European Market & Deli

This little restaurant/​market owed by a friendly Russian family is a rad place in Tucson. Deli has wide variety of Russian-​Polish-​Ukrainian foods, and meat and fish delicacies, along with bakery and all the dairy products. Creek-​Russian-​Polish cousin is delicious and unique for those who like exploring foods. Wide collection of European beers and hard liquors.
Great place for gifts! Wines and chocolate are exclusive there. You will hear many eastern European languages there, including Russian. Overall 5 stars.

Located in a strip mall on Speedway, this is a place one can easily overlook. Inside has a feel of a New York deli with souvenirs and knickknacks. Perhaps more closely, it seems as though I have been transported to another place in eastern Europe. It surely doesn’t feel like any dining experience in Tucson. The food and the service are straightforward. No frills. Food quality was ok, nothing spectacular. Gyro was ok but Dolma was a disappointment. It was warmed up in a microwave and it was too hot in parts. Also some were leaking out of the leafy shell.
This is a unique non-​American feeling place that we can enjoy inside Tucson, almost a trip abroad without a plane ride. Even though I tried the «regular» items (dolma and gyro) this time, I plan on trying out the Russian sandwich with caviar and other unique items next time.
My rating: Recommend with a caveat. I recommend this place for an experience outside the norm in Tucson.

Hmm, I was honestly expecting more from this deli, however beggars can’t be choosers as the saying goes!
* Very small store with a small restaurant in the back. It felt cramped, but it wasn’t unbearable.
* The people working here were very friendly and helpful.
* There was a medium sized selection of meats to pick from, which is really what I came for, so I was satisfied. Some more options of skinny kabanosi would be nice, but it’ll do.
* There weren’t very many options for sweets! In other delis I’ve visited over the years, sweets were the primary options, but not so much here. They had a little of every type of candy (small, hard, crunchy, cookie, chocolate, etc.), but not a whole lot. I was hoping to see more delicje and ptasi mleczko type things.
* The prices were rather high in this store compared to other European delis I’ve been to in the past! 7.99 for a jar of pickles, 14.99 for a small bag of pierogi? I think not. I’ll pay what I must for the hams and sausages, but I avoided the other options as they were simply not affordable!

The food is incredibly good and the prices are great as well. I did have some trouble finding the place due to Unilocal marking it incorrectly on their map so I just used the address and found it with no problem after that. The staff were very nice and attentive. There were a good amount of options to choose from. I will definitely be coming back here!

After a lot of soul searching, European Market and Deli has become my go to gyro restaurant since Super Gyro’s and More shut down. The sign say’s ‘Best gyro’s in town’, and while I admittedly haven’t tried every gyro in town to confirm that, I think they might be right. They’re delicious, filling, and a good buy at $ 5.99.

My Gyro sandwich which was paired by the owner with a Russian beer in a glass was excellent. I enjoyed it so much that I even had a piece of Baklava for the first time. Great experience. I think I’ll look around the store for a set of Russian nesting dolls to take back home to my daughters.

Nice little family owned business featuring hard to find imported Russian, Ukranian, Polish & etc products, including interesting groceries, sweets, deli items, frozen foods, meats, cheeses, and a great selection of beers & wines from those regions, especially several with high alcoholic content.
Give it a try and enjoy.

Enjoyed the service and atmosphere. Waitress was very helpful in selecting from the wide assortment of eastern European and Eurasian beers and food. The gyro platter as an appetizer was excellent!

