Gandolfo's New York Deli — Restaurant in Meridian

Located off of ten mile road, this is a great location for dine in or patio dining. . Pros- Fair amount of parking, but they also have a bonus drive-through. Quick and fresh sandwich and don't forget to order an entire dill pickle because they are the the best! Huge menu board. The owner appears committed to quality food and return customers. . Cons- I waited a long time once I entered the restaurant to order, but I did make eye contact with several employees who were busy in the back servicing the drive-through. They don't allow custom creation of sandwiches, so I was able to take one of their sandwiches and modify it slightly. Basically, I swapped out the bacon for pepperoni, but I was very disappointed when there was only one thin layer of pepperoni. If I had known, I would have paid for more. The bread is unbelievably soft and should have more of a tooth. If this is pretending to be an authentic New York deli sandwich shop, then they need to find a better bakery. And trust me, I would know because I lived in NYC for 16 years. . UPDATE: I return this morning (yes, the next day) to have breakfast in their drive-thru. It was 8am, but I waited a long time for them to come to the speaker, although he did apologize. I got the "Upstate", sausage-egg-American cheese on a round roll and a bagel. Not listed, but they do offer; ketchup on sandwiches, cream cheese on the bagels (toasted if you'd like) and drip-coffee. I waited about 12 mins while they made my order fresh as I watched through the window. The cook was very clean, wearing gloves and did a great job. The sandwich was truly fantastic, except for the roll which was sorely disappointing. Just as the sandwich the day before, the bread here is dismal. Maybe they are cutting corners, but it shows in the flavorless and texture-less bread. The bagel was extremely sad, although prepared properly, the bread again was an issue (no chew) and I had ordered an onion bagel, but received a plain bagel. The cream cheese was flavorful and plentiful, but oddly loose and not firm (do they mix it with a filler?). All food was wrapped expertly and securely by the cook. I would return to try more...

Tried here for the first time today. Ordered the meatball hero, knuckle sandwich, chef salad, red pepper bisque, and egg salad. Everything was delish! The meatball hero had just the right amount of marinara sauce. My boyfriend thought it was a little dry but I hate a wet sandwich so this was perfect for me! Bread was also perfect. Nice and light and airy to complement the heartiness of the meatballs. Meatballs were soft and flavorful. Had a bite of the knuckle sandwich, as it was my boyfriend’s, and it was really good too! I might order that next time. Really liked the mushrooms on that. Didn’t try the chef salad but my boyfriend also really enjoyed it. Red pepper bisque was good as well. I think there were little chunks of Gouda which was a pleasant surprise, was not expecting chunks. The bisque was a little “lighter” in flavor compared to other red pepper bisques that I have had but that isn’t a bad thing. Lastly, the egg salad. It was a toss up as I read good things about it and the potato salad but the egg salad was calling me. I found it really flavorful and delicious as well. Might try it as a sandwich next time too. Based on how good our food was today I think there are going to be many more “next times”. I’ll wrap up this review by adding that the customer service was also great. Very friendly. Overall, I really liked our experience and cannot wait to try more...

If Middle-earth had delis, Gandolfo’s would definitely be The Shire’s go-to lunch spot!

First off, let’s talk about their sandwiches...these things are LOADED. Like, “I-need-two-hands-and-a-plan-of-attack” kind of meaty. Every bite is a full-on flavor adventure. We tried a variety and my family loved the French Dip and Pastrami sandwiches! And the bread? Don’t even get me started. It’s basically a fluffy cloud that somehow holds together all that sandwich greatness without falling apart. Soft, pillowy, and straight-up magical.

Now, you must get the mayo potato salad. Trust me, it’s creamy, tangy, and so good it should probably come with a warning label: “Highly addictive, may cause happy food dances.”

And as if the food wasn’t enough, the owner is the cherry on top! Friendly, welcoming, and clearly someone who cares about every single person walking through the door. You don’t just feel like a customer here, you feel like family.

Bottom line: Gandolfo’s is the kind of place you leave already planning your...