This is going to be a lengthy review. As a native New York City expat now living in Wellington for 3.5 years, I’m mad that I haven’t discovered this amazing deli owned by the nicest people I’ve encountered in Wellington yet. Bear with me while I wax poetic. I grew up going to places like Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side of NYC, with their huge (and expensive) portions, pickles, Matzoh Ball soup, etc. I’ve been longing for a taste of home in the years since I moved here from the city but had no luck finding it. But today my wife asked me if I wanted to try Scheckter’s and showed me the listing and reviews and I instantly said YES. After rallying the kids to dress appropriately for the weather we drove out to Kilbirnie otw to the gym to get lunch here. There was a small crowd, their needs fulfilled, working their way out of the tiny shop (always a good sign) and as soon as we worked our way past the middle of the produce-lined shelves, the friendly lady in the back greeted us with a salutation and a smile. A great start! My wife got sidetracked looking at the array of sausages in their cooler and delayed our sandwich order for a minute, but once we were ready they very kindly took our orders (two ‘beef’ sandwiches aka pastrami + mustard on rye only), and one hot dog. When I marveled at the Fritos on display, the gent making the sandwiches let me know they were South African in origin but otherwise the same as all Fritos. ‘Tomato’ flavor looked good enough to me! His partner who took our order also offered us complimentary coffee (wow!) while we waited for the sandwiches to be made. We browsed the store while waiting for our food, and picked up half a dozen delectables as a result. My kids came up to me with some small chocolates our hosts had offered them. I just thought “what a wonderful shop.," and then we got our food. We quickly paid for our items —the kids nabbing free (I hope) lollies from the dish next to the cashier— and we went back to our car to sample the goods. TLDR: Flavour sensation get! The hot dog (mustard and sauerkraut only as my Germanic upbringing demands) was delicious, the sauerkraut ample and mustard spicy. The big difference maker was the chewy, delicious roll the dog came on. It offered a texture and experience that’s hard to come by in NYC let alone Wellington. I was shocked. So delicious I was nearly in tears. The pastrami was perfectly sized. Katz’s, if you can consider this a fault, puts too much meat on their rye bread. It’s not a practical sandwich. Scheckter’s not only puts the right amount in your sandwich, but the rye bread is buttered and grilled almost like a grilled cheese, which gives it the integrity to keep your sandwich together. We just had mustard on ours (classic) and our kids’ sandwiches. My very picky kids gobbled the entire thing down, mustard and all, and they don’t usually do condiments. My wife and I demolished our sandwich and eagerly discussed how flavourful it was, making plans to come back as soon as possible. Don’t sleep on this Wellingtonian treasure. It’s one of the best places we’ve discovered in town, and we will be back to support these kind people. Incredible food, service worth raving about, super nice folks. Before leaving, our sandwich maker sincerely said “I hope you enjoy your food.” We very much did, sir. Very much so. Thank you!
