Food, Food
2719 Exposition, 474-8515Monday-Friday, 10:30am-8pm;
Saturday, 10:30am-5pm
Tucked into the corner of a strip center in Tarrytown, this friendly spot keeps folks coming back with 20 different sandwich options (check out the Jean Carpenter special with herb mayo), individual luncheon pizzas, and daily lunch specials in the very affordable range of $4.50-$5.50 that come with a garden salad. By 3pm every afternoon, dinner specials such as a divine chicken pot pie or hearty King Ranch casserole plus a side dish and dessert are ready to be picked up for the evening. Great hospitality and consistently wonderful food.
The Kitchen Door
3742 Far West, 794-11002504 Lake Austin Blvd., 236-9200
Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm; Saturday, 8am-6pm
This 25-year-old Austin institution offers convenient outlets in Northwest Hills and another just off MoPac that’s handy for folks in Rollingwood and West Lake as well as the longtime Tarrytown clientele. While their casseroles and desserts are highly regarded, it’s well known in Austin that the Kitchen Door’s hefty hot or cold sandwiches made on homemade bread are first-rate. The stellar meat loaf sandwich at the Lake Austin location is so famous it’s been mentioned in Esquire, and the staff at the original Far West outlet boasts their signature chicken salad sandwich is the very best in town. It’s not braggin’ if it’s true!
NeWorlDeli
4101 Guadalupe, 451-7170Monday-Friday, 7am-7pm;
Saturday, 8am-5pm; Sunday, 8am-4pm
The eclectic sandwich menu draws us back here time after time. There are cold sandwiches on honey wheat, white, Jewish rye, or a French roll, soups and salads to mix and match, plus Thai and veggie wraps. Heartier appetites can go for hot meatball, sausage, meat loaf, or eggplant parmigiana sandwiches stuffed in a toasted French roll or corned beef, pastrami, or a traditional Reuben hot off the grill on tangy Jewish rye. The house specialty, however, are the “deliciously messy” triple-decker Sloppy Joes made with your choice of turkey, ham, or roast beef with Swiss cheese, dynamite cole slaw, and Russian dressing. They’ve now added breakfast with an inviting assortment of bagel sandwiches, breakfast tacos, pastries, and coffee drinks.
The Little Deli
7101-A Woodrow, 467-7402Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm
The Crestview Shopping Center is the beating heart of a healthy north central neighborhood and the Little Deli is certainly one of the reasons why. With cheerful counter service and the very best roast beef sandwich in the city, this friendly little eatery is a magnet for true sandwich lovers. In addition to daily Blue Plate specials, they offer soul-satisfying renditions of such Mom-style standards as egg salad, BLTs, and perfect deviled eggs, plus an overstuffed vegetable sandwich that will please even the most discerning vegan palate. The newest addition here is breakfast, with hot biscuits and country gravy, pastries fresh from the oven, and tasty breakfast tacos.
Avenue B Grocery
4403 Avenue B, 453-3921Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm;
Saturday, 10am-6pm
The historic Hyde Park neighborhood is home to Austin’s oldest surviving grocery. Ross Mason’s turn-of-the-century store hearkens back to the days when there was a little Mom & Pop shop in every neighborhood and kids bought bubble gum and baseball cards with the change left over from a quart of milk or loaf of bread. In addition to groceries, these days the store offers a bountiful menu of delicious sandwiches hot and cold, an array of fresh salads, and hearty soups in the fall and winter. Stop in for a meaty King Combo or a vegetarian Queen Bee sandwich on one of 10 different breads, grab a bag of chips, and finish it off with a slice of pie from the Texas Pie Company.
Garden Spot Deli & Catering
9415 Burnet Rd., 835-1985Fax order, 835-1907
Monday-Friday, 8am-2:30pm (deli)
Catering daily
The lunch menu at this very busy far north eatery features an inviting selection of hearty specialty sandwiches, hot subs, wraps, jumbo spuds, and salads alone or in a variety of combinations. Ask about daily lunch specials and don’t overlook the dessert offerings. These hard-working folks are also available for catering seven days a week with breakfast selections that include juice and coffee service plus pastries, tacos, or fresh fruit, and a list of hot buffet items such as lasagna, pot roast, ham, or different chicken breast preparations that come with side dishes and salads. Dessert trays with sweet breads, cookies, brownies, layer, and cheesecakes are a must.
This article appears in May 31 • 2002.