It’s official. Adelaide’s in the midst of a sandwich renaissance. Following the arrival of Pinco Deli in Eastwood and Carton Deli on Hindmarsh Square, a new contender is coming to Glenelg. Named Dante’s Deli, the tiny takeaway sandwich shop will open soon, inspired by the grab-and-go panino bars of Italy.
“We’ve spent a lot of our lives in Italy – our family’s from there – so we were really inspired by people’s love for outdoor dining. People love to get out, grab some food, go sit in the square and enjoy food together,” says co-owner Blake Ferrante, who’s teaming up with his brother Taylor and their long-time mate Nick Buesnel.
Ferrante says the location – in a former garage on Milton Street, near Moseley Square and the Glenelg foreshore – is the ideal spot to realise that vision. “A huge focal point for us is that we’re solely takeaway,” he says. “So when we found this [site] we thought, ‘This is so reminiscent of places you would see in Italy’. You’ve got Moseley Square. You can take your food down to the beach, we’ve even got a little courtyard, which is private to us.”
Ferrante (who also owns the Pasta Go Go around the corner) reckons there’s been a “huge shift” in Glenelg’s food scene in recent years. “We've got Bottega Gelateria, which I would say is one of the best gelati makers in Adelaide if not Australia … and a few cool little bars have been opening, plus they’re developing the corner across from Moseley Square into a hotel with a rooftop bar. It’s become more of a young demographic, [with] a lot more street dining, I guess.”
The menu, which will be divided into fresh and toasted options, reflects Ferrante’s Italian heritage, as well as his interest in Melbourne’s new-wave sandwich culture led by places such as Hector’s Deli. Think fresh Turkish bread packed with soppressa, fior di latte, spicy mayo, chilli, olive oil, tomato and basil, or chicken salad and dill pickles. And mushroom ragu, ham and kimchi, and tuna melts on sourdough.
The bread will be supplied by Boulangerie 113 on Goodwood Road. “We think bread quality is one of the main differences between an average sandwich and a really nice sandwich, so we’ve spent a lot of time finding the perfect bread for us,” says Ferrante. There’ll also be Italian pastries and coffee by local roaster Hark.
As for the Dante in the name? That’d be the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. “I mean, we’re huge lovers of art and Dante Alighieri … he’s written probably one of the greatest works of poetry, the Divine Comedy, which has inspired a lot of art.” It’s also partly inspired the deli’s fit-out, including the colour scheme, text and graphics, which will be brought to life by designers Alex Makridis and Simon Loucas of Studiohead.
“There’s a huge inspiration from art – our artform being food. We like to express ourselves through food. So we spoke to Simon and Alex, who are childhood friends of ours, and I’d say their artform is architecture and design, and they’ve been really enthusiastic and passionate about creating a space that's simple yet elegant and effective, and is going to inspire that sort of communal dining that I was talking about,” says Ferrante.
While there’s no seating inside the 25-square-metre space, the team is making use of the frontage with street-facing banquettes as well as a service window.
Dante’s Deli will open in November at 3/58 Jetty Road (accessible via Milton Street), Glenelg.
