Tony’s Deli

Tony’s Deli sits right on a corner of some downtown buildings as you get closer into the heart of downtown Sanford. Parking is easy, and the Deli shows a lot of promise. However, it just doesn’t live up to all it could be. They are frequently «out» of dishes, so you never know whether they will have something that day. The food is subpar, though the Gyros are almost always «in» and moderately good. Last time I had their chicken it was rather dry. It took awhile to get my food, even though it was lunchtime. Basically, in the end, there’s not a compelling reason to go here.

Great little spot! Consistently good food! So many choices for me being a vegetarian and hubby loves the lamb shwarma. Falafel and hummus are always my go-​to and add a side of the beans or avocado salad. Yumm!

Simply put it wasn’t very good. I came with a friend of mine during lunch. We both excited to find a place near work that served shawarma. He ordered the lamb and I decided to get the «mix» which is a combination of chicken and lamb. First of all, it wasn’t lamb. It was gyro meat which is 90% beef 10% lamb. Chicken was alright but nothing special. They added something to shawarma that neither my friend or mine could figure out. It was almost like hummus but not really. People were very nice which is the only reason they got 2 stars. Food was pretty bad.

My girlfriend and I have been going to Tony’s for a long time. Recently the quality of the food and overall experience has gone way down. Last week they had almost nothing to eat. The nice lady working gave us a few grape leaves for driving such a long distance to get there. Tonight we aren’t exactly sure as to what we got when we ordered falafel but it was inedible and had to be thrown out. They haven’t had one of our favorite dishes, the giant lima beans, in a very long time. They overall seem to be short on a lot of items. Tonight in place of napkins they had tissues out on the counter. What has happened? We loved this place and hope it gets back to where it was.

Back in October my wife and I were in Sanford and came across Tony’s Deli but had already eaten. The gentleman out on the corner today waving the sign and shouting out the specials left a memorable impression. I took a picture for some people and he photobombed them and we all laughed about it. Well seeing him out there was the main reason we stopped today for lunch…
We walked in and were a tad bit indecisive but the guy working the counter was the same guy my wife and I met at Rabbitfoot Records and he was just as personable as can be. I decided on the Lamb Shwarma Wrap with Vegan Grape Leaves and a beef pie. My wife had a spinach salad and a beef pie.
(No pic of the spinach salad since it was too blurry. Sorry)
That beef pie ROCKED. I finally found a place that can put a little kick into the meat. That crust was light, crispy and very tasty… Well done. The Vegan Grape Leaves had a nice flavor but I prefer my grape leaves a bit softer and not as chewy. The Lamb Shwarma Wrap was simply wonderful. Just the right amount of everything in my opinion. I tasted my wife’s spinach salad and that dressing was delish.
I was kidding when I said I would love to taste everything in the steam table but the young man gave me a plate with a nibble of everything we did not have to try. I was pleasantly surprised and the only thing negative was that the lentil and rice along with the curry rice could have used a tad bit more salt in my opinion but other than that… Everything I tasted was fantastic. The Beets, Chick Peas and Cabbage with poppy seeds stood out…
If you are in the mood for some good food, great service and an overall great experience from a deli offering some vegan and middle eastern food… Tony’s is a great lil place to check out if you are in Sanford…
A Florida Foodie

What happened to this place. The gyro has changed and so have the falafel. So disappointed :(. Used to be such a good place.

Sad to say it but this not the Tony’s Deli that opened here. None of the same people. Not the same products. This tasted like a food court gyro from a second tier mall. Something was off with their fountain soda machine and my drink tasted bitter. The pita had no flavor other than «soft cardboard». The tzatziki sauce was bland. Perhaps most off putting was the overpowering smell of old fryer oil wafting through the restaurant. This will probably get me in trouble but, when a middle eastern restaurant that was run by 100% folks either from there or raised by parents from there is suddenly run by a group of people with zero connection to the place, the food isn’t going to stay the same. How could it? It’s really a shame. If it stays like this then once again this space will be for rent. This was a two star review. Now it’s one star. Two hours have passed and now I realize the rancid oil smell is so bad I have to wash both my shirt and my jacket to get rid of the stink. That’s unacceptable.

