Central Deli Sandwiches

Central Deli Sandwiches is a permanent daytime pop-up within Christchurch’s New Regent Street restaurant Story. Born out of the desire to provide the CBD workers with a decent and easy grab-and-go lunch, chef Shafeeq Ismail tackled the humble sandwich and took it on a world tour.

Each of the five options on offer is a take on a classic sando from across the globe. There’s the Bombay, a sandwich filled with vegetables, coriander, chaat masala and mint chutney; the Medi, a focaccia stuffed with halloumi, charred peppers and hummus; the NYC Reuben, a sourdough, in-house-made pastrami and sauerkraut number; and the Tokyo, a crowd favourite milk bread filled with katsu chicken, iceberg and kewpie mayo. Last, but not least, the Breakfast One, a bacon, egg, hash brown and Bones pickles in milk bread, is a true Kiwi classic.

Every week a special or two provides variety on top of the classics above. If you’re keen on being in the know of what these are, hop on Instagram to check what’s cooking at the Central Deli kitchen.

On top of sandwiches, at Central Deli, you can also grab a cup of coffee crafted with Embassy beans, a tasty sweet treat by Table Bloom, a sneaky daytime beer by Brew Moon or a glass of local natural wine. If time, and weather, are on your side, take a seat at the outdoor tables and watch the tram roll by as you dig your teeth into your sandwich of choice. During the colder months, or on dreary summer days, seating is available upstairs in the restaurant space as well.