Divino Deli, Worrall Road: Review

Tucked away on Clifton’s Worrall Road is Divino Deli: an Italian-run Italian deli and cafe for whose owners, it is clear, customer service is key.

Walk through the front door, and you’re faced with shelf upon shelf of Italian goodies: racks of wine, all labelled with tasting notes; shelves heaving with pasta, tomatoes, truffle products, chocolate and more; huge hams hanging behind the counter; and plenty of coffee, oils and vinegars to take home.

In the centre of the shop, you’ll find a large table laden with olives and marinated vegetables in big bowls, ready for you to help yourself, while the counter itself is jam-packed full of sandwiches, drinks, cured meats and sweet treats.

As well as selling Italian produce for customers to take home, Divino Deli does a roaring lunch trade with a choice of hot and cold dishes, sandwiches and drinks to either take away or eat at the high counters on two sides of the venue.

The Italian pop music playing over the radio sets the tone of the deli from the off: walk in and you’re greeted in a mixture of Italian and English and friendly, smiling faces before you’re left to decide on your order.

While the antipasti, hot dishes and salads on the menu were tempting, I ordered from the panini section of the menu: choosing an Italian Stallion focaccia (£4.90) and a Diet Coke (£1.50), I was asked if I would like my sandwich toasted (yes please), invited to take a seat and told that my order would be brought over.

My drink was brought over with a newspaper (“in case you’d like to read it”), which was a nice touch. My focaccia followed shortly afterwards, attractively presented on a rectangular plate and served with a small rocket and Parmesan salad on the side.

The bread itself was flecked with olives and sundried tomatoes, with big flakes of salt on the top and a beautiful texture. The fillings were pretty impressive too: tender stems of marinated broccoli, perfectly melted mozzarella, slices of yet more sundried tomato and a generous spreading of pesto. Rather than the advertised 3 salamis, I was presented with a focaccia filled with 2 salamis and one ham, but it was still fantastic. The thinly sliced ham was full of flavour and with a rich seam of fat, while the two salamis – one highly spiced, one rich and meaty – were also fantastic.

My one criticism would be the lack of even distribution of the fillings: one side was packed while the other was virtually empty (but a little redistribution by me at the table soon sorted this out).

While I don’t like the fact that Divino Deli’s cakes and pastries are left uncovered on the counter, their stand packed full of cannoli was too attractive to pass up. Priced at £1 each, the choice between pistachio, lemon and chocolate-filled was a tough one to make. Eventually, it was the pistachio that won: with a super crunchy shell and a decadently thick filling with a fairly subtle flavour, it was definitely a good choice.

It’s clear that Divino Deli have a number of regular customers: it was good to see the same high quality of service with both new and established customers alike – but with some of the regulars I saw while eating my lunch, the little touches (such as remembering which sausages one customer had known and loved the week before) highlight just important great customer service is to the team. It’s a shame it’s a bit of a trek from my flat, but I’ll definitely be back.