Found Treasure: Zoccoli’s Deli Sandwiches

February 4, 2022 – The best ideas are often the simplest, even in the increasingly complicated world of food hospitality. 

One comes from Craig Zoccoli, who got it from his dad Bob, who got it from his dad Roberto, who opened Zoccoli’s Deli (then The Plaza Grocery, a Red & White Food Store) way back in 1948, which means the shop is as old as the country of Israel and Hell’s Angels.    

“​​My nono and my dad always told me to focus on offering good food at a good value and give every customer friendly service with a smile,” he says. “Doing so, everything else will take care of itself. And this [has been] true for 74 years.”

Yes, this column loves semi-secret and overlooked gems, whether that’s a snack shack by the water or a coffee shop in a cowboy farm town that does A+ pizza.

Zoccoli’s is anything but a secret, with the readers-vote wins and chamber-of-commerce accolades to prove it—though they’d rather point to multi-generational clientele as a better marker of success.

But another part of this column’s identity is spotlighting community institutions whose qualities are so reliable and time-tested that they are undervalued, in a different way.

So it goes with Zoccoli’s in downtown Santa Cruz. Its attractive elements are many—and worth some serious shine. They are master practitioners of arts like employee retention, smiley service and 100-mile-radius sourcing. 

The family-owned-and-operated energy provides the foundation. Craig and his wife Patty Zoccoli run the floor, and their brother Russell tends the kitchen. Patty and Craig’s daughter Cassie is on the squad, repping the fourth generation. 

“[We] are hands on,” Patty says. “We provide service to our customers face to face.”

The little blondie chocolate chip bar next to the register, by the way, is baked by Cassie’s 93-year-old grandmother Ann, who ran the joint with Bob.

The old-school approach is evident in things beyond the leadership, from the awning over the door to the daily split pea- and chicken noodle-style soups.

The staff is friendly, attentive and savvy, which adds to the welcoming family mood.

Turkey and roast beef are roasted in house. Hummus and tapenade are made from scratch daily. Umami-rich artichokes and mushrooms are marinated in the full kitchen. The house Italian tiramisu is assembled according to a secret family recipe.

My favorite old-school items are the pastas and sauces, whose recipes came to America from Italy by boat with the OG Zoccolis (pronounced ZOCK-oh-lees). They are available to-go or via classic pasta plates (with garlic bread and green salad) with lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti and eggplant Parmesan possibilities.

“The meat sauce that we serve originated from grandma Augusta,” Patty says. “We want people when they order that plate to say, ‘That’s very Italian, the way it should be.’” 

The flagship sandwiches are legion and the best downtown, if not beyond; hit me at mark@ediblemontereybay.com or @montereyMCA if you beg to differ. 

On my latest visit I tried a grilled eggplant sandwich, not an easy one to make well, and it scored a solid A. 

The reasons are, unsurprisingly, hand-crafted. Russell Zoccoli et al slice, bread, grill (or fry) fresh eggplant day of, and the marinara sauce (for the breaded) and Italian dressing (for the grilled) are made there too.

I had to try the best-selling chicken pesto too, and it’s another winner, with attention to every detail—beyond things like the lip-smacking family-recipe pesto, note the cross grooves in the tender chicken breast that make it easier to eat. 

“People love our pesto,” Patty says. “Pesto bacon and avocado: Put those on anything and they’ll fly out the door.”

I look forward to test driving the Castroville Italian (marinated artichokes, prosciutto, salami and provolone cheese on a sourdough French roll with Italian dressing and chopped peppers); shrimp salad (Bay shrimp on a sourdough french roll with Z’s Louie dressing, sliced hard-boiled egg, tomato, onion and lettuce); or Friday-Saturday-only pulled pork (toasted sweet roll, barbecue sauce and coleslaw).

The vegetarian sandwiches do Surf City crunchiness justice, with more than a half dozen like the Greek feta; fresh mozzarella-pesto Filletto; Santa Cruzer with hummus, cucumber, tomato, onion, lettuce and sprouts on sliced wheat; and the avocado special with ripe avocado, Italian dressing, cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, tomato, onion and lettuce) and stacked Vegetable Garden with marinated mushrooms, Swiss cheese, cucumbers, tomato, onion, lettuce, sprouts on sourdough. (All breads arrive daily from Golden Sheaf Bread Company of Watsonville.)

Build-your-own works too—which means while there’s not technically the secret menu I hoped for, there’s the possibility of a secret-formula sandwich at any moment.

“We welcome substitutions and changes to any [specialty] sandwich, and you can make up any kind sandwich as long as we have the ingredients,” Patty says. “People will come up with pretty strange things.”

The sandos are substantial without prices ballooning into the $15 area code like they do elsewhere. Here they’re under $10. The only exception—the Bandwich with grilled or breaded chicken, marinated artichokes, hot pepper jack and pesto on ciabatta—is $10.50. 

Grab-and-go salads drop a double pronged attack on willing audiences. The housemade deli salads run 11 deep with items like red potato, bean, cheese tortellini or vegetable feta. Green salads go nine deep with turkey chef, grilled chicken Caesar and shrimp salad routes to run. 

The peripheral things, whether classic sodas, craft beers, zesty chips,  or local wines—I walked with a nice deal $19 value on a soft and satisfying 2018 Morgan Cotes du Crow’s red blend—are all well-attended. 

They round out a meal that can be enjoyed on the beach or on the sidewalk patio tables, with only-on-Pacific Avenue people-watching at work.

It all conjures a reminder that worthy community delis rise higher than the collective altitude of their ingredients. They become more than a picnic precursor, or a last-second meal destination, or a go-to work lunch refuge, or a third place to savor a sunny downtown afternoon. 

They become a personal point of pride, belonging and ritual.

After three decades working near Zoccoli’s—where she’s director of operations for the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz (and a self-described mom, DJ, rollerskate dancer, housing advocate and human)—Mayor Sonja Brunner has been savoring their French onion soup for a minute. (That’s the Thursday offering.)

When asked what makes the place a go-to, she cites Craig at the register greeting customers by name, Patty running around “supporting the business behind the scenes” and Cassie’s “best hello with a big smile.” The selection of local products and Santa Cruz wines also earn nods, as do the pastas, fresh salads, sandwich variety and vegetarian options. 

“Watching your sandwich being prepared and the deli meat getting sliced fresh right there is great,” she says. “It’s not unusual to see a line at Zoccoli’s Deli, and many downtown employees are often seen grabbing lunch there…It’s so good!

I asked Patty how they’re able to do such hand-crafted quality at affordable prices. 

“We want our customers to feel like they’re getting a good value,” she said. “We’re always very aware of what our competitors are offering.” 

But c’mon, I replied. 

Wanting to present affordable options is a far cry from delivering them, particularly in the current climate of inflation and supply chain chaos. Did they capture that in volume? With local vendor relationships forged long ago that allow for sweetheart prices? By doing all the from-scratching themselves?

She thought about it for a beat or two.

“Craig, Russell and I work hard,” she said. “We’re down there all the time, which conserves our payroll for general managers, which is a huge issue for other restaurants.”

That feels poetically appropriate: The same feeling made possible by the family attention makes the affordability possible too.

Somewhere Roberto and Augusta are smiling the type of smile that comes with good food at a good value with customer friendly service.

Hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm Sunday. More at zoccolis.com.