Continent Deli

Obsessed with this place. Coming from Eastern Europe, I have been craving SO MANY flavors in the US that I never found until I got to this market. I love that they have products from Hungary. And I worship that I can finally get the right ingredients for my old school “continental breakfast” (= cheese, white bread, cottage cheese, kefir, Pick salami)… not to mention the chocolate and the candies I grew up eating every day. ❤️

It’s like being in a Eastern Europe delicatessen. Well curated assortment of jams, grains, biscuits, pasta / perogies, baked and prepared foods. And caviar, smoked fish and sausages. Great selection and fair prices. It’s in a strip mall and parking can be tight but well worth the few extra minutes finding a spot.

Small specialty store selling a lot of Russian and Polish foods. They make some unique dishes and desserts that are very good.

The best European store in town!!

As usual, you get nostalgic around the holidays. And part of it is the food you remember since your childhood. So, naturally, you go to the only place in San Diego where you can get that nostalgia satisfied. Oh, but you get so much more than just the food... You get: the rudeness, the ignorance, the smirks, the feeling that you are being given a huge favor because they "allow" you to shop at their small, poorly ventilated, and ridiculously overpriced store where half of the customers and staff completely ignore the mask mandate. As a side note, I don't really care what will happen to these ignoramuses, but I deeply care about the health of my family. If you do not get enough nostalgia while shopping, you will get the full dose at the register. Because you will get overcharged like we were today. And not by $3-4. By $40, no less. Good, we decided to check the receipt before we drove off the parking lot. They counted the same item 4 times. I know that mistakes happen, but this was so blatantly obvious and intentional... So, two pieces of advice: do not shop there to protect your health. And do not shop there to protect your money. We will never return.

I come for the pirozki and blini 😍 I always mess up the dough myself and I’m so glad they have pre-cooked foods here! Love this store and appreciate them staying open during covid19

Great Russian/Lithuanian food!!! Choices include smoked meats, dumplings, beet salad, stuffed mushrooms, chicken rolls, rye bread and much more.

Excellent shop! Large selection of delicious food in the culinary department

So glad I discovered this cool deli! It's a little dingy but filled with tons of food and drink that are completely new to me, shelves and shelves of candies, drinks, and canned goods. They also have deli meats and cheeses, as well as hot goods and pastries. Maybe this is a byproduct of growing up frequenting local Asian bakeries and eateries (cash-only, Mandarin-only kind of joints), but I feel rather at home when faced with brusque, to the point service. The language at Continent European Deli may be different, but the energy is familiar, in a nostalgic kind of way. They also have a minimum spend amount for credit cards ($10). I ordered some honey cake as well as chicken and potato pierogis. The honey cake was sold and packaged confusingly. The woman helping me said that they would only cut the cake in long, narrow slices (it was a large sheet cake), and then packaged the cake in a super tiny box. I also wasn't too sure about the taste. It had a strong alcohol flavor and a mushy texture. It wasn't clear to me whether the cake had been out for too long or if I simply wasn't used to the flavor. Either way, I don't think I will be getting it again. The pierogis were great! Not too pricy, and a good size. I reheated them in my air fryer and they were delicious. Well-fried and seasoned. I especially liked the potato pierogi. I will definitely be coming back for more of those, and I definitely want to sample some of the snacks and other goodies as well.

