Avenue Deli,

1806 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420, United States

"The sandwiches are great. Tasty and always on point. My one year old son who weighs less than 25 lb downs 1/3 of a full adult size meatball sandwich for lunch in one sitting, only 2.5 hours after a full breakfast. How he manages to fit that much food in a tiny body, I have no idea. The whole family love the sandwiches! There’s room for improvement in customer service however. My son has several allergies, one of which is dairy. I noted the allergies in the note in the online order, which they failed to follow. When I picked up the food and asked if there’s no cheese, mayo etc (he’s also allergic to eggs) they were like “oh, we put cheese in. You should have written no cheese. We read these notes ‘dairy allergy’ and sometimes we don’t register it when there’s so many sandwiches we’re making.” A mistake is forgivable, but blaming it on the customer upon learning about your mistake is poor taste. And I have a reason why I put “allergy” in the comment rather than “no mayo no cheese”. That is because I’m not sure what bread they use or what’s in the meatball- I want them to make sure there’s no milk or butter or cream or cheese in any ingredient. Putting “no cheese” in the comment could imply a mere preference for no cheese, but “allergy” note should perk up any professional and call on attention for detail. It could make my son really sick. To put salt on the wound, she began to dissemble the sandwich and was just going to take out the cheese. I was so horrified she started doing that because contamination for allergies is not acceptable and I have to tell her “please make a new one, you can’t do that!” Allergy handling training is an expectation of any professional in the food industry. It’s a must, not a nice to have. People can really get sick or even die from these stuff. And it’s really not rocket science either - if I can learn it in on the job as a mom, surely a professional can. We literally eat at home 95% of the time, and getting a meatball sandwich is a treat for my son and for me because for once, it’s the only time in the week where I don’t cook and he likes it so much he downs a giant amount of food in one sitting. I just wish they take as much pride in their customer service and SAFETY as they do in the taste and quality of their sandwiches. I am leaving this review in the hope that it helps them become even better chefs and owners and believe that if they put their mind to it, they can get it done as I see their excellence in other areas."

"Stopped by here to grab some sandwiches to go for my son and myself on a busy, activity packed Saturday. We got an Italian and a Roast Beef and Turkey on heroes. Very generous portions, packed with fresh crispy lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Nice pickles and hot peppers too, upon request. Very satisfying sandwich. There were 3 families seated enjoying sandwiches and the sandwiches all looked delicious. The pastrami also smelled delicious. I have to go back there to try it next time. :)"

"This used to be a great little sub shop right in Lexington Center. A few years ago, new owners bought it, and now, it is a most unpleasant experience to go there. In fact, I have finally decided to just stop going there altogether. The food is exactly what you would expect for deli quality, when they have what you want in stock (more on that later!). But the gentleman who owns the shop always seems angry that you are bothering him with your order. He never smiles. He mumbles when you place your order so that you have to keep asking him to repeat what he said. And then he looks at you like you're an annoyance if you have anything special that you want, etc. The woman who works there tries to pick up the slack for the curmudgeon behind the counter, but she is shoveling sand against a tide of his negative energy! Three times in a row he bumbled my order. First time: I ordered online and when I went in 45 minutes later, he had not even started my order. His explanation was "Well, you order online. I not sure you come!" So, why have online ordering, then, if you do not intend to fulfill online orders until people arrive. The next time, I walked in and stood there while he made a series of other sandwiches. (Online orders, I guess? Lol!). I was the ONLY person in the store a little bit before noon. After about ten minutes, he finally acknowledges me and doesn't apologize for the wait or welcome me to his establishment. He tersely says, "What you have?" Like, I was interrupting his important work by patronizing his establishment! Finally, the last time, I went in, I ordered a turkey sandwich, and he said "No turkey." So, I said, "Ok, let's go with a roast beef." To which he replied (you guessed it): "No roast beef." So, here it is a Friday afternoon at a shop that serves deli products, and he does not have probably the two most popular deli products on the market. I walked out and drove the couple of miles to D'Agostino's in Arlington where they: a) were happy to serve me and glad for my business, and b) they actually are a deli that carries deli products! Too bad about Avenue Deli. As I say, it used to be a good one! But no more. I really wish there was a way to give "zero stars". Hopefully, it will be sold again soon and the new owners will take customer service a bit more seriously!"

"Awesome gluten-free NY style “Sloppy Joe” (roast beef, turkey, Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian dressing). Better than many non-Gluten free I’ve had. The photo does no justice for the sandwich!"

"Gluten free bread! I got the “midnight ride,” it was perfectly toasted and just the quick lunch we needed while we waited for the bus out of Lexington. Service was quick and easy. Plus, the sandwiches are wrapped up with care with a couple layers so it made transport very easy. My husband got the “minuteman” sub and he says it was good too!"