Deli-Berico: Spanish Delicatessen

Deli-Berico
Spanish Delicatessen

For sometime now I have had a little backlog of posts, with text begun and photos taken and uploaded, but for one reason or another I haven’t been able to get around to finishing and posting them. One such post has been this one, about Chicago’s only Spanish delicatessen, Deli-berico, which is located in the back of the northern half of the space belonging to the fine Spanish tapas restaurant, Café Iberico, in River North on Lasalle.

Deli-berico is an excellent resource to have on hand. They have, for example, a very nice selection of all of the better known Spanish cheeses and even some less well known ones too:


They also have various sausages and other Spanish style pork products, including some imported from Spain. Among these are Serrano ham, several styles of chorizo, Mallorcan sobresada and excellent Catalonian botifarra. They even have little imported Spanish tortillas (though I think I would prefer to buy a freshly made one for ‘take-out’, that is, if I somehow couldn’t find the time or energy to make one myself).


In addition to the above, Deli-berico also offers bottled and tinned vegetables, seafood, olives, olive oil, vinegar, and dry goods such as imported fideuà, Valencian rice, and pimentón. Earthenware plates and cooking vessels of various kinds are also for sale here, as well as a number of coffee related items.


The deli is really right in the restaurant and is quite a handsome space. And, incidentally, the prices, though not exactly cheap, are also hardly exorbitant.


I do, however, have a few relatively minor criticisms of Deli-berico. For one thing, it clearly is a rather ancillary part of the Café Iberico business, and so service at the deli counter, while always very friendly, is not always as efficient as one might expect from a deli. For example, the service can be quite slow at times, the cutting and measuring of things all a little vague and it’s sometimes difficult to get precisely what you want. But that said, I always enjoy shopping there.

Back in September, thanks to Deli-berico, I got to have breakfasts like this: pa amb tomàquet with a nice little piece of queso manchego and another of the Catalonian goat cheese, Garrotxa.


Bon profit,
Antonius


Café Iberico / Deli-berico
739 North Lasalle Dr.
Chicago, IL 60610
312.573.1510
http://www.cafeiberico.com/deli.html

I enjoyed my time spend browsing and grazing the deli yesterday. I picked up a 1/2 lb of Spanish serrano jamon iberico and a Spanish Omlette to go. A very interesting selection of oils and vinegars too. I should have picke a bottle of each up. The jamon has been a delicious snack this morning.

Bruce wrote:I enjoyed my time spend browsing and grazing the deli yesterday. I picked up a 1/2 lb of Spanish serrano jamon iberico and a Spanish Omlette to go. A very interesting selection of oils and vinegars too. I should have picke a bottle of each up. The jamon has been a delicious snack this morning.

If you don't mind my asking, what was the price of the Jamon per lb?

Thanks!

leek wrote:
If you don't mind my asking, what was the price of the Jamon per lb?

Thanks!

I didn't pay attention to the price but I know it was less than $20 lb. More likely around $15. I'm going from memory of the 2 items I purchased.

GG Antonius , Thanks for the posting on the deli - and store. Prior to this past weekend, it had been a long while since I was at Cafe Iberico, and I didn't know about the deli and store. Thanks also to your paella post I'm itching to go back and pick up a paella (pan) and maybe an earthenware vessel as soon as the weather permits gallivanting.

Are there other Spanish-centric (not Hispanic or Latin American) stores in Chicago? There are a number of Spanish restaurants so I'm wondering if there are other stores as well that cater to a Spanish clientele.

How are their sherry vinegars?

I mail ordered Solera 1792 from latienda.com a few months back and am hooked on the stuff. Don't know if there's anything as good or better locally.

Nancy

Nancy Sexton wrote:How are their sherry vinegars?

I mail ordered Solera 1792 from latienda.com a few months back and am hooked on the stuff. Don't know if there's anything as good or better locally.

Nancy

Hi Nancy,

If you're looking for more Solera 1792, I seem to remember seeing some at European Imports' warehouse sale last month. They've got another one this month from the 15th to the 17th.

You can find a lot more details in this thread.

I do recall the price being under $10/bottle, but don't quote me on it.

We were also pleased to find cheap valrhona chocolate and a few other good staples. And sanbitter for $0.35/bottle, if that's your bag. We didn't end up getting much, and a lot of the merchandise is a little dated or battered, but the price is right on a lot of the stuff.