Sometimes in the least expected of places one can find the tastiest of foods and the friendliest of people. This is the case with Cafe Express, in Salem, Virginia. Located in a standalone building next to a 7-Eleven/Gas Station at 206 Apperson Drive, Cafe Express is a small, family-owned and operated New York Style Deli, run by a husband-and-wife team who immigrated from Nepal years ago and for 18 years have worked hard to make this small, unasuming deli, one of Salem's most precious culinary hidden gems. At first I didn't think nothing of it. Its storefront and location are not that impressive, but after driving by it many times, one day I just had to stop and try it out. From the very beginning, after parking in a space right in front of the deli, I was very impressed by its cleanliness. Its front windows and glass door were so clean and shiny that they were like mirrors reflecting their surroundings which in part was the gas station. But don't be fooled by this. In the past I've discovered exceptional eateries located at gas stations small strip malls. Once inside, I was fascinated by what I saw. There were three beautiful wooden relief carvings on the walls, framed magazine articles of the deli and its owners, framed Award Certificates including one from Yelp, a Buddha artwork on a plate, and a beautiful oil painting, painted by none other than by the owner himself. Both Prakash Malakar and his wife Sarojani gave me a warm welcome and made me feel at home. Eager to learn about their place of origin and culture I ask them about this.The owner explained how they came from Nepal, which is located in between China and India. Afterwards, his wife showed me the menu and the Specials written in colorful chalks over a chalkboard. I was attracted to their "Pastrami Royale and after she explained what items it had, I went ahead and ordered it along with some fries and a fountain softdrink. Not exaggerating, it was one of the most delicious sandwiches that I've ever had. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its amazing high-quality food. For dessert I had a small bowl of their homemade rice pudding. After I finished eating I paid with one of my credit cards via my Google Pay which they accepted and left them a nice tip. In conclusion, I highly recommend this place for its warm and comfortable ambiance, great menu, exquisite food, and remarkable customer service by a kind and friendly couple. read more

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Enjoy local raw unfiltered honey from Salem Va honeybees. Bring a jar home and enjoy some of the honey mustard sauce on a delicious sandwich or with yummy chicken tenders. read more

Cafe X-press - Cafe Xpress has local raw unfiltered honey. Try their yummy honey mustard sauce and bring a jar home. - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

Dropping our son to college. Somehow saw Yelps Top 100 sandwich places in the USA. Just a short drive from Virginia Tech in Salem. Located in beside a gas station. Going in we asked the locals what to get- everything. That didn't help with great selection of sandwiches and wraps. The place has some hand carvings on the wall- Nepalese. The owner is very pleasant and helpful. We chatted a bit after we got our sandwiches to go. We got three sandwiches- the Brooklyn, the Manhattan, and Chicken tandoori. All sandwiches were amazing. But the chicken tandoori stood out the most- amazing flavors!!! Highly recommend it. We also got some fries. They also sell cookies and some Punjabi snacks. Definitely will hit this place again when we come visit. read more

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Wow, great burger. Great service. Hole in the wall worth the trip. You better be hungry, the burgers are not little. read more

Cafe X-press - Angus cheeseburger with grilled onions - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

Had lunch here with a friend recently and what a cool little spot it is. Kind and gracious service. Walk up counter service, with a daily menu board as you walk in on the right. Jerk Chicken sub sammich from the daily special board. My sub sandwich made fresh, grilled toasted nicely with a really good shredded seasoned chicken, did not really pick up the "jerk" part but it was still tasty and well made. my sammich came with a pickle spear on the side too. My buddy and I grabbed a table up front and about 15 minutes later our lunch was brought by our host to us. Hot fresh and obviously made to order. All in all a good option for a nice meal at a fair value, recommended and will return. 4 Stars worth a visit 01039 read more

Great food! Service is always good. Would definitely recommend. Now I'm just putting words to get to the 85 characters.

AMAZING! Best Sandwich I have ever had while living in Virginia for over 6yrs! Fresh. Savory. Large portions. Friendly Kind patient service. read more

Cafe X-press - Turkey Supreme (without the honey mustard cause I'm avoiding sugar) and added creamy slaw. - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

While visiting the area we happened upon this wonderful establishment. Owners are warm and welcoming. We all ordered different types of burgers as well as an order of fries for the table. You will not leave hungry, the burgers are huge. Undoubtedly the best burger I have had in a great while. Highly recommend!! Be prepared for take out as seating is limit. We went right at noon and did not have trouble with seating though. read more

