Beast Blog

Genova, all the way, baby!

for a great italian deli, it's hard to beat Genova.

They have been in the Temescal neighborhood for decades. they started in a small brick building right on Telegraph near 51st. when i first moved to Oakland, they were still at that location. the place was jam-packed with salamis hanging from the ceiling, and happy, boisterous customers & sandwich technicians.

today, the lines are still long, but they are worth it. they have moved into a larger space that has the unfortunate 1990's "we're a starbucks!" style architecture, but they have not changed their food- that's the important thing.

their "prociutto special" sandwich is yummy, as are their fried artichoke hearts. they have the "real deal" in sandwich meats, according to my italian philly-raised wife...

Stop for a Sandwich

While Zarri's Delicatessen isn't unknown to Albany locals, a Google search for this Solano Avenue sandwich-spot comes up fairly thin. This may be because the specialties at Zarri's remain unmoved by food fashion - you can get a basic meat and cheese sandwich for a few bucks (choose from bologna, mortadella, roast beef, pastrami, prosciutto, etc.) - but don't expect any bunny-foods or tapenade on it. Add to this, though, a decent selection of sliced deli meats and sausages; italian, swedish, and american cheeses; snack foods from European cookies and candies to Tim's potato chips; cheap wines; and a variety of Italian groceries such as inexpensive dried pasta, anchovies, and canned goods, and you get a fully satisfying experience. I always walk away from Zarri's with more than I'd planned - today it was my usual 1/2lb. of sliced pastrami (wrapped in white paper) and a $0.99 package of hazelnut-cream filled wafer cookies. Other days I've come home with colourful Jordan almonds, bargain-priced pine nuts, and sourdough rolls (from the Maggiora Bakery in Richmond).

If you really want a tomato on that sandwich, you can walk next door to Happy Produce, an Asian grocery market with a variety of fresh and prepared goods. I always look closely at what I buy there - some items spend a little too long on display and get mushy or moldy - although I have to give it to Happy Produce that when I wanted to make Tom Ka Gai, they had a galangal root.

Zarri's Delicatessen is at 1244 Solano Avenue in Albany, about five blocks east of San Pablo Avenue.