Not inpressed. I’ve had more flavorful gyros. The price was right. A gyro and soda 6 bucks, not bad. It was fair.

I have been wanting to go here for quite some time based off of other reviews because I LOVE gyros, especially a good tsatziki sauce. Stopped by recently and ordered the gyro & soda lunch special.
The service was great, fast, friendly, and the restaurant was bright and clean. The gyro was good but could have been soooo much better if the tzatziki sauce had ANY flavor. Not a hint of garlic, lemon, cucumber, or yogart in whatever the white mystery sauce on my gyro was?
I would try this place again tho, simply off of the great service but not for their gyro.

The best food ever! Made fresh every day by the nicest lady that greets you and serves the best gyros in town as they advertise and its well worth going there. They are consistant, fresh and friendly and we go there over and over because its a buffet and every day is different food. And the prices are reasonable. Love it!

I always pass Tony’s Deli and decided to stop in. Hands down the best gyro I have ever had. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend to come stop in and check it out. They also have a bunch of cool Mediterranean items for sale too like Rose Water!

Was on my work break did a search and found this spot. Just had a falafel wrap and it was sooo good. Yay Vegans ftw! I’ll definitely be coming back if I’m ever in this area again.

I don’t normally go out of my way to write a review, but o my goodness! This place is to die for and very authentic! I’m from Tarpon Springs (the largest and original Greek settlement in the states, so I’ve been around Mediterranean food a bit) and I’m amazed. The sesame sauce, the chicken, i haven’t tried the gyro yet because I’m on a paleo diet (which they have paleo, vegan, & vegetarian options!) I stumbled upon this place after i went to the same crossfit place as my friend and this is 2 doors down and she told me to try it. All I have to say is, yum!

Okay, so on their window it says they have vegan food.
They weren’t kidding.
I walked in with my mom, excited because vegan food, and at first the girl at the counter seemed a little clueless. But i think my mom not being even vegetarian confused her a little.
Anyways, when she understood that I was vegan and didn’t know what to get, she offered to just put everything vegan on a plate and she’d offer me a simple straightforward price.
IT WAS SO GOOD
If i lived closer to this place, I’d be broke really quick.

You know I love Med food and I want to love this place but it isn’t all it can be.
I’ve been three times and its just OK. The pitas need work, grilling them like a panini isn’t working for me. The chicken I had last time was overcooked.
Order at the counter and it gets dropped off at your table. Sorry but I don’t think this warrants a full tip or any at all.
This place has potential but more attention to detail and authentic preparation is needed.

Came in right before the lunch rush. I had high hopes for this place since it seems to be such a local favorite. I ended up getting the combo plater so I could try several dishes– it was definitely above average middle eastern food, but definitely not the best I ever had. Our service ended up being very fast, but I noticed the line moved really slowly after we had gotten our food. Service was friendly. I’d give this place another chance, but it was okay.

My husband and I just finished eating (some) of our food from Toni’s Deli. We love Mediterranean food as we spend our summers all over the Med for work. I ordered a lamb and he ordered a mixed gyro and both were decent. We each got a 4 item combo platter of sides so that we could try loads of things that they offered. I literally took a bite into a grape leaf and spit it out — it was dry and crunchy and was as if it was days old– awful. The okra was cold (we brought it straight home — 2 miles from the place — so should have at least been warm). The falafal was so cold and dry — it was like eating grainy chick pea flour — so bad. The tomato avocado salad was good — hard to mess up though. My husband had the grape leaves and said the same thing, curry rice was dry and tasted old, the baba ganoush tasted sour and his last item (I’m not sure how to spell it) a meat type thing that looked like falafal — so dry as well. All of the food seemed as if it had been days old. We spent $ 37 and if I didn’t have a headache — I would have taken all of it back down to them and demanded my money back. Absolutely awful!
**If they’d like to send me my money back or deliver it — I’d happily take my money back for a lot of thrown away food.

Been going to Tony’s Deli for several years now. Used to love the food until they change the staff. Not sure why but the food don’t taste the same and it’s not being well prepared. I always order the lentil rice with the avocado salad. But this last time the rice was swimming in water and the avocado salad was soaked in olive oil. Even the some customers were complaining about how awful the food taste.