Leading up to Mardi Gras recently, I was looking for paczki (poonch-key) which were similar to jelly-filled doughnuts that are eaten the day before the start of Lent. Where I grew up, these deep-fried calorie bombs were popular because of the large number of Polish immigrants in the area. After doing a Yelp search, Continent European Deli in the Regents Marketplace of La Jolla appeared as the only business in San Diego that made paczki. I called the deli, and a lady responded that their paczki needed to be ordered in advance. The difference between paczki and doughnuts is that the dough is richer and denser. The only filling they used was a plum jam which I had never tasted before but was supposedly very traditional. More common from my past were raspberry, lemon curd, and custard. They were sold at $3.49 apiece which was about 20% higher than what I recall paying for them. I am not a fan of the parking lot in this plaza as not only is it frequently full, but you need to pick up a ticket from a meter at the entrance to gain admittance. Consequently, there is often a backup in traffic as vehicles are waiting for others to exit before they can enter. I picked up my dozen paczki that were placed inside a cardboard box and ready to go when I arrived. I took the paczki to share at the office the next day, but I did eat a couple of them first. I noticed right away these paczki were not as sweet as they did not have a layer of powdered sugar or icing on the exterior. The jam was also not as fruity as I had expected either. Lastly, you could taste the oil in the dough which should not have been as prominent. Overall, I was happy to find a spot that sold paczki for Fat Tuesday, yet the quality and cost were not up to a four star level or better at Continent European Deli.

Pretty much the only store in San Diego where you can get overcharged classic Soviet style. I had a larger order and sure enough got charged for 4 cheeses instead of 3, 2 buckwheat boxes instead of 1. Says here cashiers name was Bella. Don't be gullible like me. Review and count your purchases before you walk away and also check for expiration dates because I have seen expired products on their shelves all the time. Just check out others reviews and you will see it. I wish the owners would train their staff and manage this store better

Went there after a while for some cold cut slices. Choices were OK, so was service, a bit slow, but they did not remove the skin from the various sausages to be sliced. BAD, because now I had to remove the skins from each thin individual slice. Kind of messy!

Good place if you go in knowing what you're looking for. There is a lot of goodness packed in to this little store - it has the essentials. Items are somewhat on the pricey side but worth it for the convenience of "Russian" food. The shopping carts, however, are dirty with mildew and smeared substances! On a personal note, even if you don't speak the language, learn to say "thank you" in Russian. Even if you don't say it right it is appreciated.

Thank God i finally found the authentic, made in Russia products here!!! Not a lot of selection but still. Thank you, owner you still order our Russian goodies and yummies we love from our childhood! All are fresh too! A bit pricey yes... not everyday store for me but it makes me so excited to go there again! Thank you!

The Babushkas who run this store are very friendly and helpful. There's a wide selection of Russian/Ukrainian/Soviet food products like Doctor's Sausage, Borsht, Solyanka, Plov, Kvass, Pierogi, Olivier salad, Gretchka, Shashlik & much more. Everything tastes authentic and fresh. Coming here is always a great experience and an opportunity to practice my Russian.

You can find so many things here. Baked yogurt for example, or plmeni's (spelling isn't right but you know). Caviar to chocolate, they got a lot. I ABSOLUTELY HATE THEIR PARKING LOT, but it's free for the first hour.

Well they were rude. Very rude. I guess they haven't learned about American culture and the expectation of good customer service. Feels like a little click in there and we shouldn't be bothering them. Crowded and seems dirty and they really don't want to help you if you don't speak their language. I'll pass. No thanks.

Somone should give Irina K., the owner, smile lessons. I have been going for 30 years, even when i say hello in fairly well pronounce Russian, she ignores me...I thought, ok, maybe she is just shy, but then some tall handsome blond Russian young man came in while i was there, and she was all over him..... some of the food is good, some is very good, but the pretty young female (that's a first here, btw) at the deli made no eye contact and acted like she was doing me a huge favor getting me my various salads, rushing me so that i forget the stuffed cabbage. You would think this were still the Soviet Union, or is it just the famous boorishness of Russian culture? Years ago there was a woman from Kazakhstan who worked there who was nice, but that's it. They really act like they dont want your business if you are not Russian forget anyone answering any questions, even when its slow. The owner's husband, thank god, is rarely there, but if you want to find out what kind of man he is, just say the word, Obama

We were in La Jolla for doctor appointment. In the same complex, my sister and I found this store. Our neighbor is Ukrainian, so we went in to visit (we also love Eastern Bloc European food). We found the store, staff, and menu amazing! We ordered the Ukrainian borscht soup and sandwich to take home to our neighbor and his wife. He said that he hadn't had such good borscht soup in many years. The staff were very helpful. Selection of European foods is wonderful. We will order again!

