Camia

Living just off Church Street at the Clissold Park end is an absolute nightmare. Every time I leave the house not only do I run the risk of being mown down by the evil pushers (prams not drugs) I am also highly susceptible to the likelihood of gaining at least 10lbs by the time I reach the bus stop on the high street. I am convinced the shops on Church Street were put there by some higher power, solely to tempt me into the deadly sin of gluttony. Just because it’s Organic (I’m watching you Fresh and Wild) doesn’t mean it’s not a sin and just because it comes from a deli, does not mean it’s good for you, it just means you can ask for extra prosciutto or four types of cheese in your ciabatta instead of one.
Camia Italian deli is the last stop on my route of temptation and unless I left my house purposefully to go there (frequent occurrence) I cross the road and light a hunger quenching fag for good measure before walking past. The window is rammed full of calorific wonders such as pastries, blueberry muffins and Jack Daniel’s fudge. Inside, the staff (clearly the foot servants of the devil) prepare sandwiches and the like as slowly as possible so that you are forced to look around the store and convince yourself that you might as well buy a pie while you’re at it. On the plus side, if I continue to make a habit of buying vanilla pod Italian ice cream on my way past Camia, I wont be able to fit into the clothes I want to buy from the clothes shops on Church Street that represent another deadly sin: lust.

I love this place for a takeaway lunch. They do a great deal where you can get a sandwich, a coffee and a dessert for five pounds. The savory tarts and quiches that are on the window display are my favorite, well presented and delicious. The four cheeses with spinach tart is amazing.
Also, they make a fantastic blueberry muffin with a creamy custard filling at the center. The cheesecakes are also good, and the sandwiches have very fresh delicatessen fillings. The only reason it skips out on five stars is that its too crowded to eat inside, the staff are pretty slow, and finally the clincher — my coffee was really bitter. Tsk Tsk.

Camia’s feels like more of a sandwich shop than a deli. It has a fantastic selection of antipasti– grilled vegetables, anchovies, peppers and cougettes– and a wide selection of cakes and deserts but I probably wouldn’t go in there for anything more than a delicious, filled sandwich or a Portugese custard tart, as their selection of gourmet foods is very limited.
Their waffle selection is however, another matter. There are about 5 or 6 different combinations of hot, melted waffles that you can take away for only 3.45. The most exciting is the banoffee pie waffle with fresh bananas, toffee, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, served warm and ready to go. They also do a healthy selection of freshly squeezed fruit juices– carrot, celery, ginger and orange was delicious and woke me up after the banoffee heaven i consumed.
There are a few chairs and tables in the back room, but if you want a proper sit-​down, I would suggest their other deli further down Church Street which has a proper dining room and is a more comfortable option.

To be fair, maybe they were just having a bad day when I visited but the service was so rude, slow and unpleasant, it completely undermined anything good in the food or the restaurant of this café/​deli. The food was perfectly nice, Italian paninis, and pastries and good coffee and loads of people I know rave about it, especially for takeaway so it’s probably worth a second chance repeat visit. Seating is also incredibly crowded.

This is a delightful Italian Deli, in fact they have two branches on the popular Church Street within moments of each other. They have a tantalising window display of freshly baked pastry goods and bread, i dare you to glance in the window without your stomach rumbling!
They offer a really wide selection of breads and fillings, including Italian favourites like sun dried tomato’s, anchovies and specialist meats. You can pub whatever you want into your sandwich and the server will make it while you watch so you can have more of less according to taste. Their deli counter has a vast selection of cured Italian meats and cheese, and they also have a great Italian ice-​cream counter, perfect on a summers day. You can take away or eat in, and there always seems to be a large queue — testament to the quality of the bakery.