R&P Deli is a little off-the-beaten path. It didn’t set up shop in a hotbed zone of cool restaurants and stores. Instead, the eatery has based itself on Wilson Bridge Road – on a stretch that’s part strip mall, and part warehouse.
Still it’s worth a small trek up the road, just to have a little sit-down time in a place that’s filled with small-town hospitality.
Case in point, the place is a deli (as the name suggests) – but guests don’t order at the counter. Well, you can order there, but when dining in, the protocol is to sit down at one of the tables and a server will come out and wait on you.
The sandwiches at R&P Deli are the real stars. Served on thick sliced, soft bread (or sometimes ciabatta) the sandwiches are sturdy constructions filled with a generous supply of good quality meats. It’s not your run-of-the-mill wimpy, whispery-thin salty slices: the tiny kitchen uses substantial cuts of flavorful pork, poultry and beef. All served hot or cold: diners’ choice.
Consider Rachel’s Black Forest Ham ($6.99). The pile of ham slices are topped with a deep orange cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and a briny chipotle ranch dressing that pulls it together on the house white bread. Perfect.
Or go whole hog and hit The Grand Finale ($8.29) it has roast beef, ham, turkey and bacon – with bleu cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and ranch. The bleu cheese doesn’t stand out nearly as much as one might fear. What’s more noticeable is the sheer quality and quantity of the deli meat. Well, that and the fact that it’s all tidy with a fussy fancy toothpick holding it all together.
There’s even something for the vegetable-sandwich crowd. Mary’s Veggies ($6.29) has a mix of cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, pickles, and lettuce tied together with a little vinaigrette. This one’s served on ciabatta, which seems like a good call for a vegetable number.
In that same vein, there are a few salads on the menu. The Side Salad ($2.29) is a little garden of cuteness with long, loopy slices of leaf lettuce topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapenos, cheese and tortilla strips… and green olives, but those can be picked off.
If you visit on a Friday, R&P Deli does a mean Fish & Chips basket ($9.99). An order yields three ginormous fillets, with a thick cracklin’ coating covering velvety fish flesh.
Sides such as fries come with the sandwiches and fish. They’re solid, as far as fries go, with a traditional skinny cut like you’d find at a fast-food joint. An old school red squeeze bottle is available to apply ketchup. Other sides include some good sweet potato fries and a perky cole slaw.
There’s a breakfast menu too, with lots of novel takes on scrambled eggs – mixing them with deli meat and funky sauces (horseradish, Creole mustard, chipotle ranch) and serving them in wraps.
You can find R&P Deli at 455 E. Wilson Bridge Road. It’s open Mondays through Fridays from 8am until 8pm. On Saturdays, it’s open from 10am until 8pm.
More information can be found online at www.randpdeli.com.
Photos by Walker Evans.
