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If we had a dime for every new shop that claimed to be home to "the best sandwiches in Shanghai" we'd still have nowhere near enough money to afford lunch at City Deli, the latest eatery claiming to have "the best sandwiches in Shanghai." And you know what? Their Reuben (pictured) is pretty damn good. Real rye bread. Real Thousand Island dressing. Real sauerkraut. And real swiss cheese (although maybe not enough). The bread slices weren't huge, but the (real) pastrami was piled high in between. It was a real Reuben. And really tasty.
It probably would have tasted even better had it not taken well over an hour to get to our office. And that is what concerns us about City Deli — their delivery service (very important for a delivery-only establishment). To their credit, the foreign guy (we are guessing American ... we apologize if you are Canadian) who took our order told us they were running late, and we did call at the lunchtime rush, around 12:30 pm. And then 45 minutes or so later, they called again and said the food was ready — they were just waiting on the "kuaidi guy." This concerned us slightly since the menu described our pastrami as being "hot and tender" and we also ordered a minestrone soup that one would assume was also meant to be served hot. We figured waiting for a kuadi guy wasn't going to help the hotness much.
The other thing that had us slightly concerned was the phrase "kuaidi guy." We figured that is just what they call their delivery staff, but when our food did arrive, sure enough, it was in the hands of a real kuadi — the same guy who you'd hire to take a package across town. This particular kuadi was employed by a company called TIZ Express. So, City Deli appears to be outsourcing its delivery services, which is well and good, but anyone who has dealt with kuadi services in Shanghai knows they can be very unreliable. Maybe City Deli has it figured out. Maybe they have some kind of exclusive arrangement. Whatever, it didn't seem to work so well today. But we did get two free Cokes for our trouble.
We really hope City Deli's delivery strategy does work for them — it was a good sandwich — and next time we'd like to be able to eat it sooner. We would have to assume City Deli is only going to get busier (they must be pretty new) so ironing out the delivery service wrinkles is very important. Probably wise of them to launch during the Western holiday season.
Some people might be turned off by City Deli's prices — our Reuben was listed at RMB 55, but for some reason we were only charged 50. Other sandwiches, like Roast Beef and Turkey Avocado, will set you back RMB 65. You can view City Deli's menu here.
Have you tried City Deli? Let us know what you thought in a comment.
City Deli, delvery only. Tel: 62561973. Email: citydelishanghai@gmail.com.
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(I'll vote Bund18 (ground floor) for best Panini in town, @50RMB. )
RMB 50 for a sandwich that's just some processed meat, cheese and sauerkraut in two pieces of bread? That's just ridiculously expensive. How much would it have cost to make it yourself?
@ visitor
Have you ever tried to buy Swiss cheese (or any decent sandwich cheese), rye bread and pastrami in Shanghai?
@Dan
No I haven't. The last time I went to SH was about 20 years ago. I guess you are trying to tell me that it's next to impossible to buy Swiss cheese, rye bread and pastrami in SH? This is a bit surprising since there are thousands of westerners living in SH and surely someone would have realised that there is a market there for these really common western foods ...
Not impossible, just pretty expensive. Cheese especially is really outrageously priced.
So who had the best sandwich in Shanghai 20 years ago?
Isnt a Subway 12 incher only 30rmb or there abouts? Dont they deliver in Shanghai? I remember they did in Qingdao, well, before it closed down they did.
@Dan
Interesting, so how much is a pack of 10-piece sliced swiss cheese in SH? I guess the cheese and the pastrami are both imported from overseas, that's why they are so expensive. Just for my curiosity, how much is a foot long meat ball sandwich in Subway in SH?
I didn't get to eat sandwichs during my trip to SH 20 years ago, and the very idea of eating raw tomato in sliced bread spreaded with butter would have horrified me.
55 RMB isn't THAT expensive for a sandwich. Heck, I am back in the US and 8 USD for a reuben isn't outragously expensive. Sure, it's double the price of a subway "sandwich," but it's on par with something made in a deli. And cheaper than the EXCELLENT Archie B's in Hong Kong (but that place has real egg creams and is muy authentico).
WHENEVER a specific commodity is reviewed, be it a sandwich or not, the price is at utmost importance and has to be kept in Context of Shanghai.
In fact, many review sites will write in the first paragraph, the name, type and price.
50RMB for a take away sandwich in SHANGHAI is expensive. No doubt about it. You can get TWO great sandwiches from a well known foreign cafe in town for 44RMB. Two big sandwiches.
Plenty of places in Shanghai these days to purchase the "real imported stuff" and it would cost far less.
Now, for the actual review: a sandwich relies heavily on the BREAD. They are not importing THAT are they? You know why? Because you can easily get good quality bread in Shanghai in more than one place.
Request for an article: where to get good bread in Shanghai, bakeries etc.
Thanks.
InC - Really good bread can be found at Gourmet in the Pudong Shangri-La (yes, Pudong, but just outside the Lujiazui stop). They have crusty loaves of sourdough, baguettes, olive loaves, ciabatta and other varieties, as well as great pastry. And after 6pm it's all 50 percent off.
Umm--what place do YOU go to that has good, authentic sandwiches for 20 kuai each? The best thing I can come up with is the Element Fresh takeout fridge at City Shopper, which sells chicken salad sandwiches for about 20. 30-40 RMB I think is pretty par for the course for delivery for normal sandwiches that use local ingredients. 55 RMB for pastrami (something that definitely wouldn't be locally produced) seems about right.
there is this new place on Huai Hai Zhong Lu called WHISK that puts out an amazing panini sandwich....and has some of the cheapest coffee that this city has to offer. 30 kuai for a panini and a cheap cheap cheap 10-20 kuai for a coffee that's made when you order it. i recommend that everyone check it out. 1250 Huai Hai Zhong Lu, near the Changshu lu metro station.
oh I will check it out since it's so close to me.
guys it's no big deal for sandwhich of 50RMB issue, someone is just sharing info..like provided with price and comment by others, you make your own decision whether to go or not.
What I crave more often is pasta. Does anyone know of any good delivered pasta for less than
The Hilton on Changshu Rd has great bread products.
For bread, the Japanese place at Jingan (Yamazuki?) is the best Ive had in Shanghai. Great walnut rolls. Their white is perfect for PB&J.
500 words on buying a sandwich - utterly fascinating - what we do without the internet to advance society
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for all the great comments and feedback. We are listening. We have lowered our prices, hired more permanent delivery staff, and expanded our menu.
For a copy of our new menu, please email us citydelishanghai@gmail.com or add us on MSN Instant Messenger citydelishanghai@gmail.com.
Our website will be coming soon www.citydeli.cn.
Have a nice lunch,
The City Deli Staff
We have expanded our menu to include Mexican food. We make our salsa and guacamole fresh everyday.
Give it a try. The new menu is up on our website www.citydeli.cn
thanks,
City Deli
Put in the context of expats living in Shanghai who have cravings for something seemingly as simple as a good deli sandwich, this place sounds awesome. Sure, we woudl all like lower pricing, but sometimes when the demand for raw veggies, cold meat, sliced cheese on bread , which is still very small compared to the local demand for something over rice, it is logical that the prices will be higher.
I will have to try this place out this week...been meaning to but just have not had the chance. Then I can compare it to teh other good sandwiches in twon that I like from Moon River Diner's deli, Deli NYC, and The Sandwich.
NYC DELI has way better deals and much better food. Come check it out. We have one location in Puxi and one location in Pudong. A must try for everyone. www.Delinyc.com