Kona's Deli - San Luis Obispo

The making of the perfect sandwich is an art form.  If you add to it the authentic Italian sensibility and innate knowledge of food, you are in for a “between the slices of bread” phenomenon. One that exists as Kona’s Deli in San Luis Obispo. 

Mattia Tedeschi and Filippo Giordano purchased Kona’s Deli in June 2014, heralding from Italy and starting a new life in San Luis Obispo.  They maintained the surf community atmosphere that Kona’s was known for, but sought out to get the best local ingredients to create their American masterpieces. 

Kona’s sandwiches are made from scratch with genuine ingredients that are delivered daily. They use no preservatives, no substitutes, nothing frozen, just premium meats combined with local ingredients for their own unique recipes.  The bread is delivered daily from Edna’s bakery, the avocados from Cal Poly, and the cookies made fresh right in the deli.

On my first visit I had the Beach Break that was on a Dutch Crunch Roll with turkey, sliced avocado, and provolone. I had the works and added pepperoncini.  The bread was that flawless combination of rough and soft that makes Dutch Crunch. The portions on the sandwich were impeccable. I really prefer the shredded lettuce, to leaf, which comes standard on each sandwich. You can also add jalapenos, pickles, olives, tomatoes, sauerkraut, sprouts, and spinach at no extra charge.

My friend has a gluten allergy. It was her idea to come to Kona’s as she had returned to her love of hoagies after trying their gluten free bread and not having anything go amiss in her tummy. Kona’s has developed a new “production line” dedicated to gluten free inside the deli that made all the difference.  The bread was a sliced white version and quite delicious. You can choose any sandwich have on gluten free bread and she choose the Full Boat that consisted of turkey, ham, pastrami, salami, pepperoni, and Swiss
cheese. The chips from Taco Work were her choice of many to choose from, with both traditional to new fangled flavors. 

The second visit included my husband, the cookie monster.  He sampled every cookie first and deemed them all “grandmother” worthy. He was delighted by the The Swell a virtual thanksgiving feast between bread with sliced turkey, cranberry jam, cream cheese and any of the fixings you want. 

I tried the salad using the ingredients for the Vegetarian that had carrots, cucumbers, avocado, pepper jack cheese, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, cheese, pepperoncini, pickles, olives, tomatoes, sprouts, and spinach. All the ingredients were fresh and tasty. In fact, I loved them so, I hired Kona’s to do the catering for Saturday’s lunch at the Central Coast Writer’s Conference (September 29- October 1, 2016, www.centralcoastwritersconference.com).  I talked with Mattia and Filippo and they told me that Kona’s Deli is committed to the health of its customers. They desire to provide the perfect food experience. They pride themselves on “fresco e delizioso”, as this is what makes Kona’s homemade sandwiches unsurpassed. Kona’s Deli wants to offer to their customers the same that is offered in every Panini and Sandwich Shop in Italy. The Italian influence is bringing a new way enjoy lunch with a big variety of organic products, choice meats and delicious bread. Located at 977 East Foothill Boulevard, Suite 108 in San Luis Obispo. You can phone your order ahead at 805-546-0369.  They are open Monday through Sunday from 10:30am to 7:00pm. They also deliver.