. Because I am known to advise (berate) people on quality a bit too much…..
“spicy her turkey” – who are they referring to? LOL. why didn’t salam keep this location, do you know?
Trisha, sorry, that was a typo… “spicy herb turkey”! Salam didn’t keep it because it was too time consuming and couldn’t dedicate enough time to either one.
Peter, “No drawer for you?”
Hmm, was curious about this place after passing by. Guess no reason to stop now…
That doesn’t look interesting at all… I’m heading out to Port Kells instead…
shokutsu, Sherman, well, somebody had to take that bullet, right?
Oh how I miss Salam and the old Le Charcuterie !! In the 90s we (co-workers) used to pack into a car or two and zip over there from our office at Metrotown and literally make room for Salam’s humungous sandwiches (remember he had sandwiches named 911, BC Tel, BC Hydro, BC Ambulance, etc ………. ? ). Those afternoons after a Charcuterie lunch were never really productive as many of us would be sitting dazed at our desks trying to digest the huge meals we ate. And Salam had incredible deals on the deli cold cuts and cheeses for sale (I’d get a huge wedge of 2-year aged Balderson cheese for like 5 bucks, I’d swear his stock was stolen or something). Apparently Salam still has an operation in Surrey somewhere.
Euro Deli ….. really wanted to like them. Went there twice in the first 6 months after they opened. Place seriously lacked ambiance, vibe, personality. I didn’t bother repeating.
Good times.
LR, yeah, after that experience in Le Charcuterie, I doubt many things will surpass it. Actually, I did notice how “cheap” things were in Le Charcuterie, which makes me wonder… How does he even break even????
Dunno, Kim. But with Salam, one may be wise not to ask “too many” questions …… doh. LOL.
I always wondered how real is his name. Like, you own a delicatessen full of deli meats and salamis and your name is “Salam”
LR, you know what they say, right? It takes a … to … a …
As for his name, that’s one thing I didn’t dare to ask.
Super small correction: Euro Deli used to be a Japanese restaurant actually and Salam’s place is what is now the Starbucks.
I go here for lunch occasionally because it is super close to my work when I’m in Burnaby and it’s way better (and cheaper) than the in-house options available to me, believe it or not! I’ve never had the special sandwiches similar to what you ordered because I usually get a basic custom sub. It does the job but I would agree with you that it definitely does not warrant a special trip!
Gigi, thanks for the update. I remember seeing it there just that I didn’t remember on which side it was. But, anyway, one more person confirming the details!
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