I have never had any issues here. Yes - the people are not bubbly and over the moon. You are there to get your items not make a new bff. They are straight to the point. Have a variety of fresh European products There are deli meats, cheeses, homemade items All delicious and pricey but compared to other locations that I have been to this is hands down the place to go if you have a craving.

The food is amazing. We love the sausage and bread . Just not the most friendly. But we still shop there .

They have a sign outside that they support Ukraine, but it's an empty promise because they also sell buckwheat and some other products that are made in Russia. The lady at the register said "we sell what we sell. We need to make a living somehow." Most of their products are from countries other than Russia, so it would not hurt their bottom line much by stopping the sale of Russian-made products. It's very disappointing that this business doesn't practice what they promise and is supporting the aggressor country.

Staff is extremely rude. Did not eat here because the staff kept smirking at us and rolling their eyes for literally no reason. We felt extremely uncomfortable. Also, the store is very dirty. Do not come here.

Oooooo! It's amazing place! You must try pirozki and pelmeni! It's amazing, service lady should more smile)

It's as if they go out of their way to be unfriendly and rude (the lady at the register in particular). I walked out.. there are way too many other delis I could support with kind individuals.

I'm from Russia and visited this store 3 times. All 3 times the ladies behind the counter were unfriendly and rude. Asked simple question and I got yelled at. Would not recommend visit this store. Mozhno vytashit cheloveka is USSR, no ne USSR is cheloveka

We found what we need at store, ladies are very nice to help us, we chose 3 different sausages, after back home, we tried it, finally we found one of the sausage is what we liked! Thanks!

I absolutely love coming to the Continent European Deli! I was very happy to find this shop because it's difficult to find many of the products they have in the store anywhere else. I always pick up a pack of cookies and a couple pounds of Polish Kielbasa. My family always cheers when I tell them I'm going to the European Deli! My experience with the customer service has always been good. The lady behind the meat counter explained the differences between the types of kielbasa for me, and the check-out process was quick. I can't wait to visit again!

Really nice staff. There are all kinds of good things here, from packaged goods to a meat and cheese deli, to fresh baked bread and another deli with unique Russian and Jewish foods that are baked, prepped, marinated and salads to-go.

Wonderful treasure of Eastern delights. Yes the fresh borscht is good. So excited to find this jewel.

Good place to remember my youth! I recommend you to visit this store! Kievski tort Grechka

Extremely rude lady at the check out, gave me attitude because I asked her for a slice of cake , which by the way went straight in the garbage after I got home, old, dried up cake ! Food often is expired, so make sure you check those dates, before you buy anything . So disappointed in this store, won't be coming back .

What a delightful experience with products from Poland, Russia and Eastern Europe. Thankfully one of the women was patient with me when asking which products are from Poland as I am of Polish heritage but don't know the language (I need to work on that). I was so grateful for the interaction with these ladies and my heritage. The selections are impressive and the on site baked goods not to be believed. The Paczki are only made on special days like Fat Tuesday, etc. so call ahead.

What an amazing array of east European foods! We bought plov and cherry vereniki and a bunch of pickled tomatoes and vegetables.

Unfortunately, this store sells an expired food trying to hide this by the packed day. On August 19 I bought smoked mackerel there, terrible old, yellow and stinky; the honey cake also was disappointed as well, dry, old, no honey taste

Good selection of items and found the hard to find dill pickle soup Borscht SoupPolish Candy

Great selection of products which made this Bulgarian very happy. Ukrainian sandwich was fresh and delicious. Very friendly staff.

I love their pelmeni by pound option! Choose as many as you'd like and top it off with variety of flavors. Medovik cake was fresh and all store attendant are super helpful and friendly.

Nice selection for a small store. The deli counter is great. The staff are very helpful.

I've been coming here for years. When I first came here I came for the deli meats. Recently I came and had the Tuna sandwich and the Ukrainian sandwich. They were delicious. I also had a chicken roll which was really good too. Microwave the chicken roll for 40 seconds. Perfect temperature and consistency. Pl

It's great to have this store around. Most of their prepared foods are good, but lately their sauerkraut that they make has not been very good. It hasn't been fresh and the other time it's was I too soft.

