Genova is simply the best Italian Deli on the east side of the Caldecott Tunnel, hands down. Their imported prosciutto sandwich (with provolone, of course) is my main go-to. Both this location and the other Walnut Creek on S. California Blvd are fantastic. The Treat Blvd location has some indoor seating, which is nice. The S. California Blvd location only has outdoor seating. The service is always good. They are not fast, and often have a long line, so just be aware of that. I love the ambiance; it gives me an old-school Italian American vibe. It's more of a to-go place, but you can eat there as well. In addition to their amazing sandwiches, they also offer a great deli selection of salads, cold cuts, sausages, cheeses, etc. They also sell a well-curated selection of shelf items, such as pasta, cannoli shells, cookies, Sicilian torrone, canned tomatoes, olive oil, etc. If you are looking for an Italian deli in the east bay, this is the spot. read more

): Not very welcoming and food upset my stomach. I thought I'd be spontaneous and try a restaurant without looking at reviews... Immediately experienced consequences for my actions ;u; I ordered a turkey sandwich and assorted fillings. The staff are rather rude and impatient when you ask them questions. And unhelpful... I even asked if the onion mix is included and she said "yes", but when I opened the sandwich there was 0 onion. Wat The flavor isn't horrible, just a bit stale... But then I got sick later that day so probably not great quality either. Sad to see that it seems like they've been declining for some time... read more

Solid sandwich, great little spot. The lovely lady doing everything behind the counter by herself is the best part. read more

Genova Delicatessen - Combo Italian on Dutch Crunch. - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

$9 and and a 20+ minute wait to order for a half pastrami sandwich that's not even the size of my hand? Yikes.... Obviously everything is more expensive these days but that's pretty lame. Honestly Jersey Mike's down the street is a much better option if you are gonna grab a sandwich read more

Genova Delicatessen - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I was looking forward to a sandwich at Genova. I loved the store in Oakland, now gone. I got there about 2 pm on a weekday and they were out of the first three kinds of bread I tried to order. I then got a Dutch crunch roll and it was okay not great. I ordered an Italian combo and it lacked flavor and balance in the ingredients. If I'm looking for lunch out in Walnut Creek I might try it again if it's earlier in the day, but at 2 PM everything was tired. I've had Italian combo sandwiches at Molinari Deli in North Beach and they were WAY better. I do want to get Genova ravioli and order the artichoke frittata again if they still make it. read more

I just moved to the neighborhood and I happened to see this place while I was moving. It's not the greatest sandwich in the world but def a cool spot. There's wine, cheese, bread and olives and all sorts of stuff! Great deli spot that I'd love to check more out. I've had a mortadella sandwich there and a meatball! I'll have to try more! read more

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Ordered muffaletta sandwiches. The olive salad had many many pits, some chopped up. Obviously a production issue, but they ruined the sandwiches. The store has seen better days with several empty shelves and food displays. They're asking for 'cash only', not a great sign. I'm really pulling for this place to survive. read more

Customer 35 years Always great Now Price of sandwich $18.49 Too highprice On Friday they had horrible stale looking ham My roast beef sandwich was disgusting and tasteless The mushrooms in small containers tasted like crap I'm never going back Bye bye read more

I have been coming here for over 20 years. The last 3 times has been awful. I keep holding on to hope but sadly something major changed and it shows. Always 1-2 people working and the wait time without a line is insane- I can't imagine with a line... the prices were hiked up. The shelves are empty constantly and the cherry on top- the ravioli changed. Last visit after 25 years was today. What a shame. read more

Was in the area for a surgery for my cat and googled delicatessen because my friend would not stop talking about cravings for a good sandwich. When this came up I think I recall one in Napa so I stopped by. Took a number at the door. Friendly lady took my order for the Italian combo but they tried to put olive loaf and head cheese and I said could we please have mortadella, coppa and salami. She was kind and made a delicious sandwich! I tried to purchase some molinari Fennel salami but they didn't have any. Sad. You can eat inside or outside at some tables. Also some additional outdoor picnic tables in the parking lot. Lots of premade salads and options including nice looking desserts. Wine section. Large frozen foods section as well as grocery area for those Italian things you need like DeCecco pasta, sauces and carnaroli rice for risotto. I'll be back! read more

Genova Delicatessen - My Italian combo. Mortadella Hot Coppa and Molinari salami - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Love this place! I've been going here for years now. This location is convenient for me, as it tends to be more on the way to some of my errands. Walking into it still feels like going into a little Italy, which I love. I have never had a bad sandwich here. Always solid, which I can't say the same about a few other sandwich places. I usually get either the mortadella or Italian combo. The carrot salad is great and so is their coleslaw, which is a little more on the sweet side than other places. The warm dishes are solid, as always. The only downside is that the prices have gone up since the pandemic, but the prices at literally every restaurant has gone up since then. read more

It's closing for keeps. I wonder why. When it was good so good and when it is bad wretched. Stale food and staler personalities. Hope the owner is able to recoup the losses from his poor judgement in hiring, read more

Once great, now a huge ripoff and disappointment. This used to be my favorite deli but I hadn't been in a while. I went and wow have things dropped off. First, the prices are insane - $10 for a small portion of carrot salad, $15 for a sandwich with a skimpy portion of meat, and all in for two people was over $50. First time back in a long time and probably the last time back for even longer. Sad for what used to be the best deli in WC. read more

The greatest deli in the area for years we have gone there. So sorry to see them close permanently !

