Sympathy For the Deli

Tried Sympathy For the Deli’s Whole Wild Pig «buffet» at Ponysauras last weekend and for a first experience it was A-​OK. For $ 10 you received two sides (mac & cheese, coleslaw and creamed sweet potatoes), your choice of brisket or pulled pork and a roll. Overall, I think the value for the portion size was off, I ordered the brisket and received two very thin slices. Although, in their favor, the brisket was AMAZING! Incredibly tender, juicy and something I would RUN back for. I also ordered the sweet potatoes and mac & cheese for sides, and while the sweet potatoes were delicious, the mac & cheese tasted like it’d been sitting out too long: cold and therefore dry. The rolls they served were also incredibly dry. I didn’t try the pulled pork, but the separate consensus from all three people that ordered it at our table was: disappointing. If you can’t get pulled pork right in North Carolina, you should go home and try longer. Overall, since the brisket was so delightful, I’d definitely return to Sympathy for the Deli if I see them around.

Last night, I had my first SFTD sandwich at Carrboro Town Commons. They were one of only four food stands/​trucks for a completely packed outdoor concert and were understandably overwhelmed with long lines and customers.
By the time we ordered, all of the vegetarian options had been erased from the menu due to high demand. I was bummed and ordered the chicken sandwich without the chicken (because the rest of it sounded so yummy). She asked if I would be ok with them replacing the chicken with avocado, and I was thrilled. Unfortunately, a few minutes later, the chef poked his head out and apologized since they had then run out of avocado. He asked if a grilled cheese would be ok. I agreed.
When he handed me my grilled cheese, he also gave me back my money, even though I never asked for it. On top of hat, it was the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had!
SFTD was understandably struggling with the huge crowds last night, but they MORE than made it up to me. I’ll definitely be visiting them again!

First time at SFTD. Had the Reuben — lots of juicy, tender pastrami on buttery, toasted Guglhopf rye. Wonderful! Like the «sustainable», locally-​sourced meats, cured and prepped in the Bull City. Definitely worth a try.

Ok, I have no idea why this truck gets good reviews the sandwiches are a disgrace! Today, I ordered a Turkey Reuben, fairly easy to execute no? Not for this roach coach… It had a few chucks of some type of unseasoned poultry, thrown on a piece of soggy rye with slices of plane cabbage… no Swiss, no Russian, no taste. seriously, it sucked. Oh, by the way, that mess runs you almost $ 10!
These clowns roast a few birds then makeup up half a dozen sandos to use up the meat… turkey Reuben, chicken something, grilled bla bla bla… it’s a joke.
You suck sympathy for the crappy sandwich. Step up your game or leave the truck scene to the pros!

Absolutely one of my favorite trucks to come by my office. When this truck is in town, I don’t miss it. Something about the grilled bread and homemade sauerkraut really makes this Reuben stand out. With house-​cured and house-​smoked meats, these are some of the best sandwiches in the Triangle. The peakles aren’t my favorite, but everything else I’ve ever ordered is delicious, including the vegetarian roasted beet sandwich. That includes their apparently one-​time-​only smoked pimiento cheddar cheese with pepper and herb bacon and caramelized onions.

I am not sandwich people. But this is a damn good sammich.
We were trapped inside of Fullsteam over the weekend, hunkered down, avoiding the tornado warnings and between the rain drops, we ordered 2 sandwiches from Sympathy to enjoy while we took cover. Normally, cold sandwiches really aren’t my thing (just ask my mother grades pre-​K thru senior year), but with bad weather pending, I’m prone to making exceptions.
I had a very simple roast beef sandwich with lettuce, onion and herb mayo. It was really a perfect sandwich. No frills, good quality products, and a great combo of flavors. Jay greatly enjoyed his French Dip*less, which is roast beef, melted Swiss & caramelized onions on an au jus-​soaked baguette. The bread is pre-​dipped! Genius!
I would have no qualms ordering another sandwich from Sympathy for the Deli.

SFD came to my office campus recently for a mini-​food truck rodeo. I ordered the turkey reuben and a side of kettle chips for close to $ 10.
I love me a good reuben sandwich and SFD did not disappoint! The reuben sauce was bold and had that bite to it that I love and the turkey was definitely fresh. In my opinion, the kraut could have been a little more pickled. The bread was grilled to perfection.
The chips also had a perfect crunch but could have used some more salt.
Keep in mind that I had to take my food back to my office which took me about 15 minutes. I’m sure everything would have been even more delicious had I eaten it fresh.
All in all, the food was delicious but a tad pricey for a sandwich and chips.

