If you're gonna open a pizza joint across from one of the best pizza slices in California it better be good. Unfortunately, even after the oven the pizza was cold and the sauce was pretty bland. Didn't really have that wow factor. Service was okay but I was standing at the counter for a little while before my order was taken and I was the only one in the shop. Plenty of seating but super bright lighting which made me feel like I was in a hospital :[ I will probably come back to try the sandwiches. read more

Lover’s Deli - a slice of pizza on a paper plate - Sandwiches Near Me - Merced, California

We got the Cheech & Chong and it was delicious!!! Can't wait to try them all!!! And 1 sandwich feeds 2 people with a side of course!

LOOOVE their pizza! They have the best crust that I have ever tried! Members Only pizza was sooo good & love how the pepperoni pizza was like deep dish style. We will def be regulars, we love supporting local. read more

Stopped in and ordered a Danny and Sandy sandwich. Got home and shared it with the Love of my Life, we both agreed it was the best tasting sandwich to date. There was so much flavor going on that I had to go back and tell the gal at the register it was the best sandwich I've had in years. There was so much flavor going on, from the fresh mozzarella, hot honey it all just came together bursting with flavor. The service was great. While waiting for my sandwich I tried the pizza. It was fair (I'm a fan of thin crust) that being said it was ok. I had a cupped pepperoni, cilantro pesto slice. I'm highly impressed with the food and staff. read more

Lover’s Deli - a menu on the wall - Sandwiches Near Me - Merced, California

I am super excited to have found this restaurant during my last visit to Merced. They serve sandwiches and pizza and their menu is creative and delicious. They are located in Merced beautiful tree lines downtown. The staff is super friendly and helped us with their rotating menu. I had a limited time only slice called the angry beaver which featured pepperoni and broccoli and my husband had the Taylor and Kelsey sandwich. Both were great incredibly delicious. If I lived in Merced I would eat there everyday they're open. Since our visit I have thought about the best slice of pizza I have ever had. Definitely try Lovers Deli! read more

Holy moley i can't believe i waited that long to try this. My new favorite pesto sandwich, the jack and rose (i think ) it was huge and a great price. We could have shared. I love the shelfs with old VHS' it brought back so many memories. I'll try the pizza next time. read more

It is a very nice shop and the decorations are very cute. The service is pretty good, I don't particularly remember any interactions that stood out to me. The sandwiches aren't my favorite, they are definitely missing something. In my opinion, the ingredients don't taste the freshest/ high quality, it kind of reminds me of something prepackaged from Raley's or Safeway. I think this impacts the flavor a lot because many of the sandwiches taste almost the same. The pizza, though, is very delicious. Ordering whole pies is easy as well. They also sell slices which is nice. I do think you could find better sandwiches else where, but if you want to support local definitely check it out for yourself. read more

My boyfriend and I love it here. It's so cutesy, homey, and all around the perfect environment! Also a beautiful view of main street! read more

Lover’s Deli - Sandwiches Near Me - Merced, California

Pizza, staff and ambiance are always amazing! I love how they have the place set up with all the pictures and games! The pizza is always soooo good especially with their sauces. read more

Lover's Deli has that laid-back vibe that makes you feel like you're hanging out at a retro spot. Their pepperoni pizza was a little different in all the right ways--served up on a rectangle crust that was a bit thicker than I expected, but honestly, it worked. The crust had just enough heft to hold up all that cheesy, pepperoni goodness without feeling too heavy. One of my favorite parts? They grade fresh parmesan right on top of the pizza before serving. It is the little things for me that makes a huge difference. This place has that vibe that makes you want to sit back and chill with friends while you eat. The staff here were very friendly when I ordered. Another thing that I liked about this place was the display of specialty pizzas. You can see all the goodness before making a final selection. They half bake them, then fully bake them when ordered. This place is located downtown which can get busy at times so be ready to look for parking, but do not worry. There is plenty of parking behind the building if you do not mind walking. Highly Recommend read more

Vibe is great, folks behind the counter are cool, and the pizza was amazing. Can't wait to try the sandwiches read more

