I tried a New York deli in Dilworth Crossing. What I got for $25.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
I swung by a new New York-style deli to see what I could get, not expecting to see the ex-wife.
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The ex-wife sandwich that is.
Mochi’s Deli sits in Dilworth Crossing Shopping Center on Park Road. As a part of CharlotteFive’s on a budget series, I stopped by to see what sort of lunch I could get for $25, including tip.
Mochi’s sells a variety of chopped cheese, cold cut, chicken cutlet and Asian-inspired sandwiches, along with cheese fries, soup and breakfast rolls.
Sandwiches are available on a roll starting at $8.99 and a hero starting at $11.99, depending on toppings. It isn’t hard to spend under $25 here, and you get a good bit of food.
I got a sandwich on a hero for $14.99 and a cheesecake bite for $4, along with a $1 water. I tipped the remaining balance to reach exactly $25.
It took about 15 minutes for me to get my meal, but it took longer for some of the other patrons. I went around noon on Sept. 3, and on Sept. 4 the deli posted on Instagram that waits can exceed an hour during busy periods.
If you have a short lunch break, beware, but I was not bothered.
I ordered an ex-wife sandwich on a hero and a house-made mini blueberry cheesecake. The ex-wife contains a chicken cutlet, mozzarella, bacon, pesto, avocado, red onion, jalapeño and sun-dried tomato. I do not know why the sandwich is called an ex-wife — it could be someone’s ex-wife’s order, or a reference I am not catching.
The ex-wife was delicious — what’s not to like? However, it was a little dry. I think subbing fresh tomatoes for the sun-dried ones, or keeping the sun-dried and adding fresh would help. A sauce of some sort could also help.
The cheesecake bite was a very pleasant shade of purple, and it tasted good. I think the blueberry flavor could have been stronger, but blueberry can be pretty mild.
Read more I tried a New York deli in Dilworth Crossing. What I got for $25.
The sandwich is large. It could feed two people lunch with a side, and I did not finish it at lunch. (I ate half for dinner.)
The prices were very sensible, so this is definitely a good pick for a meal on a budget. I would be interested to return and try the Asian sandwich offerings.
I enjoyed the bustling energy of Mochi’s, and I was a fan of the arcade games pushed against the wall. Who doesn’t love Pac-Man?
I was less blown away by the AI-generated marketing used by the restaurant. Framed photos of a dog, I presume Mochi, showed an adorable, bright-eyed community role model. In one picture, Mochi even wears a hooded sweater. The namesake dog’s sparkle felt dulled by the yellow-toned and inconsistent AI marketing on the walls of the deli.
While I prefer an AI-generated dog to the Lovecraftian horror of AI-generated food illustrations (Why do I feel like that gyro wrap is looking at me? Is it?), the down-to-earth charm would be improved by human art, or at least posters made by human hands on Canva.
The space isn’t designed for people to linger, but there are a few chairs and a table. Overall, I had a good meal at a solid price. This is definitely best for a to-go order, but the wait might be a little long for someone in a hurry.
Location: 2216 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28203
Cuisine: Deli, sandwiches
Instagram: @mochisdeli.clt
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