Santucci's Deli — Restaurant in Four Corners

(tl/dr) This "review" became an unhinged rant so you can skip all the prose and just trust me. It ain't what it used to be.

It breaks my heart to say this but I see I'm not alone. I was there when Carlo Santicco opened his store in Woodmoor. I actually saw him building shelves and installing equipment himself. He created an landmark in the Woodmoor Shopping Center. He was a diligent and demanding but proud business owner and it showed in every sandwich, sub, salad, and calzone that left that store. Everyone knew him and the staff - often colorful characters - took pride in their work.

But time marches on. Carlo chose to retire and turn the shop over to another small business man. Santucci DESERVED to enjoy his remaining years but we didn't really deserve what happened to one more trusted neighborhood business.

The new management has had more than enough time to overcome the inevitable bumps and bruises that are part of any takeover. By now, one can assume this is the "new normal" and it is a bitter disappointment. It reminds me of when the Original Jerry's sub shop sold out and some young "entrepreneurs" created a Jerry's franchise that ate away at the quality and character of Jerry's until it was unrecognizable; just another half-assed, "one size fits all" sandwich joint. The kind of place that serves lunch meat with a pile of lettuce and a tomato slice on a generic long roll soggy with oil and vinegar and calls it an Italian Sub. Maybe it's me but a Steak and Cheese should be a little more than shaved meat...

Tucked away inside a strip mall that's been around for decades is a 32-year-old family-owned Italian deli that is everything you'd expect a worthy deli to be- a ceiling fan spinning, chips on shelves, boxes in the corner and letters falling off menu boards. It's perfect.

After picking up Friday night takeout for friends at Santucci's Deli, here's my experience:

1. Food: Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., they sell a variety of sandwiches that come in 10 inch or foot-long subs. 21 different subs are on the menu and they come on soft rolls, but you can request a hard roll or wheat for an upcharge.

The Italian cold cut was excellent and the creamy Italian herb dressing made it stick out from other cold cuts.

They also sell sandwiches, pizzas, and prepared dinners and other Italian products.

2. Drinks: They have a wall of cold drinks from water to tons of sodas.

3. Service: It's friendly and quick. I called a few hours ahead of my pick up time to place an order. Paying when I arrived, my sandwiches were ready!

4. Space: It's small, but they make good use of space. It's no-frills, but is it a classic deli if it wasn't?

5. Neighborhood: It's in a strip mall that's been around for awhile with other shops, including Woodmore Pastry Shop with popular doughnuts. There's a parking lot in front...

As of May 14, 2024, I’ve decided never to go back to this place. This has been an option that Ive been going to for many years for my lunch and even the office lunches has placed orders here on occasions. I ordering my food by phone. A large steak and cheese with everything. The person who took my order told me that they had nachos on the menu and if I wanted to try it’s I said yes. I get there and waited for my food they gave me my steak and cheese and an order of mozzarella sticks. I told them that they said I would get nachos. They told me they made a mistake and took the mozzarella sticks back and made me wait another 10 minutes. As this was going on I saw the workers talking to each other and looking at me. Eventually they gave me a paper bag with overly oiled up chips. As a dip they gave me the marinera sauce given for the mozzarella. I felt that they expected me to leave without saying anything but after checking the bag and thinking that it had some nacho items, I wanted to speak to the cashiers and they tried ignoring me. I couldn’t believe this and demanded to speak to a manager. I honestly don’t believe the person I spoke to was the manager, but I asked for my money back. It seems that it’s now new owners. The worst experience and ...