Local Flavor 2023: Sandwiches, specials keep customers coming back at Amsterdam's DomAdi’s Deli

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

DomAdi’s manager Liz Peterson assembles the deli’s signature sandwich The Dom — roast beef, Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions and arugula on a ciabatta roll, then grilled on the panini press.

Article Audio:

Share on Facebook

Save

AMSTERDAM — In a city full of old-school restaurants with generational roots, DomAdi’s Deli has carved out a niche as a popular breakfast-and-lunch spot despite being a relatively new kid on the block.

The deli, on Route 5S on Amsterdam’s Southside, will celebrate its six-year anniversary in June, and has developed a loyal customer base.

“We have a lot of rotating customers,” manager Liz Peterson said. “And I know a lot of them.

“One of our regular customers, he works down at Alpin Haus, and he’s been coming here as long as I’ve worked here. He sent me feedback today and he was like, ‘Always awesome.’ That’s what I want to hear.”

Peterson, who started at DomAdi’s as a sandwich artist about a year after its opening, worked her way up the ladder and now runs the day-to-day operations.

She provides the restaurant with an artistic touch, both on the chalkboard by its coffee station — where she hand-draws seasonal decorations — and on the menu.

There’s a core regular menu featuring hot breakfast and deli-style lunch favorites, but Peterson said DomAdi’s also offers breakfast specials that change weekly, plus daily lunch specials and a constantly rotating selection of soups.

“We change them every day,” she said.

Since Dominic and Adi Wade opened the deli in 2017 there’s been a number of changes to the menu. There were expansions into wider offerings and dinner options such as pizza, though Peterson said she’s somewhat scaled things back to focus on what DomAdi’s does best.

“Adi won’t look at the menu anymore,” Peterson said. “I eliminated a lot of stuff and she knew it had to be done, but it still makes her sad since this was her baby.”

Peterson keeps variety in the menu with her specials board, though a few were so popular they stuck on the regular menu.

“I’d put them on special, and every time I did I’d sell 10 of them,” she said.

The most popular item on the menu, however, has been a staple since the opening. The Dom, named after co-owner Dominic Wade, puts Boar’s Head roast beef, Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions and arugula on a ciabatta roll that’s then grilled to a toasty crunch on the panini press.

“The Dom is definitely our most popular,” Peterson said.

If The Dom is No. 1, No. 1A is DomAdi’s classic Italian mix, a hefty sub loading ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, banana peppers, lettuce, tomato, onion, and oil and vinegar onto a roll.

The regular lunch menu offers hot and cold sandwiches, including a variety of subs made with Boar’s Head cold cuts.

There’s also a handful of wraps and salads, plus a grill menu featuring Hoffman’s hot dogs, burgers, a BLT and a massive, melty meatball parm grinder. The restaurant also offers a number of scratch-made deli salads, including two pasta salads — a classic macaroni salad and a loaded pasta salad featuring peppers, onions, provolone and pepperoni in an Italian dressing — plus both “killer creamy” and “kicked up” versions of potato salad.

On the sweet side, there’s a rotating selection of cakes, cookies and brownies.

The bakery case also features one of Peterson’s favorite ways that DomAdi’s connects with the community. Purchasing an L.E.O. cookie doesn’t just get a visitor a massive treat — the cookie itself changes regularly — it also buys another cookie for a local law enforcement officer.

DomAdi’s is a regular participant in Amsterdam’s annual food festivals. The deli won the award for hottest wings with their Ghost Face Killah Wings at the city’s inaugural WingFest, and took the award for best soup at the second SoupFest with a Kentucky Bourbon and Corn Chowder.

DomAdi’s, in the SouthSide Square shopping center on Route 5S in Amsterdam, is open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Find them online atdomadisdeli.com, with online ordering and daily specials available toasttab.com/domadis-deli/v3.

More Local Flavor 2023: Gathering places, inviting spaces and friendly faces