by “The Food Guy” – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine
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My next tasting experience takes me over to the island side of Vero Beach, and this time to the Polo Deli. This is the little brother to Polo Grill which I reviewed a few months ago. Owners Kelly and John while traveling in Paris, came across a shop called Davoli and just fell in love with it. It’s a gourmet deli and a specialty food shop that has been around for a long time. They loved it so much, they decided to open their own version of it right here in Vero Beach.
It’s located at the south end of Ocean Drive, just down the street from Polo Grill. They do have a parking lot that is located just off of Flamevine Lane for your convenience. They primarily focus on take out since there is no dining room or outdoor seating available. The day I had lunch there it was a beautiful day, so we just walked over to Humiston Park and had our lunch on a picnic table. Polo Deli offers specialty sandwiches, salads, prepared dinner entrees, steaks, cheese, crackers, snacks, and of course a huge wine selection. They just re-opened for “season”, so I thought it was the perfect time to give them a give them a try.
Now on to the food! Let’s jump right in and see what I had to eat!
Conch Fritters – ($12.99 per lb) – Up first to wet our appetites were these conch fritters. We received them cold, but I think you can specify that you would like them warmed up. They were chock full of conch and did not seem to have much filler in them. The sauce served alongside was creamy, sweet, and had a tiny bit of heat. My dining companion thought he tasted horseradish in it, but I did not. I did taste what seemed to be seasoning salt. They were really good!
Floridian Shaker Salad – ($7.99) – I’ve heard of and seen shaker salads before, but not had an opportunity to try one yet. The Floridian is a quinoa and wild rice salad with dried apricots, shallots, a layer of lettuce, and diced chicken, with a mandarin sesame ginger salad dressing. First, you take off the lid, remove the dressing. There is another piece of plastic that needs to be removed that separated the dressing from the salad. Once removed, you pour the dressing over the salad, then place the main lid back on and just shake it up. We then poured it into a bowl and tried it. It was awesome! Everything was super fresh, the dressing had an Asian twist to it, and the chicken gave it that kick of protein it needed. I’m definitely going back soon to get another one of these, it was that good!
Swedish Chicken Sandwich – ($9.99) – One of the newer items on the menu this season is this chicken sandwich. It contains sliced chicken breast, brie cheese, and Lingonberry sauce. You have your choice of bread it can be made on. You can choose from a French baguette, whole wheat baguette, or a croissant which was my choice. The croissant was buttery, light and flaky. The chicken is sliced from a roasted chicken breast and is hormone & antibiotic free. It was perfectly cooked and still very juicy. The lingonberry sauce was sweet and tangy and took this sandwich over the top with that sweet and salty flavor combination that is so good!
Hot Ham and Brie – ($9.99) – Stacy Cook was my lunch date for this review and this is his favorite sandwich here. It’s made with sliced Duck Deli ham, brie cheese, lettuce and tomato on a French Baggett. The ham was very fresh and sliced the perfect thickness, the brie was melted over the top and was very creamy. I can see why this has been one of Stacy’s favorites and why it stays on the menu from year to year, it was fantastic!
Chocolate Chip Cookies – ($0.00) – Why is the price zero you might ask? That’s because you get one cookie with each sandwich or shaker salad purchase for FREE! They are baked fresh in house each day and are a soft cookie with tons of chocolate chunks in them. We let them sit out in the sun as we ate lunch and they were warm and gooey from the sun reheating them. They were really great and a perfect way to round out our wonderful meal!
In Conclusion:
I’ve been hearing great things about this cool little ocean side deli and my experience here did not disappoint. Everything that we tried was beyond fresh and full of flavor. While I have not been to Davoli in Paris to make a comparison, Owners Kelly and John have done a great job putting a place together that I’m sure reflects similar offerings and atmosphere right here in Vero Beach that they can be proud of.
Have you tried Polo Deli? What has your experience been with them? Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts, or feel free to email me at thefoodguy@verovine.com with your questions or comments.
Atmosphere – 5 Forks
Service – 5 Forks
Food – 5 Forks
Ratings Scale Legend:
1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent
Polo Deli Facebook Page / Polo Deli Information Page
Hours: Monday – Saturday – 10:30am til 3:00pm Closed on Sundays
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