Salt Cellar Cafe

Old school sometimes wins. Hands down! The Salt Cellar is one such old school deli that whips out sandwiches, salads, and soups, but also has a cafe-esque seating area inside, giving it that ideal blend of old meets new. Check out the picture of the radio they have (see the photo I've uploaded below). They serve some of the best ham & cheese sandwiches across town - nice, thick cut ham between lovely white or brown bread, with oodles of cheese. It's easily one of the best I've ever had! And the best part is that the thickness of the ham doesn't change day to day - it's consistent, almost like a science! Check out the 2 sandwich photos from different days - they're near identical :)

They also have salads (Caesar) for looking at a healthier option, especially during the workday, as well as a couple of other sandwich options with paninis. There's also the lasagna and chicken nuggets, and of course, 3 kinds of soups, of which the chicken & noodle soup absolutely rocks! It's open only for lunch and there's usually a big queue early on itself, but the turn around time if quite fast, so you won't be left waiting too long. It's been a life saver for us whenever we've needed a quick, yummy lunch :)

I have a bit of a soft spot for the old school deli. With gourmet sandwiches ten a penny in Dublin these days, it's nice to go back to basics with a door step slice brown bread, inch thick butter and layers of ham and cheese. The Salt Cellar is just that. With pictures of obscure English celebrities (the cast of Coronation st.) adorning the walls, dreary eyed office workers queue for lasagna, paninis, chicken noodle soup out the door. I opted for a ham, cheese and coleslaw brown roll and it was glorious. Real ham, the whole joint laid out for punters to ogle, swiss cheese and a healthy scoop of homemade coleslaw. This is nothing fancy. Just simple food, made well by friendly staff. Plus at six euro for a roll and a bottle of water, it's one of the best value lunches on the fancy side of town.

We recently opened office on Upper Mount Street so it was only a matter of time before I gave Salt Cellar a visit. Located below street level, Salt Cellar kind of reminded me of my university cafe – maybe it was the sandwich bar or maybe it was the line out the door! I ordered the Toasted Special, a grilled cheese with ham and onion, which was great. Next time I visit I’m definitely going to try their soups – the aroma of the chicken noodle especially fills the cafe. Friendly service and reasonable prices are the cherries on top!