Lover’s Deli - Combination slice - Sandwiches Near Me - Merced, California

my favorite Deli here in Merced I love the Taylor and Travis sandwich so gooood.great atmosphere and good prices located downtown Merced y'all should definitely check them out read more

This was our first visit to Lovers Deli. As soon as we walked in, we were welcomed by two things: a greeting from the front counter, and the smooth sounds of the classic love song "Weak For Your Love" by Thee Sacred Souls. The sandwich part of the menu is named after classic duos: Cheech and Chong, Rocky and Apollo, Jack and Rose, and one we all hope stays for the long-haul: Taylor and Travis. The weekly pizza specials were named after recognizable pop culture names and phrases. We ordered two sandwiches, and one slice of super Mario pizza to share. The pizza came out first and it was Detroit style. After I took the first bite, I agreed we are definitely coming back for more of this pizza. It was pepperoni with extra sauce on top and burrata cheese and oregano seasoning. Just when I thought it can't get any better than the pizza, I took a bite of my sandwich, the Danny and Sandy on their in house baked focaccia bread. DEAR LORD. First, it was huge. I barely ate half of it. My husband, who is a big eater, only ate half of his Rocky and Apollo. 2nd was the hot honey. I was expecting a classic Italian and forgot hot honey is part of the sandwich but with the bread and the honey... omg. A great combination of flavors! Great service. Great food. Know this: once they are out, they may not make anymore so don't come later in the day and have your heart set on something. We'll be back!! read more

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I 100% recommend try the pesto pizza is delicious best pizza place around for miles see for yourself check them out

So yummmyyyyy, workers are so nice and welcoming. Their sandwiches are always something to crave

Yummy pizza, love happy hour specials! Will try the sandwich next time. Clean inside and friendly staff.

Went there for the first time a couple days ago, food was really good but it did take us a couple hours to get 3 sandwiches. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it was just a bad day. read more

I love you Lover's Deli. Their rotating menu of pizzas is wonderful and I adore $2 Tuesdays. Even without the $2 deal, their $5 slices are enormous and more than enough food for one person. The space is quite comfortable and cozy. I love it and I haven't even been able to try the sandwiches yet!! It'll happen soon, I swear. read more

I'm so glad I was in the area! Me and a group of friends wanted a quick bite and I just want to say that this is hands down the best pizza place in Merced. The restaurant is small but everything in there is so nostalgic! The VHS they have from the decor. It's like a blast from the past. I was told by the workers that this place has been open for a few weeks and I can tell that this place will be the IT spot in downtown Merced. The guys were so cool and nice. Very helpful and friendly. The pizza was finger licking good. The dough was perfectly cooked and the amount of sauce was on point. I'm a saucy gal so I love lots of sauce. The ingredients tasted fresh. If you're in the area get your behind over to this spot!!! Thank you for the scrumptious food read more

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It's great to have another restaurant downtown. I hope it finds its footing. Interesting name has a cool look. The decor is stark white with throwback highlights like VHS movies and trinkets from the 80's. The people working there are friendly and the service is pretty quick. I tried a pepperoni slice here but wasn't impressed. I didn't care for the sauce and I didn't like the stinky cheese. Usually you walk into a pizza place and smell delicious pizza, this place doesn't have that delicious smell. They also sell sandwiches so maybe that's what you should order here. Its going to be difficult to compete with the established and favored pizza place across the street. read more

Solid sandwich spot. Just fantastic. Service staff was attentive and helpful. I have no idea what I got to eat, because I asked the young lady at the counter to "make me her favorite." The sandwich had cream cheese and jalapeños on it, and it was just delightful on Dutch crunch bread. The sandwich was wonderful but what really makes this spot special are the people that work here. Bravo. read more

The sandwiches here are eye rolling delicious. Blew my expectations way out of the water. Wish I could buy a few of those VHS tapes on the wall. read more

This place has the best sandwiches in town. I highly recommend the Taylor & Travis and the Cheech & Chong. The service is great but it does take them a while to make orders and they hardly ever answer the phone. It is definitely worth the wait for the yummy food though! read more

