Deli Di Luca

Deli Di Luca – a taste of Italy in Södermalm

The pigeon-blue color tone on the arms of the chairs and orange of the leather seats can be seen on the wall tile and terrazzo floors. The walls, that have the same matt pigeon-blue tone, are filled with photos and memories of Fernando Di Luca’s life. He went from the Italian east coast to Sweden on his Lambretta 1961. Soon he fell in love and decided to stay.

But he missed the Italian food culture, and therefore he began to import olive oil. Eventually he also added pasta, vinegar and pickled vegetables, which he sold under the name Zeta. For a long time he dreamed of a local restaurant and deli shop, where the products could be seen in a more Italian context. In March 2016 the dream was realized and Deli Di Luca opened on Folkungagatan.

“We want to give our guests the Italian experience of a visit to a trattoria or local restaurant”, says Michele Sganzerla, the restaurant manager. He says that Deli Di Luca wants to have the Italian authenticity because the company is family-owned and half of its employees have Italian roots.

Deli Di Luca begin the day with breakfast, 7:30 am to 9:30 am on weekdays and 10 am to noon on Saturdays. Try the breakfast sandwich made of sour dough bread or pumpkin with fotina cheese, rocket salad, tomato and cotto or Salami Milano. The menu also has chia pudding with preserved raw strawberries, buckwheat porridge with blueberry jam, and smoothie made of spinach, avocado, pineapple, banana, mint and lime. Of course you can also get a simple Italian breakfast with a cappuccino and a cornetto.

On weekdays between 11 am and 2 pm there is a lunch menu, which is varied. A permanent feature, however, is Deli Di Luca’s salads, like the one with roasted vegetables, artichokes, olives, baked tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, buffalo mozzarella and Prosciutto crudo. The salads and the house lasagna are served until the evening.

In the afternoons families with children have coffee at Deli Di Luca. Others start their evening with a cheese and meat plate along with the Italian wine list. The wines come from Di Luca’s own wine import company Enjoy Wine, and about twenty of them are served by the glass.

In the deli shop you can try samples of more Italian cheeses and deli meats or the popular green tomato marmelade. Take some ready-cooked food home with you, or enjoy it in the restaurant along with a glass of wine.

The head chef Fabio Rubino ensures that the kitchen has the right high Italian quality. The à la carte menu, which is served from 5 pm, holds signature dishes such as Linguine alle vongole (spaghetti with venus clams) and Entrecôte with rocket salad, Parmigiano Reggiano and balsamic vinegar. Many of the dishes can be ordered in half portions, and if you have some special favorites you can purchase them in the deli shop.

“At Deli Di Luca you experience the Italian food like it is in Italy”, says Michele.