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Downtown Deli

3.4 (49 reviews)
ModerateDelis, Salad, Sandwiches
Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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a sandwich on a plate with pickles
Thomas C.

"Where a half is like a whole." It's the motto at the Downtown Deli, and it means exactly what it says: There is a pretty good chance that you'll get your money's worth, no matter the order. 25 years ago, in August 1989, Mike Orofino chose to invest in a small spot on Genesee Street to open Downtown Deli, the first of several locations bearing that name to come. Rick and Tom Prairie, two brothers, locals to Auburn, bought the Downtown Deli, Grant Ave from the Orofino Family in March of 2014. We are often in Auburn to visit a buddies coffee shop, so this weekend, needing some lunch beforehand, we decided to stop in with a couple of our friends for lunch. Walking in, the place is set up like an old school city deli. Menus up top on a board with specials written on chalkboards. They had many interesting combos, called their "star sandwiches" to choose from. My wife chose Paul's It Sure Enough (Reuben) - hot corned beef, melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian Dressing on toasted rye. My buddies went with The Michael Myers - smoked turkey, cheddar and bacon on a Kaiser roll with garlic butter, and Wills Home At Last - hot corned beef, pastrami, melted Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, coleslaw, on toasted rye, while I went for The Cuse, described as "hot and saucy" chicken cutlet, melted provolone and parmesan on a toasted sub roll. Sandwiches were made relatively quickly. All their star sandwiches come with a bag of chips and pickles. Apparently, they use Boars Head meats for their sandwiches. Everyone but myself got a half sandwich, which were indeed big enough to be a whole. I was also surprised to find my sandwich covered in marinara sauce, as for some reason, hot and saucy said to me it would be buffalo style. But, hey, I love chicken parm as much as the next guy, so worked for me. Prices were a tad higher it seemed than most delis, but nothing crazy. Everyone though, including myself, seemed to feel the same way...not bad, but not great. I also grabbed a Oreo Rice Krispy Treat from them, which I split with everyone, which was very tasty. Smothered in liquid marshmellow. So, here's the thing...they weren't bad. So I'd consider giving them another try. BUT the place was just filthy. Crumbs on the tables, flies around the lights. They had a huge pickle jar up by the counter full of full sized pickles, but the jar itself looked like it hadn't been cleaned in ages. Their plastic silverware dispenser up front was covered with a thick layer of dust. There were plenty of employees there. I counted at least 6 between the counter and the back of the establishment, and other than us, there were only 2 more customers in the hour we spent there. No reason someone couldn't be cleaning or tidying up the space. If they'd clean up a bit, I'd consider going back and trying more from them.

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Excellent sandwiches-worth waiting for! Bread was fantastic and sandwiches made you feel like you "got your money's worth".

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

The food is always great! The staff are quite but never rude. It's never typically busy in the store the most I've seen is 4 other people.

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11 months ago

not what it used to be. bread is different, turkey is different, etc. have made special trips to Auburn to stop here, not anymore

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Food is excellent but the prices have skyrocketed and the portions have been significantly reduced. Half a sandwich is now $9.

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2 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

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15 years ago

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6 years ago

Every time I've come in, Downtown Deli has been amazing. Friendly staff and great food.

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8 years ago

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7 years ago

Seriously impressed. Had the Cali on homemade focaccia and it was delicious. Will return.

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

Second time stopping here when in Auburn, well worth it. Sub was big and good, friendly service.

