Dr Deli and the Salad Queen

I have been going to Dr. Deli for years as I work right around the corner. However, I find since the new owners took over I am never satisfied. The vegetables are always brown and something is always missing when I pick up an order. Whenever I call to them about my issues they never really seem to apologize, rather blame it on me; «you did not tell me no sunflower seeds» (i did) «don’t leave the salad in the car or the veggies get brown» (i never do) «my chef forgot to put in the carrots, I will give you extra next time» (I watched her make my salad, not a chef & my salad literally had lettuce, cheese and 4 mandarin oranges in it).
I miss Vince — he would have given me a free salad as an apology.

This place is located in the dufferin/​steeles plaza with the shoppers. I came here for a late lunch and despite no one being around, the service was quick and efficient.
I really like the hot sandwich here, specifically the corned beef sandwich. However, I am taking off 2 stars for the subpar quality of the ‘caesar salad’. I opted for the carsar salad for an extra $ 2. I was disappointed with the salad as it only had some not so fresh salad and pieces of stale, perhaps home made croutons.
However, I do suggest the hot sandwich here, just don’t get the side.

I have been eating Dr. Deli for 20 years since I was a kid. The food and service has gone sooo downhill over the years. If you order a salad with chicken now, you get about 4 bite sized squares of chicken on some iceberg lettuce for $ 8.
I just picked up an order for our office nearby — everyone who ordered french fries had a nice surprise — they were raw! I asked for some veggies to be included on my sandwich and they didn’t include any of them.
I just called there to complain about the fries and all the lady would repeat over and over again is that no one else complained today and that their fries are fresh cut. I explained to her I have been eating their fries for 20 years and I know what a raw french fry tastes/​looks like. Again she would repeat that no one else has complained. I then said oh, so you fry one batch in the morning and serve that all day long? Still got no where.
When I also mentioned that the veggies weren’t included on my sandwich, she said we can’t do that with a grilled sandwich. I said can’t or won’t. Then she said I am the first person ever to ask for this. So they deny me because I am the first? Don’t get it at all. I’ve made grilled/​warm sandwiches with tomatoes and sprouts which is what I had requested be added.
I told her we as an office place large order’s there all the time. She just wanted to get off the phone with me and couldn’t care less that we had raw french fries or that they refused to put veggies on a sandwich. I told her we would never be eating there again, and that is the truth. So many better places out there.

Dr. Deli is a great place for healthy food. They have quite a few variety of Salads. The best is Chinese chicken caeser salad (mix), the Greek seafood salad is also pretty good. I love the service, as it is so fast and good. I like the ambience, its not too rushy or loud.
Its not pricey, and the best place to come specially if you are diet conscious.
They also have some great meaty sandwiches, if you do not happen to like salads.
I have been here a few times, and I always leave with a desire to come back.
I really recommend it!

I came here for the first time a few years ago with my friend and have been back numerous times ever since and introduced other friends to it.
First off, the service is AMAZING! Staff are always extremely friendly and attentive and food comes very quickly, no matter how busy it is, although I usually go at lunch on weekdays so it is not overly busy.
The salads come in 2 sizes, small and large but small is definitely meal sized, I wouldn’t order a large unless I was starving or sharing with somebody. My go to is always the Chinese chicken salad. The dressing is perfect and there’s a good amount of chicken. I also recently tried a bite of my boyfriends salad, he got the seafood cesar. The name to me sounded bizarre but it had crab and shrimp and was actually quite good!
I haven’t tried many other things on the menu because I tend to stick to what I like (selective eater over here) but I have tried their egg drop soup in the past which was very good as well as the roast beef sandwich.
I will continue to come back here as the prices are very reasonable, the service is amazing, and the food is always delicious!

Super nice waitress, fast and friendly. I love their seafood salad with unique chinese chicken ceaser dressing. The best salad i have ever had. The omlette i have to say taste better than mine.

Sandwich was okay, the fries were somewhat raw still. Went here around noon and it got a bit busy, the staff looked like they were in a rush.

In a former life, I worked in an office not far from Dr. Deli and his arisocratic wife.
My colleagues loved the place. I was unmoved.
Dr. Deli violates one of my cardinal rules of dining out: they serve food that I can make at home. Salads? Sandwiches? Soups? Stuff I’ve been banging out since Home Ec class.
What’s unforgiveable is that their food turns out worse than mine. Undercooked pea soup is grany; salad leaves arrive with brown edges, wilting under puckery-​sour dressings. Coffee is zombie-​grey.
Bread arrives with the standard packets of shelf-​stable whipped butter.
I go to take one.
It’s already open, and the butter is missing except for a crumb-​laden smear in the miniature plastic tub.
They gave me used butter.
They can keep it.
Clearly, Dr. Deli requires better bedside manners.

