Image credit: The Lost Deli
As summer sweeps away our desire for heavy cuisine and we instead crave the lighter side of food, plant-based cafe, The Lost Deli, Is the perfect place to visit.
The Lost Deli is Norwood’s hidden gem, blending family-style cooking with plant-based eating that even the most fervent carnivore will enjoy.
Blink and you’ll almost miss it, this local favourite is easily lost in the busyness of Adelaide’s east. True to its name, it’s hidden on the sleepy backstreets of Norwood, situated minutes from the Parade, tucked away in the leafy green oasis of Charles Street.
The cafe, converted from an old house, is an idyllic cosy spot for breakfast or lunch.
The plant-based haven is family owned and run, the team consisting of co-owners Josie Parisi and her husband and helped by their grandchildren. With a smattering of green plants and a bright sign reading ‘delicatessen’ out the front, the laid-back fit-out transports you to a more Mediterranean feeling summer.
Josie bought The Lost Deli in 2019 when they noticed a gap in the market to transform a previously established plant-based cafe into a place for Adelaide vegans and non-vegans alike.
Taking the flavours known and loved at the previous store, The Lost Deli introduced more vegetables and flavours into the menu, bringing European flavours east side.
“I was retired and I was looking for something and I just sort of fell in love with it,” co-owner Josie said as to why they purchased the local cafe.
“I liked the atmosphere and I liked the idea of the food…and I thought I could improve on it and introduce some of our Mediterranean style of cooking.”
Not only did they introduce their Mediterranean style into the food, but they infused the cafe with a family atmosphere, a much-beloved aspect of the eatery.
While their inside seating provides the perfect cosy atmosphere for the colder months, as the warmer weather hits SA sit outside and indulge in a little people watching with an iced latte, complete with your favourite choice of plant milk.
Whether you’re vegan, v-curious, or a pure carnivore there is something on the menu for everyone, with Josie promising you won’t even be able to tell your eating plants.
For non-vegans, Josie recommends the spiced zucchini fritters or Nonna Maria’s homemade gnocchi but you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
“We try to make it as if you’re going to someone’s house if you’re going to your mother’s house or your grandma’s house. That’s the sort of feel I wanted to do.”
“If someone comes in I just want it to be welcoming and comfortable. I’ve made some beautiful friendships through this.”
The passion the Parisi’s have for their cafe is palpable and creates an atmosphere that entices with the food, but keeps you coming back for the people.
When asked what she loves the most about running the cafe, Josie couldn’t pick just one thing saying, “I just love the whole thing.”
“It’s like a child; it’s born, you nurture it, it grows and you see it develop over the years. [The cafe] it’s like your own child.”
You can find The Lost Deli seven days a week at 38 Charles Street, Norwood SA 5067.
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