Chilean Deli

When the Chilean Deli opened several years ago downtown I immediately took my bf there (he served an LDS mission in Chile). He was transported by the food. After that location closed we were pretty sad. It was a great place for a casual lunch or quick bite to eat after work.
A few months later we found them in their current location and we’ve been visiting ever since.
I always get the same thing: empanadas. I love the empanadas. The filling is extremely flavorful. The cheese ones are okay, but the beef ones are the most satisfying to me.
As another reviewer said, your meal isn’t complete without an alfajore. Other places make decent alfajores (Les Madeleines), but not so well as the Chilean Deli. The service can be occasionally slow, but I don’t mind. The food is comfort food and they do that well.

Why Chilean Deli why! I want to like you so much! You’ve got so much going on, I just can’t make the connection.
Is it because you remind me of my mother? I can’t blame you if your empanadas are different than hers can I? It would be unfair of me to compare when yours are still very good.
And how you remind me of the bistec a lo pobre I would eat at my uncle’s bar, & the fries with mustard and mayo. But still, the spark is just not there. Its so close but just a detail or two off the mark.
Your the best Chilean in town for sure, our relationship is just missing a little something. Maybe I’m just a cheapskate with too high expectations, our dinners cost just a buck or two more than I expect. It’s probably not you though, it’s me. Maybe that’s why I don’t come around as often as I would.
PS: Sorry for all the awkward glances as I pass by.

The Highlight was the cook singing some passionate spanish song (like the trapped miners) in the back at the top of his lungs. It went on for a few minutes until he realized he had a customer.
I ordered the Churrasco sandwich, I it was supposed to be a thin sliced steak with avocado, mayo, string beans, Pebre (Chilean salsa) and thin bread. It was more like fine chopped carne asada with a few avacado slices, mayo and a thick hoagie. Kinda like my step moms take on someones ethnic food might be like. It just didn’t capture all the flavor that was meant to be.

The name of the place gets right to, Chilean Deli. If you’re like me, you probably don’t have much of an idea of what to expect other than they would probably have some sort of sandwiches.
There was a friendly woman at the counter who pointed me towards their most popular sandwich, the Churrasco Palta. Its a Chilean sandwich that consists of sliced grilled beef, avacado, and tomato. Its came with fries and I added a drink for a $ 1 more.
I’ve never had Churrasco Palta before but the Chilean Deli’s version is a great baseline but it could improve slightly. The beef had a great taste but was slightly tough. I would have had another ounce of meat on the sandwich too. The avacado on the sandwich possibly was from avacado pulp, which there wasn’t much of on the sandwich. Fresh avacado spread and more of it would have kicked the sandwich up a bit. The bun was a very ordinary hamburger bun. I found it to be dry. The bun could have been a touch more fresh and moist. It might help if they put some butter on the bottom and tossed it on the flat grill while they cooked the meat. This would allow the bun to add to the sandwich, not be the taste that takes the sandwich down. The fries on the side were pretty average thick fries. Would be nice if they had some seasoning they tossed them in after frying them.
The prices were attractive. It was under 8 dollars for the meal. Not super cheap but there’s more involved than your average hamburger. I’d go there again, they looked like they had a cold case of home made desserts.
The business has a for sale sign in the window. It looks like the store could be in flux here in the future. Hopefully that doesn’t take away from the quality of the food now or in the future. I’ll swing by again but I hope they look to improve upon the unique sandwiches they already serve.
I give the place three stars because it is a unique type of food for the valley and they have good service. It would get 4 stars if they made some small incremental improvements on the sandwiches.

Try the alfajores and thank me later. A delicious pastry with flaky edges, a dulce de leche caramel center, rolled in coconut. The fries are definitely fries. The sandwiches? Yep, no doubt about it– they’re sandwiches. If you’re in the mood for some street style grub, Chilean Deli has you covered– but seriously, trust me– you want an alfajor. The famous Chilean meal, the completo (a hot dog with the works) is mysteriously not available here, but that’s ok. We all know how to put mayo, avocado, and diced raw tomatoes on a hot dog if we ever feel like it.