Deli Next Door

The Natural Foods Co-​Op has been an institution in Skagit Valley since 1973 and the Deli Next Door is their restaurant outlet which literally used to be next door until they knocked down the wall. This place is not for everyone but if you enjoy all-​natural style cooking the food here is well above average. Most dishes are far more flavorful than similar places. The sandwiches are very good, the soups are consistently delicious and my favorite is the salad bar. Prices are high but not outrages for all organic food. It can get very crowded at lunch but if you’re in a hurry there are sandwiches you can just grab. Best bet if in a hurry is the Hot & Cold bar where you can fill a single plate with a great green salad and choose from about 8 hot dishes all for one price: $ 6.99 per pound. That’s just $ 1 more per pound than Haggen’s salad bar and for all organic food! I’ll give The Deli Next Door 4 stars with the qualification «In it’s class». Compared to restaurants overall it would probably rate 3 stars due to some lack of variety, (i.e. more meat dishes), more traditional restaurant food quality, (like softer bread etc.) and sit down service.

Located inside the Skagit Valley Food Co-​Op, Deli Next Door is a hippie version of a supermarket deli counter. Its one of those places you want so badly to like, but you just can’t stomach the flavor free fare. The cold cuts used in the signature sandwiches are of decent quality, however the bread used is substandard at best. The tortilla like chips they serve on the side are bland and uninspired. The deli is extremely busy for lunch and waits can extend well past the acceptable norm. The coffee here is not very good, yet better than downtown Mount Vernon’s other coffee shops.

Great place for deli lunch foods that are healthy, organic, out of the ordinary. The Co-​op next door (same business I think, just different divisions…) is a great place to stop in for natural foods and soaps and household products, garden seeds, organic wines and beers, you name it. You don’t need to be a vegetarian to enjoy eating and shopping this business.