Zella's Deli & Restaurant

Orders are placed at the counter. Food is brought to your table. Beverages are self-serve. Bus your own table. There is a patio area with tables. Johnny's Italian sub was OK. Not overly fond of the bread. The Pastrami Philly was good. No one liked the chips. We think they were coated with paprika. They were not crisp. We decided "we've done that and don't need to do it again." Mostly locals eating that day for lunch.

The new location seemed level this spot up some. Love the indoor and outdoor space. It does a great job looking old-school, but also clean. Lots of character. We got another pastrami as well as a Caprese and Caesar salad. It’s quite expensive to add prosciutto to the Caprese and I wouldn’t recommend it for the amount you get and the price you pay. The Caprese honestly is quite delicious by itself so I would rather just get a different sandwich or stick to the vegetarian option. Each sandwich is served with a few Housemade chips. The chips are really wonderful, but a very tiny quantity. It was a little interesting because I only had like six of them but my partner had like 15. Doesn’t really seem to be a standard – it’s really more like what your sandwich fits and what they grab. The Caesar salad is wonderful and the croutons and flavor have much improved. The server was kind enough to split it into us without us asking. The ranch as well as the Caesar tastes like homemade. They definitely take their time here so don’t come in a rush. I actually like that about the spot. The workers are very kind as well. I like that they have some affordable lunch specials and it feels like that’s probably the way to go.

So excited that Swannanoa now has the PERFECT lunch spot! Actually breakfast and dinner not excluded 😆 A must try!! Excellent service. Everything being house made shined through-from the breads to the house fried chips, to the perfectly brined pickle to the fresh cucumber salad to the seasonal pies. We loved the locally made hot sauce options like blueberry jalapeño and banana buffalo too. We'll definitely be returning!

10/10 for the pastrami. I didn't even think I liked pastrami but after that sando I'm converted. Just enough mustard, flavorful and soft rye bread. Perfection. Apologies to any new yorkers rolling over, but it worked for me. The tiny little shop is full of nostalgic snacks like Voodoo chips, Fruit Stripe (pretty sure that's what it was), Yoo-Hoo. It creates a fun vibe. 5/5 for snacks. I got the black & white cookie, which comes from Ivy & the Poet (it's on my try list!), It was good. 4/5 just because it didn't wow me. I got a fresh and a day-old bagel, to compare. The day old plain I chucked in the toaster with a bit of water to revive it - it tasted like bland. It would me a lot happier in sandwich form, which isn't how I bagel. I'm happy with plain cream cheese. The everything fresh bagel was much more flavorful, the chew was fine, but I prefer my bagels to have a tighter skin and bubbles, so overall 4/5 for the bagels. Would I go back for the bagel and cookie, no, probably not. Would I push someone out of the way to get the last bit of pastrami? Without hesitation. The folks behind the counter were goofy and fun and they sling good food. I'll def be back to try the Ruben.

One of the best sandwiches ever. Bread was perfect, meats were plentiful and a nice Italian lager to wash it all down and the best thing, the prices!! Great addition to the valley. Yum yum.

Our server made this short little stop one we'll come back to. Food was good, hot, and fast. It was so pleasant getting great service from such a delightful young miss. Don't miss this quaint local spot.

It was a fantastic experience. The food was good but what made the night was the very enthusiastic, genuine staff. I really enjoyed the special, Italian fried fish, and Ryan, my server, was great. Go try it out!!

Can't comment on the atmosphere as have only gotten carryout. Folks on the phone are great and the food is fantastic. Italian Fish Fry? Good gosh! Helluva Reuben too.