I've been here a few times over the years, especially as a UCSD student. If you need quick, slightly-overpriced (less one *) Russian staples, it's a convenient mart. The food (less one *) in the deli area is nothing to write home about; having had good Russian and Ukrainian cuisine at restaurants and friends' homes. What motivated me to express my mediocre impression over the years, was what I experienced today. The deli lady, not knowing that I spoke and understood Russian, happened to mention to her coworker to check up on the brown (or phonetically "karichnevayi") person. As the only person in the store of brown skin, I assumed she was talking about me and within seconds, her coworker was in my aisle to arrange the cakes in the display (less one *). In all the years, I was used to the normal inexpressive service, but this was a low that I didn't expect in La Jolla--one of the most diverse areas in our city. I'll make the extra effort to head over elsewhere or go online for my Russian sundries.

As usual, you get nostalgic around the holidays. And part of it is the food you remember since your childhood. So, naturally, you go to the only place in San Diego where you can get that nostalgia satisfied. Oh, but you get so much more than just the food... You get: the rudeness, the ignorance, the smirks, the feeling that you are being given a huge favor because they "allow" you to shop at their small, poorly ventilated, and ridiculously overpriced store where half of the customers and staff completely ignore the mask mandate. As a side note, I don't really care what will happen to these ignoramuses, but I deeply care about the health of my family. If you do not get enough nostalgia while shopping, you will get the full dose at the register. Because you will get overcharged like we were today. And not by $3-4. By $40, no less. Good, we decided to check the receipt before we drove off the parking lot. They counted the same item 4 times. I know that mistakes happen, but this was so blatantly obvious and intentional... So, two pieces of advice: do not shop there to protect your health. And do not shop there to protect your money. We will never return.

Vi obaldeli? Butilka masks 8$??? V San Francisco ona stoit 3!!! S uma soshli! Over overpriced store!!! Nothing good but huge prices!

Yesterday I made my way over here to try some Eastern European cuisine especially aiming to try Russian food. After reading several of the comments about how the workers acted towards customers I went inside well prepared and ready to handle the sarcasm and rudeness which I somewhat experienced. After browsing the store for a few minutes one of the ladies was kind enough to help explain several of the items in the store to me and where they were from as well as how popular they were in each country. In the end I ended up getting 1 Narzan Mineral water, 1 package of Marmalade Azovski (Raspberry flavor), 1 box of Belarusian candies, and 1 loaf of Vilnius, Lithuanian Rye bread. In all honesty I'm not much of a fan of Eastern European cuisine and with that did not much care for the Rye bread. On the other hand the candies and drink were pretty good and I definitely enjoyed them. Definitely not a place to go to to "look around." Try your best to know what you want and leave peacefully.

Great selections you won't find elsewhere. Salmon caviar was fresh and for reasonable pricing.

The service isn't great but the deli sandwiches are a nice, quick eat and the gingerbread cookies are delicious.