I’ll be frank — unless you’ve had experience with Eastern European culture and the mannerisms of peoples from the region you may find the people who work here unconventional and quirky perhaps. The hospitality and vibe here is delightfully very, very Russian and I personality love it.
For a deli, there’s a rather large seating area surrounded by regional arts, magazines and sports memorabilia. It’s comfortable and leaves you with lot to look at. It’s also directly past the large collection of «good Russian beers» which you are of course encouraged to buy ice cold with lunch. Just be careful, some of the beer has ABV of 15% and there’s no such thing as a small bottle here.
The service is modest and so is the food. I appreciate the simple, tasty and well prepared dishes they serve. The lamb gyro meat actually tastes like lamb. The cured meats and cheeses are perfectly salty and smoky. The dumplings are just slightly chewy, light but filling. The baklava is flaky and perfectly sweet. Their food is a welcome break from the artificial, greasy and MSG laden food of many popular lunch places.
The market itself is pretty low volume I would imagine, so some things have been on the shelves for a while. However that’s really the nature of small shops like this. There’s a great selection of salted and smoked fish and meats, beer, wine, chocolate, rye breads, condiments and spices. There’s also a selection of art, religious figurines and sports memorabilia.
I’d give it a try! The food is real, affordable and the service is good albeit different maybe. It’s the sort of place I want to stick around and that can only happen if people tell other people about it!

Third time back, still too expensive. Charging about twice as much as Russian stores elsewhere in the country — including NYC. Liked the cabbage rolls… but $ 6.99 for Borscht? Give me a break. Nice touch also, to provide prices for most of the beers in the coolers (and the selection is certainly spectacular)… if they would just be what is being charged upon checkout. (What you are asked to pay is usually higher than what’s listed on the «Price List» — surprise!!!) Won’t see me back there…

Just walking into this place makes you feel like you entered Eastern Europe. It’s a real gem, combining a full deli with a dining area and a cozy little bar area. Very cool. The food is awesome and they had beers/​liquors that I’ve never even heard of, and I spent a couple of years in Europe in the military. The Gyro was awesome and the Baklava the best I’ve ever eaten (I got two servings to go). You have got to hit this place.

After helping my buddy pick up his car from a repair shop across the street, we saw a sign saying «Best gyro’s in town,» or something to that effect. Of course, we had to investigate this claim. We ordered a gyro sandwich with onions and and then took our seats in the dining area. It was pretty cool. The walls were covered with all sorts of interesting things, which kept us busy during the short wait for our food, about 5 minutes. I did make the mistake of grabbing some eastern European/​Russian drink that was like nothing I had ever tasted before. Man, that drink was an adventure all its own. xD
The food was tasty, the gyro wasn’t shaved like you might find at most places, it was pan fried (I think) and very yummy! The sauce was good, but a bit mild for my taste, I like stronger tzatziki sauce.
I definitely plan on going back soon!

I used to live in Georgia (the country) and had been trying to find Alzani Tveli White wine. I ended up finding a Georgian market in LA, but they didn’t have it. As I was about to give up and accept the fact that the only way I was going to taste this wine again would be to go back to Georgia, I stumbled upon a gem.
I happen to work right near European Market and Deli and guess what?! They have the white wine from Georgia! They also have Georgian cheese, ajika, trymali for those of you who are familiar with Georgian cuisine.
The Russian chocolate is also to die for!

Yum! This place is awesome. I was part of a party of 4, and total bill came to $ 60 and we each had an entrée, an appetizer, and 2 beers each! Food included cabbage & pork rolls, georgian sandwich (a meat lover’s delight), lamb gyro, and beef dumplings. Delicious!!! Plus they have a cooler with a decent selection of beer so we each just got to investigate and then make our selection each time.
I’m totally going back not just to eat but to look at the stuff in the market and also to hit up the deli so I can bring some of the yummy goodness home with me!

I went there for the first time today and I will have to say– I was blown over! It was the best Gyro I have had in a long time. We ate there– they have some tables (extremely clean) to the side and plenty of space. While our Gyros were cooking, I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the Middle Eastern/​European goods that they have for sell in the market.
The gyro itself came on a real plate (not paper) which I thought was a nice touch. the owner (guy behind the counter?) brought both out and dressed our table for us with napkins and everything– not like the usual deli experience where they basically toss your food over the counter.
The meat on the gyro was done perfectly– not over-​done and very tender. The pita bread was just warm enough– The guy behind the counter asked if we wanted onions and we said no. It came with perfectly diced tomatoes and nice crisp lettuce. It also came with some good Tzatziki.
I would highly recommend for lunch!