Says they close at 5:30pm but went in at 4:50pm to order a Rueben and they refused to make it because they already cleaned the panini maker. They said they could make a cold sandwich but unfortunately I need a hot sandwich. Disappointing. read more

Genova Delicatessen - Hours - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

So sad, this was my favorite place even knowing it was a little more expensive. Went in today only to find out my sandwich that only had salami and bread (nothing else) was $17.99 prices really went up. They had no chips and the place had no customers at all just me. Looks like they are going out of business and the staff is not very friendly. I will never go back. Go to safeway they make great sandwhiches and they're only $8.99 in the same shopping center. read more

Delicious food. Reminds me of the delicatessen's I went to when I was young. Great quality. Friendly staff.

Tardy to the party on this one. Coworker recommended I try this spot out and I've been hitting it up almost every day. Italian combo sandwich with everything on it (cheese of your choice) is the real deal! I'm also a fan of their salami sandwich! If you're a plain Jane only wanting to order a ham & cheese, don't bother swinging by. You're wasting your money. I like that they offer hot dishes and frozen pasta to take home. Lots of regulars. If you're a first-timer like me, be mindful of the system. Take a number when you walk in. Small tables to eat inside. Great little spot! read more

Came in for lunch-45 min wait ( only 6 people in the store) absolutley the slowest service to get a sandwich made. Great deli-terrible service. And was out of several products! Sad read more

First time at this place, decided to try it out their lunch sandwiches. $18.49 for a small sandwich and it was certainly not worth the money. Quality and taste was about the same as a jimmy johns. read more

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I was craving this lasagna for days so honestly I had high expectations. I had it before at the other location, I'm not sure if they changed the recipe but I was disappointed. As you can see in the picture a slice of lasagna in a box was over $20. This lasagna was mostly pasta very little meet, cheese or sauce. I hope they read this review and go back to a better quality. read more

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OK seriously? Is there anyone who doesn't know about Genova delicatessen? It's been here for a really long time and he is reliably the place to go for delicious sandwiches, luscious side dishes, hot food that you can take home for dinner, or frozen foods that you can take home and make over the weekend. This is the best place to go. read more

Classic Italian deli with great sandwiches! Take a number when you arrive (near the front door) if there is a line, sometimes people don't notice that. Today I was lucky, no wait just before noon. Roastbeef with provalone on a soft roll ran $14.89. It seemed a little small at first, but it was densely packed and weighty. I loved it honestly, a great quality sandwich, well made. A small side of potato salad ran a steep $6.50, but I had high hopes. Sadly it was not to my liking being about 60% mayo. They carry a lot of appealing Italian grocery items and the prepared food options are many. read more

They apparently still haven't fixed their service issues. Not enough personnel and certainly no customer service training. The wait is insufferable. Not worth the trouble. The 5-star reviews must be faked, or when no other customers are in the store. read more

Used to love Genova. Went there on Thursday April 3rd at 12:00. Only one customer ahead of me. The small amount's of sliced meats and cheeses were obviously NOT fresh!!! Definitely at the very least all day old and discolored. What a disgrace!!!! Counter help was sub par at best. Will never go there again. read more

I'm from Santa Cruz and after a doctor's appt decided to buy fresh pasta before the drive home to make pasta con pesto. When I got home, opened one of the trays only to discover most of the pasta brownish-black and stuck together. It couldn't possibly be healthy so threw it out. All for the outstanding price of $6.00 (for the bad tray). The other tray's pasta was so-so. Terrible experience, wanted to alert everyone to avoid. read more

Genova Delicatessen - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

This local deli its a popular spot with lines often out the door. Fortunately, they have a good ticketing system. This location has a great selection of meats, cheeses, salads, and sides. They even have a hot bar with yummy looking dishes. Most people are here for the sandwiches. The sandwiches are thick and hearty with plenty of free condiments. All the ingredients are fresh. The only reason I took a star off was because after waiting over 10 minutes we placed our order, we thought they finished making our sandwiches, and when we went to get it only then we're we told they made a mistake and gave our sandwiches away - so they have to recreate our order and asked us what we wanted again. read more

Genova Delicatessen - Left: baked Turkey and salami w/sprouts on a sweet roll w/smoked cheddar. Right: baked Turkey and roast beef w/sprouts on a ciabatta roll. - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I pre ordered 6 sandwiches an hour in advance via the door dash app. When I arrived an hour after I placed the order, at the designated pick up time, it took them an additional 50 minutes to make the sandwiches. It left me wondering if the person working on our order was new? After 40 minutes of watching her struggle I asked that someone else help her. They were kind and apologized, but it was a struggle all around. All that being said, the sandwich's are delicious so I hope whatever staffing problems they are having get resolved. read more