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8 years ago

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5 years ago

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15 years ago

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Roseadah’s

Roseadah’s

4.6
(35 reviews)
1.8 mi
$$

I would like to believe fate led me to dine at Roseadah's. I am not from the Auburn area and had no…read moreclue where to stop and eat. What I did know is that I preferred not to dine at a chain restaurant. Low and behold, I took a right turn and ended up Mattie Street, and to my left was a very unassuming green "house." Once I approached and read the sign, I realized it was a restaurant. The welcome sign stating that this was a farm to table establishment was all I needed to convince me to walk in. Upon entering Roseadah's, I instantly felt very comfortable. This eatery has a very laid-back, cozy vibe that I particularly enjoyed. My family and I were the only ones dining at the time, so I had the opportunity to truly soak in this lovely eatery. The ladies who assisted us were both so very wonderful. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, who's also the amazing chef, and her personality alone won me over! Now, on to the food. Delicious, scratch made appetizers and entrees. I enjoyed every bite! Not only did we enjoy our meals while there, we also decided to order some food to take home for dinner. My personal favorite was their duck bacon wontons, so good! We also drooled over their freshly breaded mozzarella sticks. (we are fried cheese fanatics). When you visit, definitely do yourself a favor and order those appetizers before your main meal. If I didn't have a reason to return to Auburn, I certainly do now.

The food was delicious and so nice to have gluten-free options. The service was fantastic, and we…read morewould definitely come again.

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Main restaurant seating
Main restaurant seating
Fried pickles
Fried pickles
Dining room

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Dining room
Elderberry Pond Restaurant

Elderberry Pond Restaurant

4.3
(80 reviews)
3.1 mi
$$$

We had a great meal at Elderberry Pond on a Wednesday evening. Will, our server was attentive and…read morehelpful. Thanks, Will. The food was superb, flavorful and with nice portions. As always, it is a great environment with dining room, patio or sunroom options. Wine or beer only, and wine prices are quite reasonable. We ordered a wonderful bottle of rose, served chilled and crisp and with just the right amount of sweetness. I ordered port wine mushroom bisque, perfectly made and creamy. For an entree I had shrimp scampi, garlicky and lemony and fabulous with a plethora of Large shrimp. We had to order dessert to share since they had coconut custard pie. Out of this world.

This is the biggest disconnect between yelp reviews and actual experience I've ever had. I have to…read moreassume they were having an off night or a backup chef or something. The mixed salad was just a generic greens salad you'd find at a buffet. The crab cakes had bits of hard shell bits I've never experienced in a crab cakes. The scallops are for some reason left in a sauce in a ramekin, meaning they kept cooking, meaning these were the most overcooked, rubbery, hard to choke down scallops I've had in my life. We didn't finish our meal. What a rough experience across the board. There's much better food in town for similar price points / fine dining ambiance, this is the one bad experience of our whole trip to the lake

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Entry
Entry
Roasted garlic and brie bruschetta
Roasted garlic and brie bruschetta
Exterior patio dining

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Exterior patio dining
At Long Last

At Long Last

4.4
(66 reviews)
1.4 mi

There are certain things by which I judge a restaurant's suitability for me. One thing I look for…read morein a breakfast/lunch eatery is their bisquets and gravy. Another is their home fries. At Long Last knocked booth of those out of the park. The best c&b I can ever recall eating, and excellent home fries. The fries were unique to my experience. They were a generous portion of small potatoes, sliced and fried to perfection. My companions decided upon breakfast sandwiches. A ham and cheese bagel for one lady and a steak and cheese bagel for the other. Both came with scrambled eggs on the sandwich, and one lady had peppers and onions (steak) on hers. Both proclaimed their fare to be excellent. Service was prompt, courteous, and efficient. The staff members were very helpful. The foʻd came quickly and was served piping hot. You'll be pleased with the open layout and total cleanliness of this restaurant. If it's brunch for you, an assortment of stylized coffees and alcoholic beverages are available. The menu is e x t e n s i v e! You'll find what you want and enjoy it in a relaxed atmosphere. The prices are average for the area. There are many places to dine in the Skaneateles/Auburn area, but I'm eating here. Enjoy!

