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Di Rienzo's

4.6 (102 reviews)
InexpensiveSandwiches, Grocery, Delis
Closed 8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Di Rienzo's Photos

Business Info

DI RIENZO'S ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Di Rienzo's

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Reviews With Photos

Turkey and Hot Capicollo Sandwich
Arnold L.

Upon my recent visit to Ottawa, Di Rienzo was always on my list to revisit from my Carleton University days, especially if you are on a student budget. \ Di Rienzo is a nice small staple in Ottawa that offers humble and delicious sandwiches that will keep you full and satisfied! From a variety of deli meats to pick, you can pick and choose your sandwich combinations depending on what you are craving. I had to get the #1 special with Turkey and Hot Capicollo which starts with freshly baked bread serving as the base from the thick slices of meat with the right amount of lettuce, tomato and mayo. Be prepared to wait in lines as locals and many working professionals will queue in line and for good reason during the lunch hour! I can't wait to revisit Ottawa again just to have a sandwich from Di Rienzo's!

Roasted lamb sandwich $7.
Jennifer P.

Omg! I can't believe I have never reviewed Di Rienzos before! So my first time there was about 15 years ago when I was living in Little Italy (where Di Rienzos is). My landlord told me about the place, she said and I quote "the place is dirty, but the sandwiches are delicious!" Well, she didn't work in marketing, that's for sure, lol. So I didn't exactly run there after she told me about it, but one day I did decide to check it out, and let me tell you, the sandwiches are in fact delicious! As for the sanitation, I wasn't entirely thrilled with the fact that at the time they had open containers of different types of bread and you would stick your hand in the container pick a roll and hand it to the staff member who would use it to make your sandwich. Fast forward 15 years and we are now in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and this practice is no more, all the bread is behind the counter now and only the staff handle the bread. They also used to have all their desserts in open boxes on the counters, which in the summer attracted a lot of flies that would land on the desserts. So I can see why my former landlord held the opinion that she did. So Di Rienzos is a convenience store that sells a lot of Italian products. They have hot and cold sandwiches, pasta, and Italian desserts. They also sell samosas, which seem a little out of place, but hey, that's what's awesome about Canada, right? Cannoli and samosas side by side! Over the years I have tried many of their items. My favourite remains their hot Roast Beef sandwich (which I haven't seen in a while, hope they haven't discontinued selling it). It's a thick piece of oh so tender roast beef with a slice of mozzarella cheese. It's so good! All their hot sandwiches are pre-made and wrapped in plastic wrap. There's a limited amount made every day. Their Chicken Parmigiana sandwich is also delicious. Their cold cuts sandwiches are good as well. My favourite is #6, Turkey, Prosciutto and Harvarti Cheese. So 15 years ago, their sandwiches were $3.50. Now they are $7. Their desserts are fantastic. I love their Sfogliatelle Ricce (Lobster tail pastry), and Cannoli. And their samosas aren't bad either ;) Paulo is the owner and he's very friendly. He always calls me Signorina ("Miss" in Italian). Every single person who I have taken to Di Rienzos loves their sandwiches. This place is very popular. If you go around lunchtime be prepared for a lineup. There's a small private parking lot, but there will only be available spots during off-peak hours. Otherwise, there's street parking nearby. Di Rienzos is an institution here in Ottawa!

Sandwich #1 - turkey havarti lettuce tomato salami with spicy eggplant
Shayna S.

Best sandwich! Fresh bread, quality ingredients - best salami I've had at a sandwich place. The sandwich is extremely big and I had to split it into two meals. Authentic Italian for sure. The staff is kind and chatty. The price for a sandwich is around 8.50. 10/10 recommend, make sure to add the spicy eggplant

$7 sandwich bigger than a small football. Been coming here since 2004. Same delicious Italian subs
D'Arcy L.

Still so awesome. Prices are up to $7 a Sandwich now. Still the best Italian subs in Ottawa. Nothing has changed since my previous review. More warm to go pasta offerings. A true hidden gem!

Hot eggplant
Daniel M.

Best sandwiches in Ottawa. I eat here at least once every time I come to Ottawa. My cousin showed me this place a few years ago, I compare every sandwich to their sandwiches and nothing comes close. Their buns are amazing and the ingredients are top notch. Make sure you get the hot eggplant in oil. And if you want some more kick ask for the spicy Italian oil. They also have a great selection of products. I always get meat and buns to take home to try and recreate their sandwiches. I also got a large bottle of the hot eggplants in oil and hot Italian dressing they threw in(I bought a lot of stuff). Do your self a favor and go try one, you be a life long customer. PS. The staff are awesome and go out of their way to help.

At home before cutting in half

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15 years ago

Great sandwiches and a great value for money. Not a fancy place but has solid sandwiches. This place is always busy and tiny. I love it.