Just as i had written UTC off as having no culture...color me surprised to finally be introduced to something different...and dare i say, special for a change. WHAT. An establishment in UCSD-land you can't find on every other corner and neighborhood in SD? that can't possibly be. Fro Yo? Check! Pizza joint? Double Check! (on either side of the road no doubt) STARBUCKS? tripppppple check! Russian Deli? Cheeeeeck! wait. I know what this is. This is one of those intelligence pattern tests where they give you various items and you are supposed to say which one doesn't belong in the sequence....right? I'm pretty good at those pattern tests so expect to hear a *ding ding ding* and for Continent to poof into oblivion and be replaced with a boba shop any second now... Seriously though, I'm really sorry after nearly 9 years of combined living and working so close to this shopping center I had no idea of it's existence. And even though I'm 1/2 russian I entered this place like a goofy wide-eyed tourist. Ohhhh, I *must* get the Russian Sandwich! and beet salad! and I *have* to take pictures of ever inch of the store and "money shots" (name credit to David G) of all the food. Oh David G, I hope you are not too embarrassed of your fellow- yet oblivious--russian friend :D I loved every second and every bite from my first visit to Continent. Russian sandwich? YES. GET. $5 for a huge, fresh, flavorful combination of meats and veggies. Vinaigrette salad? Delicious. Bright, colorful, fresh and light. My sandwich and salad it came out to roughly $8, a price I've paid for at many other places of mediocre quality and much smaller portions (esp. in UTC). I'm pretty sure the russian lady thought I WAS a tourist and walked around telling me all the wonderful things I would like. She helped me pick the best dark rye bread....the most awesome poppyseed pastry...what she thought were the most delicious chocolates. I ate it all up. I became a "local tourist" and as thought it was my one and only chance, I bought it all. And I have absolutely no regrets. Everything was novel and fantastic that I tried. Most memorable notes: *Caramel Dadu - loved. Just as expected from what I read, the cone was slightly soggy and wonderfully delicious *Poppyseed pastry - Shared with a friend over dinner (huge portion) for a mere couple dollars. Light crumbly pastry combined with layers of the rich poppyseed mixture (I think mixed with honey?). He had never had anything like it (nor had I) and that made me giddy with satisfaction. * And finally, and in complete seriousness: GET THE VODKA CHOCOLATE (in yellow wrapper). I took one bite and nearly diiiiiied. The center is filled with a gooey vodka infused crystalized sugar mixture that I've never experienced. I will be going back just for those. Get over the price tag for some aspects. No it's not a 99 cent only store. It's not Wal-mart. It's not Food for Less nor Subway. It's a local business with *real* imported and quality items. Just like people pay more for farmer's markets without bashing an eyelash, this is a place to value, encourage, and support. It's made me want to embrace the russian pride I always had, but never knew I *could* embrace in this city. Can't think of a better establishment for my 300th review.

Superb store small but had a lot of great quality items super tasty it's better to shop in a week day weekend is busy excellent fresh product I recommend this store it's international suits all taste buds

I love this place. Disclaimer: I am an east coast Polish transplant who is aching for decent golumpkis and kielbasa in southern CA. My review may be (is) influenced by nostalgia. That being said, there are the ONLY golumpkis (stuffed cabbage) in San Diego that scratch the itch. They are exactly like my grandma's. I work next door and sneak over here to eat them by myself and roll my eyes in ecstasy. I want to nap happily after. I am satisfied. Admittedly, the ladies who work here can be.....cold. My grandma was too, yet she was the sweetest woman who's ever lived. It's just different culture. Just be polite & eat their food and leave them be (unless you speak Russian, then go for small talk). I recommend their chicken kiev, golumpkis, cucumber salad, half sour pickles, mushroom soup, and Russian potato pierogis. I also buy soup bases and sausages/keilbasa from their deli. If you are Eastern European I promise you you will find something here that your grandma made or ingredients that are familiar to you. Please support this place because if it shuts down I'll die.

Excellent deli sandwiches. I get their veggie sandwich probably once a week (or more)... I am a little obsessed. It's hard finding quality, authentic veggie deli sandos, and this place has it. Everything they use tastes really fresh. Friendly service, quick, no fuss.

I don't know. I wasn't all that impressed with this place. The market was small and the deli portion had boring selections. The choices for sandwiches were dismal. I mean you have the cold cuts in the cold case for sale, so why not offer it as an option for sandwiches in the deli section? DUH?!?! I know the salads might've been better but you know, I looked and looked again and none of them looked appealing to me. Hubby and I had a discussion as we were eating the Russian sandwich (which I could've thrown together at home) but I told him nothing looked good to me. I don't know. Again I think we're spoiled with the choices in OC which is why I wasn't impressed at all with this place. For a market, Tip Top in Carlsbad is impressive compared to this place. The only thing which stood out here was the array of 'caviar' they had on offer ... mostly the orange roe like ikura that they have in trays which are sold by weight. Other than that, bleh.... you can get most of the stuff from other European delis/markets around if you're willing to just drive a few miles more.