Right smack in the middle of «downtown» Sanford, you’ll find Tony’s in between a few other great restaurants but this is a small one and it’s operated by the owner and how can you not love that? It’s not quite a «deli» as I’m used to. Big focus on Mediterranean food such as gyros and hummus and that’s a good thing.
SHAWARMA! Awesome, filling, hot and tasty! YOU MUST HAVE SHAWARMA. And I also had a small selection of side dishes from their huge side dishes bar.
Yep, lots of vegetarian options as well including a delicious tomato and avocado salad, hummus, beets and more. All very tasty.
Seating inside where you can watch the television or sit out side and watch the scenery.

Great spot for Vegan foods. Authentic Mediterranean foods. Fresh bread, humus, eggplant and very reasonable. I highly recommend it.

Located on 1^st street in historic Sanford, with parking on the street. I was excited to see this location of Tony’s pop up in Sanford, as I’m a longtime fan of Tony’s Original Orlando location on Mills Ave. The food is fantastic and what a nice big space! The deli has a open, contemporary feel with plenty of seating inside and out and doesn’t disappoint with food and friendly service.
I ordered the 3 combo plate with falafel, hummus and fava bean salad. It came with a homemade, warmed pita on the side. It was a ton of food and a great price at $ 8.99. As with the original location, you can buy their pita to enjoy at home, it’s $ 2.25 for a pack of 8, I believe. (We enjoyed them at home over the coming week.) Everything is made in house for use at the two Tony’s deli locations, so the quality and ingredients are top notch. My lunch was wonderful! So good, that when I went back to the office talking about my awesome lunch, 2 co-​workers headed there the following day. They also had great lunches, they ordered the gyro and a combo plate and were just as thrilled.

I drive by Tony’s everyday to work and have thought about stopping by for a while now. I decided to make my lunch that reason for today! Now from the signs outside and the name itself «Tony’s Deli» I was under the impression it be a sandwich place.
Well, I feel pleasantly surprised :)
Both of the young gentlemen made great recommendations! I chose to do the 3 combo, but I’m a very indecisive person, especially when I’ve never been to a place. I went with the artichoke hearts stuffed with beef (that was one of the recommendations) and then I chose the lentil-​onion rice, which the other gentleman advised that the peppered cabbage on top goes well together. Well I went with the stuffed cabbage and olive leaf rolls instead, but since I was never there before and the guy really felt it was a great pairing, he threw the cabbage on top of the rice free of charge!
A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G!
The crunch on top of the soft, savory rice was magical. It reminded me of my mother’s cooking (if she was Middle Eastern) and has a really good home-​style feel. The artichoke hearts gushed with the juices of the beef and tomato and the stuffed cabbage and leaves were juicy as well, with a nice hint of lemon. Nothing was over salted or over spiced and definitely not greasy.
Finally, I decided to try the baklava since I never have and it was the icing on the cake! Plus as I was leaving one of the men told me about the free wine they giveaway on Fridays in their lounge. Great service and great food, I definitely recommended it to my co-​workers and now you!
Only giving four our of five because this is my first real experience with the regions cuisine, don’t have anything to compare it with, but good first impression.

I had never heard of Ton’s Deli when I saw the sign that a new restaurant was coming to downtown Sanford. With a name like Tony’s Deli I was not thinking middle eastern food. Then I saw the sign holder out front that said vegetarian and vegan friendly food! Happy dance!
I always get a combo platter because everything looks good. I order the 3 item combo but the man behind the counter always gives me just a little taste of a 4^th item if I haven’t had it before. The baba ghanoush, oh my goodness the baba ghanoush. It’s smoky and creamy and so, so good. The hummus is good, the lima beans are a favorite, but the baba ghanoush is what has me dancing in my seat every time. I stuff myself beyond comfort but it tastes so good! One day I will have self control and take home leftovers… so I have room for that baklava by the counter!

A fun newer place in downtown Sanford, where the old Café Rouge used to be. There’s plenty of seating inside and on the sidewalk, and all the staff are super helpful.
The lamb was great, and though the gyro got messy towards the end, with plenty of Tzatziki sauce, I didn’t mind one bit. I’m a fan!