DaFoodie

My friend Lisa is great at giving me tips for eateries that I wouldn’t otherwise know about. Yesterday she told me about Brandywine’s Deli, which is located on Park Avenue in Winter Park. Wow. Let me just say this:  IT’S FRESH.

Normally, Park Avenue bugs me. The parking is atrocious and the red-light running while you crawl slowly up and down the street drives me nuts. I really only go for events or to the Wine Room, where my poor wine locker sits neglected. Thankfully, Brandywine’s is at the very north end of Park Avenue, so there are plenty of places to park and you don’t have to worry about opening your door into moving traffic. Whew.

Brandywine’s has been open since 1972, and has a loyal following. I discovered that I’ve not only been around for as long as Brandywine’s has, but I also have a (very small) following - I met a DaFoodie Blog reader while waiting to order in line. Not only does he read my reviews, but says he also takes to heart some of my recommendations. The good news is that I didn’t try and force an autograph on him or anything.

We waited in line for a while, because the place was packed for lunch that day:

The staff kept things moving right along. It’s true deli-style, with counter-ordering and lite fare. The menu and specials are posted on chalkboards behind the deli counter:

You can do a build-your-own sandwich or choose from a number of different house sandwich specialties. They have everything from Knockwurst (the Knockout) to a veggie sandwich to hot roast beef & muenster (the Brandywine Special) to a Club Supreme to a tuna sandwich. You can also order a salad (regular or side), and also choose from a variety of sides:

Those beets were calling my name… They have potato salad, macaroni salad, tri-color pasta salad with house pesto, cole slaw, tomato salad, carrot-raisin salad, petite green beans with soy-ginger dressing, and the pickled beets.

As you can see, everything is FRESH. From the spinach/greens mix on my sandwich to the bread itself, everything was moist and delicious. Here is Lisa’s veggie sandwich on a whole wheat Kaiser roll:

And here is my Ham & Swiss sandwich on pumpernickel bread:

All sandwiches are served with chips and a very fresh, crispy pickle wedge. Yum. They have fountain drinks, teas, and also a variety of Dr. Brown’s sodas (I always get the black cherry wherever I can grab it). They also have desserts:

We didn’t try any cookies, but I’m definitely going to get a chocolate chip supreme next time.

While the seating area is fairly limited, there is ample seating outside. There are a few sunny spots and quite a few seats in the shade - you can see some of the shaded outside seating on the left here:

Overall, I was quite impressed with the quality and freshness of my sandwich, and they absolutely did not skimp on the quantity! The staff was super-nice and engaging, even though they were completely packed that day. I definitely will be back to Brandywine’s!

Brandywine’s Delicatessen
505 N Park Ave #115
Winter Park, FL 32789
407-647-0055