Dad's Favorites Deli
Review guidelines:
1 Fork = I would rather eat dog food.2 Forks = I would eat there if I was starving.
3 Forks = Not bad; someplace I would occasionally consider eating.
4 Forks = A good place to eat; I will put it into my rotation of places I dine frequently.
5 Forks = One of my all time favorites!
One caveat to note – I am allergic to fish and seafood, so if you are looking for those recommendations, you will have to consult someone else.
Because I have a daughter-in-law with Celiac and a really good friend who is Vegetarian, I will try to point out whether those options are present when I review a restaurant.
November 24, 2015 - Lunch
Dad’s Favorites Deli
236 E Main StLexington, KY 40507
859-252-9812
OR
820 Lane Allen Rd.
Garden Springs Shopping Center
Lexington, KY 40504
Dad’s Favorites Deli is a family business that has evolved over the years. It began with retail cheese spreads found at food shows, Liquor Barn and many groceries in the Central KY area and has now added two deli locations featuring those cheese spreads and other menu items. These are lunch cafés only open from 11am – 3pm Monday thru Friday. Their downtown location is the newer of the two delis and the one which I visited for this review. It is located near the Main Lexington Public Library and the Urban County Government offices. I have never visited the Garden Springs location, but am aware that is tucked away in an obscure part of a dreary strip center.
At any rate, I have dined at the downtown Dad’s many times. It is a big favorite with our work crowd because of its proximity to our offices. On any given weekday, if you don’t arrive by 11:45 am you are sure to wait in a long line, due to the overwhelming popularity and location of this restaurant. I dined there late in the afternoon during the Thanksgiving holiday week, and thus avoided the crowds. Most of the menu offerings are sandwiches that feature the various cheese spreads along with other ingredients. There are also soup options and Daily Lunch Specials available. Taco Tuesday is the most popular day. The special is two spicy chicken tacos with Dad’s Pepper Jack Cheese spread and all the usual taco trimmings. Many of the lunch specials come with chips. Even though it was Tuesday when I visited, I have had enjoyed the taco special many times before and decided to try something different on this visit. I chose the Pepper Jack Club. It was country ham, turkey, bacon, and Dad’s Pepper Jack cheese spread on a French roll with lettuce and tomato. I also asked for a sampling of Dad’s special sauce on the side. It is similar to an Outback Bloomin’ Onion dipping sauce. The sandwich was very tasty. I wasn’t thrilled with the deli turkey and ended up jettisoning it from the sandwich. My only small complaint which applies to nearly everything I have eaten at Dad’s is that the cheese spread could be a little more thickly applied, given that it is the star of the show.
Service is very efficient, albeit a little slow during prime time lunch rush (12-1), but there are so few good cheap places to eat lunch downtown, it is no wonder that patrons flock to this place. My check was $8.00 including tax. Ordering is done at the counter and the order number is called out for pickup by the guest or in some cases a counter staff will bring the food to the table.
Check out Dad’s Deli menu at: http://dadsfavorites.com/deli/. I could not locate the Daily Specials on their website, but there is a photo of them on Yelp. Parking is street only, both metered and unmetered, so plan to carpool.
Gluten Free Options – none advertised.
Vegetarian Options – none advertised, but any sandwich could be made with only the cheese spread and veggies if desired.
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