Deco Deli: An Art in Itself

On Wednesday I ate at Hoffman's Deco Deli and Cafe, by a tip from one of my professors. So my friends Melanie and Mandy, and I headed over to Flint's Carriage Town to visit the deli/antique store located at 503 Garland St.


When we walked in we were pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere. The deli was very trendy, with colorful walls and plants everywhere. Almost all of the tables were full of a diverse crowd too. There were business people, college students, construction workers, and even little old ladies. This was obviously a very appealing place to be.

We walked up to the counter and stared at the enormous menu.
Most of the sandwiches had a Flint theme to them: The Flintstone, Carriage Town Corn Beef, The Durant, the College Club, etc. They even had a featured sorority sandwich, the Phi Sigma Sigma. You could also make your sandwich a meal by adding a drink with a choice of chips or couscous. 


All college students receive a 10 percent discount on orders, so I decided to order The Durant with chips and a coke, and Melanie ordered the College Club with couscous and a coke. Mandy didn't get any food, but she did order a small coffee. 

 

The Durant: turkey, swiss cheese, leaf lettuce, tomato, and avacado spread on my choice of sourdough bread. 


It cost $5.00, and the chips and drink cost $1.75, for a total of $6.46 with tax and 10 percent student discount. 


I was a little hesitant about the avacado spread because I never had it, but I definitely enjoyed it. The spread had a mild taste, so it didn't dominate the overall flavor. They did put on a little too much for my liking, though, because it was dripping out the bottom of the sandwich. 

College Club: ham, turkey and bacon with cheddar cheese, leaf lettuce, tomato, and a dill mayonnaise spread with Melanie's choice of sourdough bread. 


It cost $6.00, and the couscous and drink were an additional $3.00 for a total of $8.58 with tax and 10 percent student discount. 


I tasted the couscous myself and it was quite good; I never had couscous before. Melanie agreed that it was good, and when I asked if it was a bit pricey she told me it was pretty reasonable. 

One of the fun aspects about the deli is the antique store. It consists of both an upstairs and a downstairs. Customers are encouraged to visit the store while waiting for your order. 


The Downstairs portion contains all types of furniture. Couches, chairs, desks, clocks, vases, paintings, and much more. 


Personally, I found the upstairs area to be more interesting. 

The upstairs part of the antique store is where all of the clothes are. Hats, gloves, dresses, suits, shoes, you name it. Everything was well priced too. The red hat in the picture to the right was only 12 dollars. One of the brushes for sale even had some old hair in it still. Kind of gross, yes, but still, it was authentic. 


Overall, I found Hoffman's Deco Deli and Cafe, with The Carriage Town Antique Store to be different and interesting. Everything was well priced, and the atmosphere was fun. It's appealing to a wide variety of demographics and I recommend it to anyone looking for a new place to eat.