This place is such a wonderful addition to the Auburn breakfast scene!…read moreWe came in around 9:40 on a Sunday. There weren't any tables but we were fine sitting at the bar. The Dubai chocolate latte had a wonderful pistachio flavor to it. There wasn't as much cream/ foam as most lattes that I've had, but it was still tasty. The avocado toast was a lot larger/ filling than I thought it would be. The balsamic drizzle was perfect on it and the bread was excellent. We loved the flavor of the gravy on the biscuits and gravy. Again, generous portion and the biscuits were nice and flaky. The Dutch Apple French toast was a great recommendation from the bar tender. I love the cinnamon in the bread and it was all not too sweet... definitely did not need the optional maple syrup. The ambience is fresh and light and the service was pleasant. Would love to return!

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At Long Last
Hot chocolate flight
Hot chocolate flight
Sign out front.

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Sign out front.
Pavlos' Restaurant

Pavlos' Restaurant

4.6
(105 reviews)
0.9 mi
$

This place was great! The ambience, the service, the food ... everything. It's a diner. I am…read moreguessing that many people there were regulars. But the wait staff was wonderful to me. I made a combination of a couple of their different omelets and the result tasted fabulous. And the serving was larger than I expected! I kind of wish I could go back!

Don't let the amount of cars concern you there are lots of seats and not much of a wait when full…read more These people hustle with a smile Cozy and warm diner. Cash only with an atm if needed. Plates are good proportions, waffles come in a multitude of types even stuffed. They have a garbage plate breakfast with home fries, cheese, hash, sausage gravy, 2 farm fresh eggs cooked the way ya want em, and your choice of toast. he had sourdough and partially eaten but in the picture. I had home fries, two eggs over easy, corned beef hash, and Italian toast. Both meals with one soda and a tall glass of chocolate milk was $39. Nothing left on our plates and happily full says it all! They have real hot sauce Franks Red Hot not Tabasco thank you, pancakes are New Hope Mills big and fluffy, and offer several jams and jelly too. Can't say enough about how good it is. Don't miss out on this one! Forgot to mention they also serve lunch and Fridays have fish fry!! Lots of choices and gluten free options too.

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Nice little collection of old schools
Nice little collection of old schools
Pavlos' Famous Omelette... but I added tomatoes and feta
Pavlos' Famous Omelette... but I added tomatoes and feta
The restaurant

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The restaurant
Auburn Bagel Company

Auburn Bagel Company

4.5
(28 reviews)
1.5 mi

Another great breakfast! Everyone was friendly, ordering is simple at the register....then just…read morewait for your name to be called. I had the bagel of the week - Quattro Formaggio ( 4 cheeses)... with bacon, egg and fried egg it was a very tasty sandwich. (My only disappointment was the very small amount of thin bacon and it was all on one side as you can see in the picture). I love that you can order the egg scrambled or fried. Excellent bagel, delivered warm and quite quickly considering how busy they were.

Auburn Bagel Co. made its debut in downtown Auburn in 2025, introducing New York City-style bagels…read moreto the area with a wide array of fresh handmade bagels that include flavors like poppy, sesame, whole wheat, pumpernickel and more. Owner Tony Daddabbo, an Auburn native, honed his bagel-making skills in New York City at the popular "Columbia Bagel" just a few blocks from Columbia University. Daddabbo said the key to making an authentic New York City-style bagel is to keep it simple and fresh, using five simple ingredients: Water, yeast barley malt, syrup, salt and flour. Wife and I recently stopped into Auburn Bagel company to grab a quick bite before running some chores. It was around 1030AM on a Sunday, and there were already plenty of customers dining or ordering. We looked at the menu and my wife decided on a Bagel Weck sandwich on pumpernickel - roast beef, creamy horseradish and a side of aus jus for dipping, while I chose a chicken parm sandwich on a garlic bagel. The line to order moved quickly, employees were friendly, and our food was made relatively quickly, and we enjoyed our food - my only complaint was my bagel was a bit too toasted and crispy for my liking, but that's all preference and there was nothing wrong with the sandwich itself. We did think it was a tad pricey (over $12 for each for a bagel sandwich), but they were a decent size and were filling. We'd definitely return.

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Dining room
Dining room
Auburn Bagel Company
Auburn Bagel Company

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Downtown Deli - delis - Updated July 2026

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