At the last food truck rodeo, this was our third stop! My boyfriend and I decided to split a Smoked Turkey sandwich. It was about a five to ten minute wait, but it was well worth it! Smokey turkey, herb mayo, crispy lettuce, tomato, onion, and swiss between two slices of toasted sourdough bread. I’m usually not a *sandwich* fanatic, but this was so good that it made it to my «to eat» list for the next food truck rodeo! The freshness of the ingredients and the moan-​with-​your-​mouth-​closed Guglhupf bread was to die for!
I’m not a fan of the peakles (spicy, pickled sugar snap peas), but they are definitely worth trying out!
**Be sure to ask for your sandwiches hot!

I’ve tried Sympathy for the Deli twice now, once this past Wednesday when they were over at the old baseball stadium and again last night when they were parked in front of Fullsteam.
The first time they were out of smoked turkey and were doing a smoked chicken sandwich instead which I tried. It cannot be denied it was a good sandwich. Great bread, nice chunks of chicken that I could taste the smoked flavor in, veggie ingredients that were strong and a tasty herb mayo that complimented it well.
The most recent excursion I decided to go for the top of the menu and grab a Reuben (though they use their pastrami on this, not corned beef). I was already in a good mood as the worker surprised us by finding us inside of Fullsteam to deliver our sandwiches when they were ready.
The reuben was also damn good. The pastrami clearly had a nice spice rub base to it and I tasted some smokiness. Their kraut that came with it was definitely tasty.
There is nothing innovativative about what Sympathy for the Deli does in the same vein as Toast. They make classic sandwiches and try to do them right with the best local ingredients and they definitely deliver! The sandwiches are a good size but not huge if you are particular hungry, I still had room to split some falafel tots from Mama Dukes to complete my dinner.
Definitely a good addition to the Durham food truck scene and one I would be happy to buy from again when they are around.

Excellent sandwich food truck! Most of the sandwiches are non-​vegetarian. What makes their food excellent is the attention to the small details… texture/​quality of the bread they use, whatever it is they do w/​the meat to give it the perfect texture and flavor, etc. They use hand-​cured and organic meat and Guglhupf bread, while still keeping their sandwiches in a super reasonable price range: $ 6 – 8.
I shared a French Dip-​less with my bf and we both agreed that it was really good. It came with onions caramelized just right, au jus, delicious beef, and provolone cheese sandwiched between bread that was baked almost crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Maybe it was intentional on their part to keep offering the classics (and doing it well), but the only suggestion I have is for them to experiment with more unconventional ingredients and interesting combinations like a few other food trucks do, and have more specials. Currently, their menu features the classic: pastrami on rye, reuben, french dip-​less, BLT, veggie, and grilled caprese. However, I will definitely be coming back to try their Reuben, peakles, and chips!

I am not typically a sandwich buying lady. However, while sitting outside of Fullsteam this past Saturday drinking a delicious beer SFTD infiltrated my nose with delicious smells of meat on the griddle. While this does not always get my taste buds going – this time I could not resist as it was mid-​afternoon and I needed lunch (not to mention the 2 pints I had just consumed)
While talking to the guys who run SFTD I learned they proudly prep their meats. Such as roasting their beef for roast beef and salting and cutting their pork belly to make yummy bacon. This was definitely a selling point to me because I believe in doing things myself if I can do them well.
I tried the French Dip-​less which was wonderful. They soak the bun in Au jus to make it easier to sell as a street food from a food truck. They put sauteed onions and provolone along with SFTD roast beef on this sandwich and serve it hot. I added lettuce just to give it more crispiness. I am definitely a fan of this sandwich and will give this deli truck another shot!
Also try the pickled peas. They give you a sample with your sandwich and I added it just because and it was great!

I believe these folks sent someone to smoke a pig all day for our friends wedding and seriously I can honestly say without any reservations it was the best pulled pork I have ever had! EVER! When I saw there was a pig smoking away outside upon our arrival at the reception, I promptly knew where I would line up first for food. Seriously I was probably the second person in line for pig pickin’, we had a choice between Memphis style vinegar sauce and a traditional North Carolina style vinegar sauce both of which pretty much blew my socks off. Yum!