I guess I should be begin by saying that the only Russian thing about me is that I like to read Dostoevsky. Translated. So no, I don't know if the stuff here is 'authentic' or not or if I'm being ripped off beyond repair, but what I can say with at least a smidge of authority is that there is some good govno up in here. My favorite moment, second to enjoying my purchases, is simply walking in. I love the sight of Cyrillic lettering and the rainbow shelves of jams, butters, candies, chocolates, cookies, wafers, spreads, nutella, and pickled foods; fridges full of kefir, European cheeses, smetana, bottles of milk, and bags of frozen pelmeni; a bakery with a wide assortment of breads, cakes, and pastries; slabs of meat, sausages, and Lord knows what else; a deli where you can order soups, salads, sandwiches, borscht, pirozhki, kievs, stuffed eggplant, and just about anything else you can imagine. It's not like the place is huge either so it's quite impressive how they possess and maintain this much variety. There's a true Wonka-like quality to it all. Willy Wonkanovich, if you will. The ladies have a cold air about them, but at least they are efficient (there are three registers!). And unfortunately, this place isn't cheap either. For example, I just spent $14.40 on a 2.06 lb loaf of poppy seed bread (this is ridiculous considering I'm used to getting loaves of bread from Asian markets for like $2...maybe $4 MAX) but the taste is unlike anything I've ever tried, so rich and velvety. An opium heaven! Anyway, I think everyone should at least give this place a shot. Poka!

Wonderful shop with a wide variety of Eastern European foods. I love all the various chocolates and the interesting drinks from the cooler. They sell fantastic pierogis and have a number of different savory pastries available, and while I don't eat meat anymore, I used to adore their chicken Kiev, it's really some of the best I've had.

Lots of stale stuff and bare shelves. It's like the old USSR, really. i went here a few times, but overall the bad service and subpar food sent me to TipTop over in Carlsbad. I won't be back to this place.

I remember when they had a location in oak park area. I remember the books with Russian characters ( or Ukrainian, they use a similiar alphabet) and chocolates wrapped in foil to look like dolls. I do not speak Russian, nor did I grow up on Eastern European foods, so I have no way to compare this store to home cooked Russian food. instead, stores like this are for a treat, to try something different. My review of the reviews: A lot of complaints about the "rude service". Whenever I go into an "ethnic business", I find the service is hit and miss, not just CED. The people who work at this store know you are not Russian because you say hello and not priveet. If I am going to make small talk with someone, it helps if we are on the same page. I think this is a local business aimed at Eastern Europeans and are happy to cater to their target customer. The Amerikanskies can go shopping at Albertsons (I am an American, I go here to buy some sweets and then leave, I check my small talk at the door). Maybe I am an honorary Russian, just for being stoic and not there for the chit chat? I know that last paragraph was harsh, but if you step into a business without understanding what its all about, well, its a gamble. No one promised you a rose garden. Some companies would respond to 1 star reviews with some kind of defense or snide comment. Not this store. You can write the most negative review you want, they are too busy doing their own thing to care that you felt that they were indelicate / rude or prefered speaking to their Slavic customers and I understand that (I am going to assume they are smart enough to realize they could make more profit if they tried harder to appeal to the general public, but much like the cool kid who shows up to class but sincerly does not care if he passes, he is there for himself, his friends and no one else). I wonder if the owners even read yelp? Nah, they are too cool for school.

A treasure to San Diego. I live in Escondido but it's worth the drive. Their polish goods are authentic and wonderful. Second only to Chicago or in Poland. The breads are wonderful too. The cabbage in glass jars are wonderful and tightly packed. Making my mouth water just talking about. I'm a little surprised about some of the reviews about service. I never had a problem with it. But I just come in, get what I need and leave very happy.

The deli itself and the food looked great. However, I was greeted by a store staff "Karen" who must have felt I looked like someone who would steal - she stood next to me the entire time I was in the store - everywhere I moved she was right next to me.