Battle

Diily Deli

6818 Wooster Pike
Mariemont, Ohio
561-5233

Panera Bread
1066 State Rt. 28
Milford, Ohio
831-8700

Cool Fall weather and rich soul warming hot soups go hand and hand. When the Fall leaves get me craving for some hot wholesome food, I think of great soup and sandwich stops.

Dilly Deli is just the place to fulfill all those comfort food cravings but Panera Bread’s claim to fame also lies in serving up some steaming soups and a variety of sandwiches. Feeling the need to sample both, we felt a “Battle” was in order.

In the Mariemont corner the veteran Dilly Deli was tested first. The Dilly Deli’s menu boasts five awards. Best Outdoor Dining, Carry Out and Deli (Cin. Magazine), Best Menu Items (City Beat), Best Outdoor Dining (AOL CitySearch), Top 50 Beer Bars In America (beeradvocate.com) and “Essential” rating (ratebeer.com).
Even though the entree selections featured meatloaf and Maryland Style Crab Cakes we opted for the Good Old Deli Sandwich and two ( yes 2 ) bowls of steaming stew. One order of “Dilly Chili” and Chicken Tortilla soup. Both were excellent. The Dilly Chili deserves extra mention due to the almost “Sloppy Joe” flavor the chili had to set it apart. All in all a very decent showing. Fresh ingredients and homemade flair set this deli up high on the food chain.
Service was speedy, friendly and strong. Our server was attentive, polite and knowledgeable. All together we spent $15.06, well worth it.

Moving East to Milford we decided to see if Panera Bread could top the Dilly Deli’s strong showing. Unlike the Dilly Deli, Panera has a “order at the counter” style approach to customer service and saying service is a stretch. A rude little girl stared us down as we browsed the 8ft high menu. When we asked her about getting a 1/2 sandwich and soup combo she simply told us “we don’t have any”. We ordered the Frontega Panini ( whole ) and a bowl of black bean soup. Oddly enough the heavily breaded sandwich came with a “baguette” on the side, as did the soup. After asking about our food 20 minutes later we were snapped at again by the little lady as she directed us down the counter to another employee in possession of our order. Seating ourselves we noticed that after all that bad service the food looked like a saving grace. Sitting by the fireplace, I was more than ready to warm up inside as well as out with my veggie black bean soup. I must admit for veggie soup this was a flavorfull mouthful of black bean goodness. Rich, hearty and very satisfying.
The Frontega Chicken Panini ($6.19) was also very decent but I did not like the totally burnt onions embedded into the bread. (Burnt onions removed) I found the sandwich much better but still a little dry. Our table was dirty but so were all the surrounding tables so I didn’t take it personally. However, I did take the rude customer service personally After all I paid $10.31 so Panera didn’t really “pan” out that well.
I guess that’s the difference between a locally owned business and a corporate chain.
Spending massive money just doesn’t buy mom and pop pride. Dilly Deli is a definite winner in this Battle.