This is truly a hidden gem, i've heard a lot about this spot, but had not gone in yet until recently. I tried two of their Specialty sandwiches homemade chicken salad, and the Indian sub ( one to take home) my friend had the American burger, and we shared their large fries which were worth a trip alone... This is a family run business and they take a lot of pride in making their food. I would highly recommend this establishment. Also note very limited seating.. read more

Breakfast was super... I give 10 because the owners are friendly and I love the Chicken sandwich. read more

Cafe X-press - Chicken Tandoori Sandwich!! - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

The food is so incredible!!! So good that even at lunchtime, some things may be already sold out, but that just means that they'll make you something extra special. Service is phenomenal. Not usually very long wait if you call in your order. Cute little setting with a wonderful staff. Huge portions and very reasonable prices. read more

Cafe X-press - The New Yorker sandwich and fried - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

Sometimes the best sandwiches are at an unassuming café squeezed in beside a gas station and convenience store. If you are in Roanoke and looking for a sandwich then you should stop here! The menu is extensive with something for everyone. The slightly warmed and buttered Kaiser bun on my sandwich really was the cherry on top. Don't miss out on this hole in the wall while in Roanoke. So good!! read more

Cafe X-press - a sandwich and a pickle on a plate - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

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Such amazing food!! The tandoori wrap is incredible and something I crave every time I visit from out of town

The tandoori chicken sub is delicious. I'm sure there are items just as good, but I keep coming back for the same sub because it's so good. I've heard great things about their chicken curry, which I believe is a special they offer from time to time. Their hand cut, double fried fries are also great. read more

Cafe X-press - Tandoori Chicken Sub - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

Best tandoori sub I've had my entire life. Chicken was flavorful and juicy, with a dash of tandoori masala, not a lot of veggies, and all soaked in yummy tandoori sauce, bread was buttered and freshly toasted. Fries were a welcome surprise, freshly made. They complimented the sandwich! Highly recommend this place, went with cousin who ordered the Cajun sub and was equally delighted. A hidden gem in Salem! read more

Cafe X-press - Tandoori chicken sub with fries - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

When people say Cafe X-press is good, they are not playing around. This restaurant is seriously delicious. This goes for everything on the menu. The menu provides incredible New York deli and Nepalese options. Tandoori Chicken is one of my favorite dishes, and their various ways of serving it are exceptional. The bread the Tandoori Chicken sub is served on is always fresh and comforting. Without a doubt, Salem, VA has a hidden gem in Cafe X-press. read more

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Immaculate vibes. Super friendly owners/staff. The best sandwich off all time (tandoori chicken sub). I kinda just get the exact same thing every time. But they do have variety as well. Why would I get anything else. So good man read more

THE BEST SANDWICH SHOP IN ALL OF ROANOKE. I am not kidding and definitely not exaggerating this incredibly bold statement. The prices are affordable (and low in my opinion), the food variety is so expansive- they have literally anything for anyone, and the quality of food you get is unlike anything I've ever had. The subs are STUFFED with meat and toppings and the meat is always seasoned to perfection. The ingredients taste fresh and I've never been disappointed by the food I've received. Most recently I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Sub (spicy), Manhatten Sub, and oriental noodles. The subs are OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious. Always hot with a toasted bun and full of flavor! The meat is plentiful and typically can be found pouring over the sides of the sub so they really know how to capture my heart. This is a small family owned business and they do it right!! read more

Cafe X-press - Tandoori Chicken Sub, Manhatten Sub, and Oriental Noodles - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

Really good food, unfortunately didnt get to try the orientation noodles which was a bummer, i tred the tandoori chicken sub and it was actually really good, it was a good place to try before we moved! The service was good and we could see them cooking the food as we ordered! The ambiance reminds me of a fancy restaurant even though its next to a gas station read more

Best tuna melt I have ever had and here's why: the bread was perfectly toasted, and it was a grainy, course bread with texture and flavor. (Two lines in, and I'm still on the bread). The tuna had just the right mixture of mayo and seasonings, the cheese was melted consistently, the dressings were fresh and in perfect proportion, and it was plated and served as I imagine my imaginary grandmother¹ would have put it before me. The place is about as nondescript on approach as it can get, situated as it is on a busy intersection and directly adjacent to a gas station/convenience store. My impulse decision to stop in was based on hunger, the raft of chain restaurants I had just passed on my detour off wreck-jammed I-81, and something sincere looking about the signage. (And also a quick check of Yelp! that showed a solid chain of five stars, TBH.) Glad I was detoured and got to try this place. The cook (whom I suspect was also the proprietor) was genuinely interested in how I liked my sandwich. Everyone behind the counter seemed enthused, an attitude that elevates any dining experience. The menu was diverse and goes well beyond sandwiches. It's a "New York Style" deli, the sign says, but I have to chuckle at this; there are some fine Indian dishes such as tandoori chicken and some unique combinations of Indian cuisine and American practicality (i.e., sandwiches) that in a real NY deli, well, fuggestaboutit. I got the tuna melt as a special, but will be back on a future pass through to try some of the regular and actually more exotic items. ¹ My real grandmother never made me a tuna melt (she was more about fixing eggs for her grandchildren), but if she did make a tuna melt, this is how she would have served it. read more

Great food with great portions! Service is wonderful. Love these mom and pop stores.