Sympathy For the Deli has sandwiches (or sammiches, depending on what word you want to use). Unlike Mick Jagger, they are appetizing and not in any way lanky. The BLT is full of Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato, and is a perfect well-​sized sandwich. The chips are quite nice too, with a dash of rosemary added in for good measure. Basically it’s another awesome food truck in the wonderful magic food truck land of Durham. If you’re looking for some good food truck grub, this is definitely a good pick.

Had their reuben at the grand opening for the cookery this past weekend, and I must say I am a fan! This may be hands down the best sandwhich in durham definitely the best one on wheels. As a bonus they were giving away free pickled snow peas, which were delicious!
I will definitely be eating here again, more than likely soon!

Finally got the opportunity to try this truck at the DCP Food Truck Rodeo. I ordered the turkey sandwich and was given the option of hot or cold. Since I was saving it for dinner (already got the American Meltdown pigs’n’figs), I said cold. The guy at the counter made the off-​hand comment that it was still good cold.
Knowing the general rule of thumb that everything is better toasted, I put it in my george foreman grill. I liked that the turkey was pieces rather than deli sliced, but other than that, I thought the whole thing was rather bland (and not just underwhelming). I couldn’t really tell what the sauce was supposed to be and the turkey for sure had no marinade. The bread wasn’t very sourdough-​y.
Maybe my expectations were too high, but I doubt I’ll give this another try, especially since there are so many food trucks.

This was my first dipless french dip experience and overall it was pretty good. The baguette was delicious and somehow they managed that balance of having the au jus in the bread without it being completely soggy. It was a very meaty french dip with a light amount of swiss and caramelized onions on it. It was very filling and amazingly not messy at all. That being said — If they offer a side of the au jus I would request that next time. Guess I prefer the option to dip.
Plenty of peakles to share come in one order. Get any thoughts of the natural sweetness of the sugar snap pea out of your head because it totally tastes like pickle with a slight kick.

Jumping on the bandwagon, and this is a BFD! I’m a sandwich snob… I don’t like spending money on something I can slap together in my kitchen with minimal effort. So it typically takes innovative, loaded, razzle-​dazzle-​me sandwiches to win me over.
Stopped by Sympathy for the Deli at the Food Truck rodeo. Liked that the line was short. And ordered a simple turkey sandwich, expecting an average, standard, something. And so I was blown away by how much I enjoyed what I got. Yes: simple, standard. Meat between bread. No fancy fixings. But my God, it was SO good. I can’t even explain it. I know they use local meats and fresh ingredients. But that still doesn’t explain what exactly made this deli sammie so much greater than the sum of its parts. And greater than any deli sandwich I’ve had before.
Says I to my husband, «This tastes just like Thanksgiving.»
Says he, «It tastes better.»

All I can say is that I had one of their sides, the «peackles», and they were amazing. Basically, they were pickled sugar snap peas, which were awesome and something that I have never had before. I am a huge fan of pickled everything, and this is at the top of my list in terms of pickled items. You must try these next time you see, or are at, the Sympathy for the Deli truck.
The peackles were all i ordered (while I was waiting in line for food from another truck), but I heard that the bread on their sandwiches is very tasty and high-​quality.

Whoaaaaa — this truck is awesome. Found them at the N&O today, and grabbed a BLT. Everything about it was perfect. Unbelievably flavorful bacon, just the right amount of mayo, on awesome sourdough bread. I had to turn down an offer of some duck tater tots from a friend (from Kokyu) because I didn’t want to lose the taste of this awesome sandwich in my mouth.
Line moved quick, food came quick, it’s an awesome new-​looking truck (trailer actually), the food was great, they bag it up with plenty of napkins… A+

Let me tell you– I have no sympathy for this deli truck. When you’re this nomazing, you’re only getting applause from me, not pity! Andrew and I split a Pastrami on Rye, and I knew from the first bite that we made a mistake. We should NOT have split it. Delicious meat, toasted bread, amazing mustard and swiss cheese all melted together? Seriously good stuff. What really stood our about this truck, however, was their pea-​kles, these awesome little pickled sugar snap peas. They popped in my mouth with a wonderful briney and spicy kick. Fresh and crunchy, they were the perfect complement to the sandwich.
Now I’m just planning my next visit… no sharing allowed!