This San Juan Gem Serves Up Deli Sandwiches Like No Other

717 Deli
3/F Fox Square, Connecticut Steet, San Juan City
Instagram: @717deli
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

(SPOT.ph) A really really good sandwich is hard to come by. The quality of each ingredient—from the bread to the filling—their proportions, and how everything comes together must be taken into account to create the perfect snack. So we'll let you in on our latest find: a hidden gem in San Juan that has the equation down pat. Check out 717 Deli.

Also read: 10 Great Places for Hot Pot in QC and San Juan

Head to San Juan gem 717 Deli for the best sandwiches

Tucked into the top floor of the Fox Square building is 717 Deli. This little shop is brightly lit, with sparse decor in hints of red, and has just enough tables and chairs for a cozy space. One look at their menu shows what they're about: deli-type sandwiches made well. At the helm of the kitchen is 23-year-old Lance Ngo.

The young chef began tinkering with coffee machines and more at their family's old cafe in Kapitolyo. During the pandemic, he ended up spending more time in the kitchen--"I was bored," he cheekily tells us--which eventually led to an online business cooking up and delivering cochinillo and roast beef. It was from the roast beef scraps that he began making sandwiches—think Philly Cheesesteaks and the like—and where the idea for 717 Deli began. "Be different" was also the goal, explains Malou Yambao, co-founder of the shop.

New restaurants and cafes are popping up everywhere in Metro Manila and beyond, but none is quite like 717 Deli. Sandwich shops abound but this little nook is a cut above the rest, thanks to the simple yet stellar sandwiches. 

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What to get at 717 Deli in San Juan

Thoughts of meat and cheese in freshly baked bread immediately come to mind when someone says "deli." And the stars of 717, the Roast Beef (P500) and Philly Cheesesteak (P450), are fine examples. The former is made up of thin slices of tender pink beef smothered in horseradish sauce and topped with mild cheddar cheese, with soft brioche buns—a real hearty sandwich balanced out with zing from the sauce. The latter is a filling treat of juicy beef chuck blanketed in melty cheese and onions, the type of soul-warming treat that will have you needing a nap after. All their brioche is made in house, says Yambao, who is the baker. She shares that she's always had a preference for soft bread, hence the buttery and pillowy kind they've perfected for the shop.

For something truly indulgent, give the Patty Melt (P450) a go. It's a thick, semi-patty of ground beef topped with American cheese and provolone, soft caramelized onions, and a special sauce. Sandwiched in the house brioche, you could not want for more.

The surprise star of the menu has to be the Halibut Fillet (P400). Yep, there's great reason to choose the fish in a menu of meaty sandwiches. Yambao explains that they import their meats, fish included, so the seafood sandwich they have here isn't one you'd commonly find in the metro. There's no discrediting our rich seafood fare, but the light, perfectly crisp batter, cheddar, and tartar sauce, certainly calls for the light flakiness and clean flavors of halibut. The fillet they use is one heck of a chonk, too, so don't think this is a lighter option on the menu.