Wally’s Delicatessen

Sometimes you need to fill up on sweets and treats from a deli, it’s so very different from the kind of food you get elsewhere it seems acceptable to purchase 5 tonnes of honeycomb and 14 crates of Mulled Wine.
Deli’s are rare in the UK and therefore, pretty popular. People ten to spot them, have a flashback to France six years ago and jump up and down excitedly.
I understand the feeling, the foods are different, the tastes unique and the experience a good one.
The thing is, you don’t ever visit somewhere like this unless you pass by and pop in. Other times it just doesn’t feature in your mind, and it’s a shame because Christmas time, for instance, would be a perfect opportunity to stock up on gifts and treats for all the family. It’s also the kind of place you’re likely to find an exciting food you never see any other time of year. You know the ones I’m talking about… Pantetone all year round

Oh sweet Jesus, yes!
I have a bit of a thing for peanut butter. I have a bit of a thing for chocolate. I have a bit of a thing for combined genefreak mixtures of foods that, really, have no logical reason to co-​exist with one another. As a result, I treat Reese’s Pieces as some kind of religious communion. It is like the Holy Host for the brain-​addled, ADHD suffering child within me and, if there is some in easy reach, I absolutely cannot rest until I get my fix.
However, the scarcity of the product has often led to me shivering beneath my bedsheets, drenched in a cold sweat and aching all over as the peanut butter toxins flush themselves from my system.
And then, like an associate named Fingers, steps in Wally’s, their trenchcoat pockets brimming with illicit Yank treats. My addicted cup positively runneth over. It’s a little more expensive to buy them from here, but dammit, I need my fix.

This Wally’s is a sad substitute for the sensual sanctuary of the same name located in the Royal Arcade.
I didn’t even realise what this shop was until a work colleague told me I can secure American goodies from «that Wally’s in St David’s 2». Anyone who knows me knows sugar is one of my main food groups, so you’d think I’d be elated to stumble upon another sweet shop.
Don’t get me wrong — the chocolates are delectable and I can still buy a few select Yankee favourites, but the shopping experience isn’t as pleasurable and most importantly, this particular location lacks the amazing olive bar!
It still beats most shops in town in terms of the range and quality of their goods, but sadly this Wally’s pales in comparison to its sister store which is just a few minutes’ walk away.

Fancy a tasty treat? Pop into the food lover’s paradise!
I don’t think I’ve ever spent so long umming are arrring over food on shelves, it’s just not a ‘me’ thing to do. Remember when you were small and took a good twenty minutes to pick out your penny sweets? It takes you back to that; it definitely has the nostalgia element, feeling like a big kid in a sweet shop once again! It’s got all the usual favourites, but its the beautiful packaging which makes it doubly appealing, lovely jars, ribbons, pretty boxes, making it ideal for buying gifts which you know will put a assure a wide smile (and a dentist appointment).
It’s not just the sweets; the savoury range is pretty mouth watering too, also selling Welsh and American goods too, like yummy Hershey chocolate and a wide range of blow-​your-​head-​off hot sauces (which my father can’t get enough of!)
A delicatessen normally sells more fresh savoury produce, like a selection of meats and breads, but sadly, you only get packaged goods here. But it’s definitely worth a visit and a quick sugar high!

I like this shop, it sells weird food. Wally’s delicatessen not only has an unconventional name but also stocks some of the not so conventional goodies that you can’t get anywhere else. The shop is like a fish bowl, take a look inside as you pass by and decide if you do in fact want to try some of that strangeness that is marshmallow fluff.
American imports and other food products imported to Cardiff just for you all reside here. The perfect place to pop in for something a little different to snack on or to purchase as a gift for someone.
Situated amongst the designer chains of St David’s 2, the prices as expected are going to be super cheap, but it’s always worth investing in something a bit new and exciting to brighten up that dull food noshing day.
I like food, you like food, let’s all go to Wally’s Delicatessen.