They really need to answer their phones and extend their business hours. But their food is delicious

Wow!!! I had 3 sandwiches there in 2 days. They were fantastic, I hear the pizza is too, I try that next. Ken and Barbie is a basic sandwich with no frills but plenty of flavor and these guys don't hold back on the meat, this ain't subway. had the cheech and Chong, it was delicious but you have to like cilantro and I do. The danny and sandy is a good one, had something sweet but not to much. Stop here if you want a delicious and filling sandwich. May have to try another one today. read more

This is the best place for sandwiches and pizza excellent service and what I believe is the best hole in wall or hidden gem in merced everything that we had that day was very delicious and excellent we will definitely be back to support this business. Keep up the amazing work that you are running. Inside was cool and quiet not all busy and loud like many other spots lots of space for seating nice big windows to watch outside and lots of light. read more

Super tasty sandwiches and a great retro vibe. Be prepared to wait for a few minutes for the sandwich, but they were worth the wait. The jack and rose sando was particularly tasty read more

Very tasty Sandi...many great choices of breads to have them made on.. definitely will be back to check others out..

Great slice of pizza. Nice crunch on the bottom. Bought a slice for my brother and know he wants to go back and buy more. Highly recommended! read more

Lover’s Deli - Pepperoni and cheese. - Sandwiches Near Me - Merced, California

Absolutely delicious, and the employees are very friendly and full of energy. This is our go to !! Anything you try will be good. They never disappoint. read more

This is a gem of a place for a slice of pizza, not your traditional slice, but super elevated. The sandwiches, are soooo good.. the bread and ingredients are so fresh.. super cool vibe, great music playing and a fun spot to hang with friends or family that like to chat and have a good time.. read more

Came to take my nephew for some lunch after his school and the experience was amazing super friendly staff and clean restaurant from bathroom to the tables in the dining room area food was amazing and definitely coming back with more family! read more

Delicious great crust, thick with a nice crunch. We love the creative flavors on the Zuko slice we got. The basil, salami with the hot honey pairing is bomb! We will be back! read more

Lover’s Deli - Super cute Selfie wall - Sandwiches Near Me - Merced, California

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Oh my goodness! You want an amazing sandwich and delicious pizza? Come to this spot! It's so damn good! The vibe is mellow and everyone is really cool. I will be coming here often and regularly read more

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I loved the simplicity of the menu. There's a few pizzas to choose from & a few sandwiches to choose from. My husband got a slice of cheese & a slice of pepperoni, I got the Taylor & Travis sandwich (I'm a swiftie I had to.) I tried a bite of each pizza and it was crispy and delicious. I also looooved the sandwich I got, the focaccia bread was incredible. The service was great and the atmosphere was cool. I'd most definitely go here again. read more

Great sandwiches are hard to find. From Subway to Grocery stores you will find the same old sandwich. Ok to good but not great. At Lovers you have found a great sandwich. Attention to detail in every layer. House made bread/quality deli meat/fresh veggies that are kicked up a notch with seasoning and great spreads to compliment the entire meal. The portions are large and the flavors are even bigger. So if you want an ok sandwich don't come here but if you want something truly unique with actual flavor profiles run don't walk in and order. read more

Food was great! Had the Taylor and Travis in Dutch crunch. Nice spot to hit up after vinyl shopping.

Yes- just, yes! The pizza by the slice with a dollop of ricotta is so good. The sandwiches are a fresh gourmet twist made even better by the quality and quantity of product. You can easily share a sandwich and still be full. Probably the best of all is their focaccia- delicate crust, flavorful dough, that is light without being heavy. The menu is super easy to navigate and not overly complicated, and it's a fun way of tying in some favorite pop culture in their decor and names. Friendly service and worth the wait. read more

Bro.. How the hell does a slice of cheese pizza have so much flavor!! Definitely a must if you're in Merced. 10/10 local recommended

Found ourselves passing through town and hankering for a sandwich. This place rocks! Fun music. Friendly service. Delicious sandwiches. Good bread. Fresh ingredients. Beautifully put together. I'd definitely come back if I found myself in Merced again. read more