I am sad. I can get better ingredients at Safeway. And I've spent extensive time in Southern Italy. I know their food and their products. No quality dried pasta such as Afeltra. No quality Passata Purees such as Muraca or even Pomi. No Taralli! Not staffed or managed appropriately so if you want to buy something off a shelf (many of which are thinly stocked), you take a ticket and wait behind someone getting a sandwich made. NOT KIDDING. I live across the street and won't be returning. Non accettabile. read more

I was just in Genova at Countrywood at 11:45am. There was only one person m making sandwiches and he seemed to be moving slowly. I was surprised by the lack of customers at that time as well as some of the food cases are empty. Just wondering if they are going out of business read more

The bread was hard as a rock. My 75 yr old spouse couldn't even break it with his knife . There was so much Dijon slopped into the bread , you couldn't taste the sandwich. The food preparation eas absolutely abysmal and not edible . This place used to be Great. I used to rave about it. Not any more . read more

I was in town for 48 hours and thought this was the one in Walnut Creek, but it was next door to the best donuts in town. I ordered a roast beef sandwich at 1145am, and got a yellow mustard and diced onion sandwich. The bread was stale(mostly because I suspect the Dutch Crunch was from yesterday), and the meat didn't look fresh. I was willing to give it a try. When I took the first bite. No horseradish, stale cheese, after waiting 30 minutes for the two ladies to make 4 sandwiches with one hand at a time. I wish this one didn't show up on Waze. What a waste of $27 for sandwich and chips. Do better. read more

Genova Delicatessen - $20 roast beef sandwich. Notice the diced onions, what a waste - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I've been a customer for decades. I haven't stopped by for a few months, but went today for a sandwich. Considering it was noon I was surprised to see only 3 other customers, where normally there would be a long line. It felt very different. They were selling jars of Prego pasta sauce on the shelves?! The pre-sliced cheddar cheese in the case was dried out and curling. The ends of all the different salame were brown. They were out of sourdough bread, which has never been the case. My turkey sandwich was fine, but had a very small amount of meat on it...and for $18.50?? Outrageous. The dessert case was completely empty. They also had a sign taped to the case that said "Cash Please"....never a good sign. I'm devastated, but I won't be returning to this location. Are they closing?? read more

Paid top dollar for a prosciutto sandwich and it was was not prosciutto. No oil and vinegar as I had requested. As other reviews have said the sandwich was VERY small and expensive. There was one person ahead of us, and when they finally got to us it took the person 20 minutes to make three sandwiches. Awful. Never going to this location again. Guess I'll have to drive to the Napa location to get what I actually ordered at a decent size and shorter time. read more

Used to love this place! But now, their prices are over kill!!!! Sorry close to $20 for a sandwich with no side? Ridiculous....inflation is understandable but this is not! The sandwich itself was eh! Only saving grace was customer service! Not worth it, save your $ read more

I did not know there's a second Genova!! Just as good, the location store is bigger and I'm so glad I got there when it opened because there was a line when I left! Same good sandwiches and raviolis! There's also picnic tables across the parking lot and seating outside, but I got mine to go! read more

Asked for soft roll and she put it on a hard roll. Ruined sandwich right off the bat. Couldn't chew it. Bread hard as a rock. Marinated mushrooms were horrible and the worst Ive had. What happened to this place? Used to be good. A rip off. $25 for a lousy sandwich, can of diet coke and garbage mushrooms. Bye Genova. read more

This is definitely one of my top go to sand which shops for real quality sandwiches in Walnut Creek. Always friendly service! The wait through the afternoon is usually longer, I've had to wait 20minutes before so just prepare yourself if you go during peak hours. It's a favorite among many, the wait is well worth it if you have the time during lunch hour. They have a huge deli of other things other than sandwiches, big selection of olive oil, pastas, vino, & the desserts oh my.. if you want real quality tiramisu this is your place! Forgot to take a picture of that, bad on my part. No seating inside but outside there's a couple tables outside & philz coffee right next to it. read more

Genova Delicatessen - Roast beef sandwich, all typical toppings with sourdough roll - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Service was Good, the Usual Long Wait, which is Usually Worth It. NOT TODAY!! Looks Like They are Being or have Been SOLD. There Was ONE THIRD of the Amount of Meats/Cold Cuts. Few Condiments. And My Sandwich had STALE BREAD. I Bought Two Sandwiches Hoping to Enjoy them for the next couple days, but Now I Want to Throw Them Away. WASTE OF MONEY, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE read more

Ravioli! This was my first visit at this location as I only visited their Oakland location for the past 5 years until they closed down. The order system is honor by a number system, you grab a number and they call it out. You can order deli meat, cheese, hot food and sandwiches. My favorite is the meat ravioli, delicioso! Upon my visit to this location I realized they have the ravioli frozen and sauces, next time I'm in town I'll make sure to bring some home. Try this place not only for the old deli nostalgia feeling but most importantly for the fresh food. Pros: Old deli style feel Fresh meats cheeses Ravioli Cons: Shut down of east bay location read more

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