If I only going review Dr Deli and the Salad Queen based solely on the food… I would have just rated this place as a 3 star… but we got exceptional services from the waitress.
My Lunch buddy has this thing for soup… but she just couldn’t decide which one to go with since there are 3 choices for «Soup of the Day»… While she looked to be for help and knowing me I am not good with deciding. I asked our waitress for help…
½ Roast Beef and Soup ($ 6.95)
Waitress: Potato Soup is the Best.
Friend: hmmm how is the chicken noodle?
Waitress: Potato
Me: Beef and Barley…
Waitress: Potato
Friend: What is Barley…
Finally, we decided on the Beef and Barley… but our lovely waitress took out 3 samples for us to try… I never have that happen to me… and finally after voting and intensive taste testing… We agreed on the Potato! It is more like a really light broth with veggie inside and it was delicious!
I usually don’t want to order anything with «Chinese» when I am in a non «Chinese» restaurant… but with all these reviewers raving about Chinese Chicken Salad ($ 6.95), I have to try it out! Small is Large! Me and my friend having trouble finishing that… and there is nothing really Chinese about the salad… aside from those fried noodles.
The half Roast Beef sandwich on rye ended up I have to save it for pre dinner snack for later…
I definitely will come back here if I have another salad attack… and I would be bring my friend!

Just came from Sid Silver and was hankering for some salad dish with meat (as I am a meatatarian) and we ended up at the plaza corner of Dufferin and Steeles because of Cora’s. However, I noticed this small restaurant in the back corner and checked their menu on the window and made sure there were actual customers as the one beside Cora’s looked eerily empty so I did not bother going there.
Anyway I went in and ordered their Chinese Chicken Salad small sized for $ 6.99. I chose small because looking at the large size it seems like too much salad. I also ordered with their sesame dressing.
Along with the salad I ordered the bacon and cheese potaato skins as the appetizer for $ 5.95.
So I got the salad first. Surprisingly the bowl was not just for show, it was quite full. Lots of veggies (which I was after), some pieces of chicken, Mandarin orange slices, and some fried noodles. The tart sesame salad dressing blends well with the salad. Don’t throw the entire dressing into the salad, just do a little bit at a time.
However, something was missing in order to make me fully happy. Thankfully the tato skins arrived and after taking a bite, the taste just balanced very well.
No free wifi. However, I am happy with the price, service and quality. So I gave this 5 stars for this experience.

Don’t be fooled by the cheesy décor of this «hole in the wall» type of place, because I’m telling you this is one of the best lunch spots ever and I frequent it on a regular basis.
The Chinese Chicken Salad is excellent, and as a veggie option you can substitute the chicken with shredded cheese (which is also very good!) The salads are huge for the price, and be warned, a large can easily feed 2 – 3 people, while a small is the perfect size for 1.
Their salad dressings are incredible, and I’m pretty sure they sell them in big bottles to take home. (House Sesame and Ranch are my personal favourite!)
I’ve been told the other things on the menu are pretty good too, but I’ve only ever tried the various salads.
Now I have to say, the service is not the best, but the place is small so it’s easy to flag someone over if you need to. The food does come quickly, but expect the server to disappear after you’ve been brought your food, and possibly not visit for the duration of the meal.
Take out is always super quick, even if you don’t call your order in in advance.

Dr. Deli and the Salad Queen, ah, good times. This place has changed ownership more often than Paris Hilton changes boyfriends. As such, I feel like the quality of the food has gone down over the past few years. We used to come here all the time, and the salad was delicious. But, I came here about a month or so ago (actually, it was one of the first places I went once I moved back from the states) and I was disappointed. So, this review is based more on hope and memories — hoping that it’s still as good as it was in the past.

The only place to get a Chinese chicken salad that is actually good, this little hole in the wall is located in a strip mall at Duffrin and Keele. Along with delicious salads and healthy options, Dr. Deli also has great burgers and sandwiches. You will also get a kick out of the kitchy interior décor and the art that hangs on the walls (most items are for sale). As a regular for the past 10 years, Dr. Deli has been a constant spot for me and my friends.