Side Door Deli - St. Petersburg, Florida

The Side Door Deli and Restaurant has been around for a long time. It has a lot of repeat as well as captive customers. As its name implies, the entrance is an inconspicuous side door to a large office building. In spite of the potential customers in the surrounding offices, Side Door Deli has to rely on repeat trade and word of mouth as its almost hidden location doesn’t lend itself to attracting drive by traffic. The fact that it is usually very busy says it has a lot going for it.

The Side Door Deli has been a favorite of my in-laws for a long time. I first became aware of it when the airlines stopped feeding passengers. After a visit, and we were in the midst of departure preparations, father-in-law Sonny went to the Side Door Deli and brought us back some of our favorite sandwiches to take with us on the airplane. There was a corned beef on rye with dark mustard for the wife and a pastrami on rye, with yellow mustard and an extra pickle for me. Somewhere over the midwest, when hunger pangs struck, we opened the sandwiches for an in-flight snack. As soon as we opened the wrappers, the smell of corned beef and pastrami started to fill the air. All around us people sat up in their seats and looked around for the source of the aromas wafting about them. Apparently the airline’s generous gift of a 3/4-ounce packet of peanuts had nor quelled their hunger. We ate our sandwiches and staved off starvation all the while wondering if we were going to be mugged for a deli sandwich.


The Side Door Deli menu offers a complete line of sliced deli meat and grilled meat sandwiches, soups, salads and side dishes. They even feature breakfast selections for the early customer. Sandwiches range from $5 to $7. Most of the time we call ahead for take out and the order is ready upon our arrival. The deli meat sandwiches are packed full of meat and make for a full meal. The corned beef is moist and has good flavor. The pastrami is smoky and pungent with pepper. The rye bread is light and tasty and has good texture. Their sandwiches hold their own against any other deli.

Most of the time we order to go but if you wish to dine in, there are seats for a comfortable luncheon get together. The overall noise level is low for a restaurant and conversation is easy.
Danny, the host, has a long memory and recognizes the father-in-law’s voice over te phone. He says, "For my daughter and son-in-law," and he already knows it going to be a corned beef on rye with dark mustard for the wife and a pastrami on rye, with yellow mustard and an extra pickle for me. I like that Side Door Deli, they always seem to get the order right, be it a Greek Salad or a club sandwich.




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