Pesto's Deli, Ottawa

My friend, Wals, and I headed to Pesto's Deli for a quick lunch today. He had never been here before, and was impressed that there was a decent Italian deli sandwich place in the West End.

Pesto's Deli is a family owned Italian joint located in a strip mall in Ottawa West (Kanata to be exact). It is actually more than just a deli. Besides the endless selection of Italian meats, they serve fresh pasta and sandwiches for lunch, and also have a wall of imported specialty foods such as Illy coffee. They have a lot of regulars visiting them for lunch during the week, and it's a great place to grab a quick bite to eat, or to sit the whole afternoon and chat with the friendly staff.

My lunch was a limonata and a large calabrese sandwich. The calabrese sandwich had hot capicollo, sopressata, and marinated eggplant. It was a decent size sandwich. It didn't need any sauce because the eggplant was marinated in an olive oil that coated the bread well.

Wals had the pesto chicken fettucine with an Orangina. The pasta was fresh but he found the dish a bit too oily for his likings.
The last time I was here, I had a great time. I came in to grab a quick coffee to wake myself up before a dinner party, and ended up hanging out chatting with the staff. I learned that the owners also own Il Negozio Nicastro on Bank Street. The young man working that Sunday afternoon wasn't sure how to make a latte (he had just started), so he let me go behind the counter to help make it. He made the espresso, and I steamed the milk. This was after I told him that I had attended espresso school in Australia :).

Pesto's Deli
471 Hazeldean Road
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-836-5432