Pan-European Foods at Joaquin Deli

By Janice Lazaro

Creativity is what keeps Joaquin Deli a thriving business. This Mediterranean-Eastern European delicatessen is chock-full of original creations crafted by owners Joe and Rennie Chen.
After the two took a trip to Europe, the couple was inspired. Their love of food and immersion of European culture propelled them to open a restaurant and bring the cultural experience they had to San Leandro.

“We enjoyed the trip very much and the deli was a way to prolong that experience,” said Rennie.

The deli specializes in homemade sandwiches like the Muffaletta sandwich on a sweet baguette with provolone cheese, Genoa salami, mortadella, black forest ham, and an olive mix spread. The Rueben Style Pastrami sandwich is another uniquely European sandwich, with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, homemade dressing and butter on rye bread with caraway seeds. Rennie said she and her husband are constantly coming up with new sandwich ideas to add variety to their selection.

“There are trial and errors to get the portions correct. We have to like a new product before we put it on our menu. We believe in our products before we can recommend them with sincerity,” she said.

Apart from the well-priced specialty sandwiches, the deli also has sausages and a small supply of hard-to-find cheeses. There are a plethora of homemade soups and healthy salads, plus gift baskets brimming with Eastern European-style cookies, brownies and more.

“Since we like food, we generally know what ingredients would go well together,” said Rennie. “We maintained the European style because I believe in the quality and uniqueness of our products.”

But the food isn’t the only thing inspired by Europe in this San Leandro deli.  Joe and Rennie Chen took great efforts in creating an atmosphere closely reminiscent of Europe to give customers a true dining experience.

Alongside running a delicatessen, Joe and Rennie offer a catering service, where they get creative with the food they serve.

“We love serving people our creations and if we get good comments, it is icing on the cake,” said Rennie. “We enjoy it when we see our customer truly enjoy our sandwiches and other specialties. We really put quality and uniqueness first and foremost.”

The prices of the deli’s sandwiches range from $5.95 to $6.95. However, with special sandwiches, prices may be higher depending upon complexity or higher-end ingredients.

This quaint sandwich shop has kept the interest of its customers with friendly service and quality sandwiches and prides itself on never cutting “corners on quality or service,” according to Rennie. Since 2006, Joaquin Deli has remained true to that adage. With a motto like that, it’s a given that the business has many loyal and frequent customers, who obviously have their “usuals.”

“Pesto Chicken sandwich is definitely one of the favorites,” said Rennie. “There’s the three types of bacon, the BLT magic sandwich, and of course the tri-tip and pulled pork.”
Joaquin Deli’s ingenuity and passion for experimentation will only continue to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.

Joaquin Deli is located at 275 Joaquin Avenue in San Leandro and open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.joaquindeli.com.

Joaquin Deli Employee Taking care of a customer
Photo by: Janice Lazaro