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11 years ago

Excelente! The sandwiches are amazing and everything tastes so good with great combination of ingredients

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10 years ago

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15 years ago

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14 years ago

The best place for a deli sandwich!! Get the number 1 with spicy eggplant!!

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11 years ago

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13 years ago

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12 years ago

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11 years ago

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10 years ago

seriously the best place ever. their delicious sandwiches are super filling and only like 6$ !!!!!

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11 years ago

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10 years ago

Always good sandwiches. Get there early at lunch as there is always a line. Fast service and the samosa is great.

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10 years ago

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Abbas Grocery - Side of the store

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4.9(8 reviews)
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Abbas Grocery is a great little convenience store for those in the neighbourhood. I was greeted by…read moreone of the Abbas brothers (Radi) and he was very friendly and welcoming. The store is clean and has a good selection of products. I have an unusual fascination with small independently-owned convenience stores, so I like checking them out. I especially like finding some prepared foods in these types of stores, as they are usually made with love. I had heard that Abbas Grocery had good sandwiches so I was excited to check them out. I was expecting paninis but the sandwiches are in fact sandwich bread sandwiches (like Wonder Bread) in comfort food varieties such as tuna, egg salad and ham and cheese. Radi assured me the sandwiches are freshly made each morning. The ham and cheese sandwich was around $4.49 and it did have a generous amount of ham, but it did look like something I could put together at home (sandwich bread, a slice of processed cheese and some slices of ham), so I passed. They had a few slices of cheesecake and I asked where they were from. I thought maybe a local baker, but was advised they were from a distributor in Montreal. I didn't end up getting anything, but enjoyed looking around. I can tell that the owners take pride in their store. Prices are reasonable and Radi was very nice. If I lived in the neighbourhood and needed convenience store items, I would definitely go to Abbas Grocery.

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Not a fan of food basics in general as they're all fairly poorly run. This one isn't the worst but…read morealso isn't the greatest. I picked up some chicken breasts, dated to be good for 5 more days and they had a clear funk without even being opened, so they obviously did not come home with me. Self checkout is limited to 25 items- what difference does a cashier make vs self checkout? So was forced to go to a cashier, and she kept hitting the conveyer button on me as in trying to load my paid for groceries, even though there was an empty belt next to me. I got frustrated and had to ask her to stop as she was destroying my bread. If you're going to force me to go to a cashier, maybe make sure they have patience. Otherwise let me bag my own stuff in piece at a self checkout. They had most of what I wanted but not all, it is great for bread, pantry items etc, but always double check your meat and veggies for mold/funk 50/50 on getting good service from a cashier lol. Maybe she needs a coffee and a hug?

Food Basics is a grocery store under the Metro banner. It's a discount grocery store like No Frills…read more(which is under the Loblaws banner), I'm pretty sure they are competitors. Here in Ottawa though, the amount of Food Basics stores greatly outnumber those of No Frills. Not all locations are equal. The Food Basics in Stittsville is much nicer than this Food Basics in Hampton Plaza. This one is a bit dirtier and the people here are a bit saltier, lol. My work colleague told me that she once sent her husband to this Food Basics to pick up something for her and when he got home he said to her "please don't ever send me there again!" Lol. I don't think it's that bad. I go there when there are sales. I also go there to poke around when I'm waiting for my pizza at Domino's, which is in the same plaza, haha. It's a discount grocery store with fairly good regular prices and really great sales. Not the nicest in terms of appearance or clientele, but hey, you win some you lose some. Lots of free parking in the plaza.

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Food Basics - One of my Yelp friends let me know this is more cheesecake than queso chip dip kind of cheese flavour, like I originally thought, lol.

One of my Yelp friends let me know this is more cheesecake than queso chip dip kind of cheese flavour, like I originally thought, lol.

Food Basics - Spicy pulled pork pizza.... looked interesting. Under $4

Spicy pulled pork pizza.... looked interesting. Under $4

Food Basics

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Groceteria is a small grocery-type store on Sunnyside, just east of Carleton U. What first…read moreintrigued me about the place was the sign that said 'Free Delivery'. A grocery that delivers? How awesome is that? Winter is coming and it would be sweet to find a place that would save me from having to venture out on those evenings when the temperature falls below negative 20 below! So, I went in and asked the owner about the delivery service. Sadly, they do NOT deliver. But, they haven't been able to afford to buy a new sign. Dang! Nevertheless, I took a look around while I was there and found the Groceteria to be a handy little place. It has everything a good convenience store offers (chips, pop, cigarettes, magazines, etc.). Plus, it has a small produce section where you can get some fruits and vegetables (bananas, apples, tomatoes). The owners are of Indian (or at least, Indian Sub-Continent) descent, and they offer a selection of big, homemade samosas. It is a friendly store, where everyone seems to know everyone else. Pity about the delivery....!

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Whole Foods Market - Coffee

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Whole Foods Market - Produce dept

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Shopping carts by the mission statement

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Rainier cherries

Di Rienzo's - sandwiches - Updated May 2026

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