I'm going to full admit that I probably ordered the wrong item. That being my disclaimer.. take what I say with a grain of salt. First and foremost, the shop owners are so kind and work really hard. They made my experience there very enjoyable. I ordered the first sandwich on the list, which was the Salem. Sub style, with roast beef, turkey, cole slaw, Munster cheese and more sauce. And I'll admit I was being indecisive, and just went with easy. The flavor profiles for me were an odd fit. The coleslaw over powered the entire sandwich, and the Munster seemed too bland for the tangyness of all the sauce. I ended up pulling the majority of the slaw off to eat each part individually. The bread was warm, toasted and quite tasty. The cuts of meat were thick and plentiful. I hate to have any kind of critique cause their menu is expansive and I think they absolutely do make bomb Sammie's. I intend to find out... so I will def stop back in wherever I am in Salem. It was a quick stop at an almost missed place... and I certainly think choosing better flavors my palette prefers would allow me to love this place. read more

Cafe X-press - The salem sandwich - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

Tucked between a mini mart, gas station and a home improvement storefront, I never would have found this gem without Yelp! I had looked at the menu photos on yelp, so I was completely prepared to try the Salem on rye with potato salad. However, the guy in front of me asked what the special was "Samasa Chaat,". Wait, that sounds like Indian food! So it turns out there are a few Indian dishes, one on the specials menu every day. This I had to try. Specials come with a 16 oz fountain drink, but I did not see this until after I ordered and opened a one liter bottle of Evian. I have to admit that I did not know what it was that I had ordered, and I had to google it while I waited. The plate was delivered after about 10 minutes of reading about northern Indian cuisine. Absolutely delicious, and vegetarian to boot. Just the tiniest bit spicy. I would have liked it a lot more spicy, and I will request that next time. But I know a few southerners for which this would have been too hot. Now, this place is weird. Parking is a bitch, and seating is tight inside. Nothing about the exterior would give a hint that there is wonderful Indian food inside. And 90% of the lunch customers ordered sandwiches or subs anyway. But please order the tandoori chicken if it's Thursday. read more

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Please do not miss this unassuming gem in Salem. The food here is fantastic and the people are hard working and friendly. Our family ordered the Tandoori chicken wrap, The Roanoker, 2 cheeseburgers and one Greek salad sub plus an order of fries. Everything was made fresh, right in front of us. SO GOOD. I wish we lived closer so I could try more of the menu. The only thing that would make my meal better (tandoori wrap) would be a yogurt dipping sauce or something similar. Overall, we would come back in a heartbeat if we drive through Salem. Thanks for a great lunch and for being thoughtful enough to pack us plates and napkins for our picnic :-) read more

This was possibly the best sandwich I have ever eaten -- chicken tandoori sub. I asked for it spicy and it did not have a lot of heat but it was very flavorful. The chicken was juicy and well-seasoned with caramelized onions and peppers as well as fresh tomatoes. The bread was warm and delicious. Last time I got the chicken curry which was also very good. This is a takeout only place for me as it is tiny and in the same building as a gas station. Despite the humble appearance, the food is top notch. Call early because they can get crowded at lunch. It's a lovely husband and wife team. They are very kind and hard-working. You feel good about supporting a local business. I would post a picture but I was starving and ate my sandwich in four bites! It was that good! read more

Delicious food that is incredibly made with friendly owners who care for their customers.

Love the owners and their dedication to quality meals and personable service. Support local business!!

