Dendy Deli — Restaurant in Melbourne

Due to the covid-19 situation it is easy to give some slack to the hospitality industry. However, even that won’t save the experience I had at Dendy Deli. Firstly let’s start with the entrance. My partner and I entered apprehensively due to past experiences with this restaurant only to be greeted with “you have to sign in”. No “hello“. No “how are you“. Not even “how can I help you”. For starters we decided to order the nachos which did not look very spectacular but were surprisingly tasty. They give you sides of guacamole, sour cream and salsa on the side of the dish which I appreciate. However the proportions of the sides did not match the proportion of the dish. There needed to be less nachos or more sides. When I queried about a dish on the menu, our waitress’ response was followed with “I guess” and only after pressing her to ask did we come to the conclusion that her guess was incorrect. Following that, she came to our table with our dishes and tried to insist that my partners schnitzel was my parmigiana and vice versa. After correcting her we got ready to enjoy our lunch. One thing I can say about my first impression of this parmigiana is that dendy deli clearly puts in zero effort to present their dishes in an appealing way. On my plate I saw a moderately sized schnitzel with a small amount of sauce and cheese that still had the outline of the individual grated pieces, melted lightly on top. And a small bowl of chips. No garnish or salad. The taste told a different story, the crumbs were not soggy and had a nice crunch. The sauce was rich and flavourful and the cheese was stringy and smooth. The chicken was a bit cheap. Call me unlucky but I happened to come across a touch 6cm long strand of tape like tissue. Overall I would not really recommend eating here, especially for the price you pay. The staff aren’t welcoming or knowledgeable and the food leaves something to be desired in the...

The food, especially the calamari salad, and the pizzas are good and the cakes to die for. The prices are reasonable and the waiters are really friendly. Coffee wasn't the best but OK. Another good thing about Dendy Deli is that it's also open quite late. The booths are great for families and groups and on a nice day, the seating outside on the front footpath is also a good option. It's also a good option for a bite before a movie.

Tip: Street parking can be difficult at times but there is basement car parking available at Dendy Plaza, entry via St Andrews Street but it's not cheap. But have no fear, as you can often get a park at the back of the cinemas via Well Street. Another tip, if you join the Palace Movie Club you get complimentary tickets, a birthday voucher for food and beverage, exclusive offers such as cafe & bar combos and discounts, and access to special events. All these things aside, if you ask me the real benefit of the club is that if you don't like the film you are watching and let them know within 30 minutes of the session starting, they will give you a free pass to your next movie session. Now how...

We each had a soup, as it was a very cold night. I had the minestrone, and my sister had the chicken and vegetable special. I have never had a worst soup in my entire life! It was awful! There was random spaghetti floating in it, no vegetables or beans to speak of, occasional large chunks of brown potato that looked like they were leftovers just thrown in, and an occasional piece of old carrot. It just seemed to be a whole lot of leftovers chucked into an oil tomato base. Hardly and vegetables at all! Yuk! My sister's soup was a yellowy colour, and again d3void of and fresh vegetables. Just old brown potatoes with an occasional chunk of carrot! My real concern is that they do not actually purposely make soup, but throw leftovers into a pot with some stock. Awful! The focaccia that came with it (an extra charge, of course) was supplied with frozen butter! The stupidity of serving frozen butter with warm focaccia is astounding! This is an awful place with horrible food. We shall NEVER return, and, if you have any respect for what you are putting into your body,...