Bobbie B's Deli - Granby Street, Norfolk

So many restaurants, so little time. How did we miss this one for so long? Bobbie B's Deli was a wonderful surprise. Located down at the "other end" of Granby Street, it's well worth the walk. They was not an empty table when we arrived last Tuesday at lunch time. A lot of folks get their food to go, and a girl parked at a 4 top while waiting for her order gladly gave it up. Bobbie B's is not fancy. I am pretty sure no one paid a designer to help with the decor. There is a little "shrine" to NASCAR behind the register, and a couple of bobble head figurines on the counter. You order at the register, grab a seat if you can, and they call our your number when it is ready. They use Dietz and Watson meats. All the ingredients from the bread, to the veggies, to the meat are very fresh. Prices in this place are beyond reasonable. And.....drum roll please...cheapest soda in town! (If you have reading us for awhile you know I have a thing about over-priced sodas. We non-coffee drinking people need our caffeine too!) $1.45 for a super-sized large with free unlimited refills while you dine in.

I ordered one of the daily specials, Ranchero Chicken Wrap, and it came with a side. I selected the cucumber salad. The salad was a little different than your typical cuc salad, adding red onion, pimento and chunky cucumber. I liked it very much. The wrap was wonderful. It had a sneaky hot sauce that I didn't really recognize until I was almost through the first half. By the end of the wrap I was really feeling it, but in a good way. I am not really a fan of "hot" spice, but I liked this wrap and didn't leave a crumb. Our Friend Brianna* ordered one of my favorite deli sandwiches, a Reuben, replacing the sauerkraut with Cole Slaw. Of course, this means it really wasn't really a Reuben anymore, but it still looked great. There was a nice, thick layer of corned beef. They didn't grill it either, another Reuben requirement, but toasted it instead. Brianna said it was delicious.

Once again, Alex and I got sucked into buying dessert. Why did they have to put cake, Red Velvet cake at that, right next to the register? I have no idea where they get their cakes, or who baked this but...WOW. Alex and I have been privy to some bad cake recently. It is such a let down. This cake was dynamite! The center layer was not icing, it was cheesecake, then the traditional white icing was on the outside. I couldn't even wait until after taking the picture to take a bite!

So two thumbs up, only because I don't have three thumbs. Print of their online coupon, bring it with you and a friend, and get half off the second meal. I also have to mention the menu typo (intentional perhaps) that lists "Cold Slaw" as one of their salads. It got a few good giggles in the office.

_Laine

I have passed Bobbie B’s without going in more times than I can ever count and now I am sorry I did not investigate sooner. Laine, Brianna* and I were leaving another restaurant in the vicinity and made a point to put this deli on our to review list. A day came when it was under one hundred degrees and we decided to make the journey down Granby Street.

Bobbie B’s is a no frills type of locale but the kind of establishment that has regulars; businessmen and other office folks, police officers and some young adults who live downtown. Bobbie’s has sandwich selections along with a build your own variety. I had previewed the menu online, as I usually do with a new spot. This prevents me from dawdling in my decision making. We approached the counter and I knew I wanted the vegetarian sandwich with avocado, sprouts, tomato, onions, cucumbers and provolone on wheat. Sandwiches come with a side and between the Cole slaw and the cucumber salad, the nice girl at the counter preferred the cucumber salad and I went with her recommendation. As I waited, I contemplated some of the other downtown deli vegetarian sandwiches, which have not always impressed me. I have to say I did not have high expectations and was waiting for something mediocre. Fortunately, I was proven very, very wrong. My number was called and my sandwich looked like a picture, the ones that never match the actual food you receive. The bread was toasted and the vegetables fresh, even the tomatoes. So many times, when I order a sandwich, the tomatoes are so pale and tasteless. I was tickled with the cucumber salad as well. Homemade with just the right level of tang, this side was an excellent choice. All sandwiches come with a pickle as well. For $5.25, that is a steal. The large sodas are $1.45 and you can have all the refills your heart desires. This price is the best yet.

Laine and I saw slice of homemade red velvet cake and decided we must split a piece. I think is the best red velvet cake I have ever had. It had a layer of cheesecake in the middle and then the cream cheese icing. The cake was moist and we both could not believe the price, $3.

I am very excited to have Bobbie B’s as another casual option where prices are more than reasonable and the food is solid. This strikes me as the place where a take-out would be as good as a sit-in meal. They have soups and salads, which we spied on other diners’ tables and which looked like something we will try the next time around. Sandwiches come ‘double-stacked’ for a small fee, if you are ravenous and other sides include potato salad, mac n’ cheese and fruit salad. Desserts are homemade and change daily. While Bobbie B’s does not have servers per se, the staff there is friendly and fast. The gentleman who refilled my drink three times did not seem annoyed at all.

The group having lunch around us included office types, a few police officers and a young couple, who gave us the table they used to wait. Bobbie B’s is small, so you may have a wait a few to grab a seat, but this is the type of place that moves patrons quicker than other establishments. I would imagine they have a lot of to-go and catering business and Bobbie B’s also serves breakfast until 11am.

~Alex

433 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23510-1913
(757) 623-7444
(Look for the chef statue out front.)
Breakfast
7:30 AM until 11 AM

www.bobbiebsdeli.com