Since writing my first review, this place has continued to maintain its high quality flavor profile! As a matter of fact, one of the latest issues of a local periodical, "The Roanoker," had an article titled, "The Great Sandwich Quest" and this restaurant placed 4 of their sandwiches on the list of the top 10, including "The Roanoker" which was deemed number one! More recently, we placed an order to serve a sandwich lunch for 14 folks at work and Cafe X-press came through with all the folks raving about the sandwiches, brownies and cookies! They were able to halve and individually wrap the sandwiches so that folks got to try more than one sandwich. Many restaurants start off with a bang and start going downhill a few years later; we are very glad that this place continues to serve great food and new menu items are periodically added! Hint: the rice pudding is awesome for dessert! Second hint: ask what soups are available that day, they have excellent soup. read more

We were passing through wn route to Asheville and just out of whim decided to stop here. Of course, we read the reviews. They were all good. Hands down- best sandwich we have had- chicken tandoori sub. Those Cajun fries are different from other places. Check it out! Small place and a well run business. It's a deli place run by a husband and a wife and they are behind the counter. They tango well to be able to run it so efficiently. The wife is soft spoken and very polite to all customers. It is a hole in the wall kind a place. read more

It is next door to a gas station, but don't be afraid!! When you enter, the aroma will make you salivate. It's a small space with less than 10 small tables, I think...didn't count. I ordered the chicken tandoori sub...having read a post about it. Got it to go. They had 7 specials, several wraps, a curry dish, subs...All sounded good! Oh my gosh!! That may very well be the most delicious sub I have ever eaten!! Not good for eating while driving, however, I had to pull over. The tandoori was some of the best I have tasted, with a nice little spicy burn. Perfect! Not overpowering. The chicken was accompanied with onions, peppers, mayo, lettuce and tomato on a lovely, generous sized bread with a crunchy outside and soft tasty inside. Service was very friendly. I waited just a couple minutes before it was ready. If I lived nearby, this would be a regular for me. I hope I can make it back to try some other tasty morsels! read more

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The pepper steak sandwich with green mung soup was wonderful. Would definitely stop here again.

It's a bit out of our way but this place is NEXT LEVEL!!! Cajun Chicken / Tandoori sub = YUM CITY!!! Tried the fries (fresh cut) on a whim with our first order = they're so good we've got them with every order since. Owners are super nice. Believe the hype!!! read more

Cafe X-press - The Turkey Supreme sandwich comes on sourdough w/ cranberry chutney = SO GOOD! Photo does zero justice! - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

I would've driven past this little shop in the lot of a gas station.. but I am so glad Yelp brought me here! Food was delicious, Sandwich was huge and made with love. And thank you thank you thank you to the person that posted about the LEMON COOKIE. That cookie made my day and the people running the shop were lovely. read more

The food was excellent. Very tasty and generous amount. The service was good. We will be going back again.

I really enjoyed this experience and I am pretty boujee I love how nice and personable the owners are and they were very flexible with me. They let me customize a panini, which was amazing. My boyfriend got the smoked turkey supreme and loved it as well! read more

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Thank you Yelp! This place is a mile or so off the highway in a gas station strip mall thing. I didn't expect much. I had reservations because I don't usually love restaurants with the word deli in them. But I am so happy we ate there. I freaking loved everything about it. I had the tandoori chicken sub with a little extra heat added. It was everything I had hoped it would be and then some. The bread was toasted crisp on the outside soft on the inside. The tandoori chicken was tender and well spiced. The added grilled chilies have it a nice touch of spice. I ordered the chai for my beverage it was smooth, creamy and spiced so very nicely. I might have also eaten half a fresh baked brownie that was bigger than my hand. Oh my god I will dream about that brownie for the rest of my life. If I lived here I would be a regular. My friends had a turkey sandwich and a Greek salad. Both looked great and I didn't hear any complaints. If you're in the area I would recommend stopping in. The service was fast and pleasant and most importantly the food was delicious. They also have specials that post on their website and Facebook. read more

Cafe X-press - This makes me happy - Delis Near Me - Salem, Virginia

Beautiful foods that will surprise your taste buds. Cafe Xpress brings shame to most sandwich restaurants I've ever been to and they also stay true to the real definition of fresh food. If you pass by Roanoke, Cafe Xpress is a must. Nuff said. read more

If you are looking for great food in Salem, this is your place! This folks have a wonderful array of American favorites as well as some international items that are far and away the best in a 100 mile radius. The owners are amazing, small business owners who take pride in their food and understand the concept of customer service-a true rarity in these troubling times. We highly recommend Cafe X-Press. Once you eat here, you'll be a guaranteed repeat customer. read more

Holy moley this was better to go a little further off route for! Spicy cranberry chutney on the Floridian sun off the chart good!!!

The subs they have there are god tier. This is a hidden gem, their Burbank sub is my favorite by far their, filled with meaty amazingness. Their spices chai latte is an amazing drink also, I loved how sweet and creamy it was and with the spices, idc what they used to make it but it is FRIGGEN amazing. But I will say this though, their fries are a little bit greasy, yet entirely delicious still, but I believe they'd be a bit better if drained or dried with napkins or towels to absorb the oil. read more