Italian-inspired sando stop Dante’s Deli opens its doors this Friday, with its founders aiming to build a strong community amongst its Glenelg clientele.

Dante’s Deli is set to open on Jetty Road this Friday, bringing a grab-and-go sandwich deli with an uncompromising commitment to quality to the locale.

The eatery’s menu draws on Italian inspiration, with the team sourcing ingredients locally and internationally.

Co-owners, Taylor Ferrante, Blake Ferrante and Nick Buesnel are excited to finally see Dante’s Deli flourish after lengthy construction delays. Nick told CityMag in November they’d hoped to open later that month.

The trio was inspired by the Melbourne sandwich scene, and saw there was plenty of opportunity left here at home.

Taylor says Dante’s Deli’s point of difference will be its fast-paced, grab-and-go nature.

“That’s the most important part – it’s not about getting people out of the shop… but it’s just getting their food out to them as quickly as possible so they can enjoy it,” he says.

“If we can make a product that is high quality within five to 10 minutes, I just think why not?”

The Dante trio

Simplicity is key to the project, with the menu consisting of only two toasted sourdough options and four Turkish loaf options.

The fresh roasted vegetable sandwich, which you can see at the top of this article, is filled with artichoke, fior di latte, provolone, rocket and capsicum aoli.

However, Taylor’s current favourite is the mortadella sandwich.

“It is mortadella and capocollo – which is like an Italian cold meat – with mayonnaise, tomatoes, pesto and giardiniera – which is an Italian pickled vegetable and makes the sandwich pop,” he says.

“I’ve been eating a lot of it the past few days.”

Dante’s side street

With major plans for the first day of trade, the grand opening will include a live DJ, $12 sandwiches and will carry on after dark.

Taylor hopes to attract people down Dante’s side street with the live scenery, and a fun, communal atmosphere.

“We are going to hang around later past sunset and have some sandwiches going through the night, just for people to walk past and for anyone that wants to come in,” says Taylor.

Although this party-like opening will be a once-off, the overall goal is to create strong connections within the 5045 area.

“We’ve got a courtyard area where people can sit or even hang out and have a coffee with us,” Taylor says.

“We just want to bring good vibe. I think that kind of sets us apart from some places. Some places just want you to come get your food and leave. We just want to build a community where we are.”

Taylor suggests it won’t be too difficult to attract an initial audience, given the shop’s optimal seaside location.

“There is a lot to like about this area,” he says.

“Because we are grab-and-go, we think it’s great that there is a lot of locations around here where people can have a nice meal and go sit on the beach and sit by the grass. There are heaps of places around here that are great for people to come and visit, grab our food and take it wherever.”

The deli’s shopfront features soft design touches and hints of Italian deli decor – such as the terrazzo the team imported from Italy, and hints of white and green in the colour scheme.

Although Dante’s Deli operates within a pretty strict realm of tasty things put between bread, Taylor says there’s still a lot of room to be creative, and the menu will likely grow beyond the initial eight sandwiches.

Dante’s Deli is located at 3/58 Jetty Road, Glenelg and launches this Friday, 21 April, from 11am ’til late.

The business will trade 6am until 5pm, every day.

Connect with the business on Instagram.