Sprouts Deli

This continues my review series on grocery store eating.  It can be a good idea to have something to eat before shopping, so you don't overbuy.  Today I tried this at the Sprouts delicatessen, with the idea of comparing it to Harvest Market at the other end of the neighborhood.

The deli is basically Boar's Head, same as you can get at Kroger and other places, and the menu is limited to sandwiches and soups.  It's priced like Kroger also, not bad for a specialty grocer.  They have an ordering system where you fill out a form and then they make up your sandwich while you wait or shop.

I ended up with a custom sandwich--roast beef and turkey with cheese, avocado and dressing.  I wanted it on multigrain bread but they were out of that, but they did suggest I get a multigrain telera roll from the bakery and they would put it on that.

The sandwich was toasted and tasted just fine.  I had a combo, which in a healthy move comes with water instead of a soda.  I tried to substitute cornbread (cheaper) for the chips in the combo, but no dice, so they are maybe not so flexible.  I had a cup of chicken noodle soup to go with it.

Both the sandwich and soup were noticeably lower in salt than what you usually get at a deli.  The soup in particular had almost no salt, but was quite delicious--less sodium meant the chicken and carrot flavors came through.

They have a dining space that appears to double as the employee break space.  Reasonably clean but not that attractive as an option.

As far as a comparison with Harvest Market--many in the area say good things about the produce and meats at Sprouts--excellent selection and prices.  They also have some good bargains in the bulk items.  Absolutely worth checking out for that.  Sprouts is focused on food, where Harvest Market aspires to cover all the same areas as the major grocers.  Harvest Market is a local chain--Sprouts is national, based out of California.  But as far as prepared meals go, Harvest Market is much more committed.  Sprouts is limited to sandwiches.  The sandwiches are OK if you want them to make something to take with you, not more than that.

My Yelp Review