Turkey Special!

To those of us that work in a city, any city, the deli is often our only culinary salvation from a pre-packaged lunch or starvation. Always small and a little sketchy, these deli’s dispense gallons of coffee and dozens of bagels each morning, before switching over and making soups and sandwiches to feed hungry cube rats such as myself.

I work in Old Town Alexandria, an area that’s no stranger to the deli. In fact, there are three delis that my office frequents – but there’s one that has a particularly special place in my heart.

The King Street Deli, right off the corner of Henry St. and King St. is what a little dingy neighborhood deli should be: a cheap place to get a breakfast sandwich to get you going in the morning, or a little bag of candy to get you through the day.

Upon entering the Deli, you’re almost always greeted by its owner, a wonderfully perky Korean lady who seems to know everyone that walks in – probably because most people who do, like myself, are daily visitors. Yelling orders with great enthusiasm, the names of sandwiches fill the air - "turkey special" and "Texan" reverberating off the walls.

The menu is very simple – one of my favorite items is a toasted pita, split, with a heaping serving of hummus and sliced tomatoes. Always a good pick me up, at $2.50, it’s a great price for a very filling mid morning snack.

A favorite lunch option of my office is the Fifth Avenue, which is pastrami, mushrooms, red onion and provolone on a sub roll with brown mustard. Beware though, they’ll pile on the mustard, so be sure to ask for just a bit of mustard, or you won’t be able to taste whatever sandwich you purchased.

It’s not the best food in the world, but it is food good enough to get you through your day. And on that note – I better head over before it closes.

King Street Deli
Corner of King St. and Henry St.