Positioned at the heart of how I feel about the new developments in Cardiff is the second incarnation of Wally’s Delicatessen.
Like St David’s II itself, this shop still has the quality of business you could find elsewhere in town. Yet, with its clean-​cut image it has most certainly lost the soul of its older sister. Sacrificing that special delicatessen charm which urges you to pay up an hour’s wages for a loaf of bread, this store is tailored for the mainstream and is more focused on the quick thrills of the chocolate counter than the excitement of discovering an exciting new ingredient.
That said, it is refreshing to see a local business in a new development dominated by monstrous and monotonous chains, and so perhaps the family business can be credited for moving with the times. Of course, it is preferable to see Cardiff’s businesses adapt at a similar pace to the city, than lose out.
Perhaps the most helpful way to think of this Wally’s is as a tempting strawberry-​flavoured signpost or a truffel on the trail to the real thing. After all, if you caught in St David’s looking for a proper deli, I’m sure they can point you in the right direction.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Make like the lovely Natalie A. and post something found here to a loved one

Every month I buy a tub of Liquorice Fish from Wally’s Deli and post them to my Grampy in Cornwall. Why? Because one day I wondered into this store, saw Liquorice Fish and thought my Grampy would like them. He did. We can’t get them anywhere in Cornwall, so now I post him some once a month.
This is what Wally’s Deli is. A wonderful place that sells all the goodies you can’t buy in a supermarket. Chocolate pretzels that I’ve spent years trying to find in the UK. Peanut butter and jam in the same jar. I don’t even know what Marshmallow Fluff is.
As well as American products, this particular store sells a variety of biscuits and sweets, including some Welsh things. Their huge bags of sherbet Flying Saucers (my favourite sweets) are amazing.
Probably not somewhere you want to take friends who love sweets and American brands but don’t live in Cardiff: you WILL be posting them food once a month. But at least you don’t have to go all the way to the USA to get it.

Wally’s Deli is a jewel in the Royal Arcades crown. It just fits in sense of style and content. If it wasn’t so well known it would be one of those shops you regard as a real find and would like to keep to yourself. In someways it reminds me of a fairy tale style sweet shop located in a quaint picturesque make believe village.
The exterior looks good enough to tempt you in and on stepping inside your eyes will take a while to adjust as they sweep over the cornucopia of goodies. There is so much variety all displayed with a nod to the aesthetics of its placement.
This is a business that is built on passion and even though it’s not cheap its hard not purchase something.
If I would a foodstuff I’d be proud to be sold at Wally’s

A lot smaller than Wally’s main store in Royal Arcade, this shop in the sparkly new St David’s 2 shopping mall has chosen to focus more on sweet treats than whole foods.
This is a clever approach, I think, because local fans of Wally’s will already know where the bigger, original shop is — and will still head there every time to stock up. Visitors or passing trade, however, are likely to be lured into this new little shop because it sells such a lovely range of tempting goodies — many of which you can scoff there and then while you’re shopping. As well as the traditional sweets, artisan chocolates and biscuits on offer, there are some savoury nibbles, including items that would make nice gifts — but for a far wider choice head to their wonderful main shop in Royal Arcade.

I just want to add a little tiny extra in here and say that I went in here to buy a selection of chocolates for my mum. (You may have seen the review in which I decided against going for the slimy Thorntons…) She was so happy with the beautiful selection of chocolates that she got, and I was even happier when she very lovingly decided to offer everyone one. When I have children I’m definitely keeping my mother’s day presents to myself! The service was excellent and the staff helped me to choose what I wanted (from the wide range) because I was dithering around so much. This is excellent in every way and, even though it’s a little more expensive, the look on the face of the person you love when you hand them over is priceless. If you want to buy them for yourself, though, I also recommend it. Just stand in front of a mirror when you eat that first one…

I’ve been going to the Wallys Delicatessens in the Morgan arcade for years, so was very interested to see what I would make of their first ever new store in the St David’s 2 center.
On the whole I was quite satisfied and impressed. The store is not as big as the original, nor does it have as much stock. This is for the better though, as it is ascetically pleasing, and I have often felt that the other store packs far too much in.
A further difference is that this new store focuses far more on the sweeter things in life. There is a mouthwatering selection of handmade chocolates, a wide variety of old fashioned sweets, and some simply breathtaking gingerbread houses, which are already on my Christmas list for next year.
They do sell some of the more savory products (though if that’s what your after I’d head for their other store), including a rather nice selection of oils, which are far superior to anything you get in a supermarket.
Finally the great thing about this store, is that it really makes a nice change from all the big brand names that dominate St David’s 2. It’s so nice to see an independent retailer doing so well, and I would truly encourage anyone to check out Wallys.

Wally’s deli version 2 is the Arcades Wally’s sweeter cousin. Bustling with Easter goodies at the moment it’s hard to tell what is normally carried, but I for one do not give a damn when their is so much scrumptious chocolate on display.
Being an upmarket deli, you’ll get lots of beautifully decorated food. You pay for it, but your paying for quality that feels deserved.
I love the shop as well, floor to ceiling glass and brightly lit, Wally’s oozes with metropolitan class. You great great service, with lovely staff. Put all those ingredients in a blender and you’ve got your self tasty metaphorical pie.