Review Diplomat Deli - Birmingham

The food is great here and it has been a local favorite for many years. I have tried so many different things that it is hard to choose a favorite, but I do love their Reuben. They have a big outdoor seating area that is dog friendly, making it a fun place to hang out.

A favorite place of mine. Inexpensive, great food, chill laid back atmosphere

The Chicken Club was off the hook! I enjoyed sitting outside to eat. They have indoor seating too. I wish I could remember the name of the woman who waited on me. She is very good at her job. (I'm writing this many weeks after visiting the Restaurant)

I have gone to Diplomat Deli for years and it is consistently fabulous. Hidden gem that is a must try. Their Reuben sandwich is one of my favorites

Super lunch today at one of our favorite places in the city. Grilled cheese and a bowl of chili with cheese and onions! The more this place changes, the more it stays the same—- which is fantastic! Great selection of everything and service with a smile.

I heard many good reviews and tried it the other day. I ordered a Reuben to go and was very disappointed. There was some ketchup on the toast, the preparer probably didn't clean the knife. One half had very little meat while the other side was ok. I tasted no Russian dressing and the sauerkraut was almost non existent. Service was fine and cashier's friendly. I will give them another chance since they have a good reputation.

Always amazing! Super fresh and super cute place that’s been there a looong time.

Hidden treasure. Great service. Food was delicious. Lots of great craft beer & wine to drink there or buy to go. Will be back for sure!

I ate here for lunch with friends and remembered that I had not been here for at least 5 years ago or more. The place has changed with a pretty courtyard patio that seats a gracious many people with fans cooling you off as you eat. I ordered a Turkey Reuben to go which my husband pronounced, one of the best he's eaten in a good while. I ate the tasty chicken salad plate, filled with delicious macaroni salad, a deviled egg, a bunch of grapes, slices of tomato and orange as well as chopped chicken salad. . Our Server was Adam, who was fantastic at  keeping all of our glasses full of water. Adam was prompt at getting our orders at as well from the kitchen. He was spot on for everything. adding baskets of crackers to go with some of our salads. The others loved their sandwiches and salad plates too!! For desert, I purchased one of their homemade Pralines, a slice of heaven if I say so myself. .

I've been coming here for years. Never ever disappointed at all. The sandwiches are always great, the beer always cold and service is very good.

Always good, always has been. Always consistent, clean, and courteous. This has been a favorite for many, many years. I highly recommend. Great menu

Great local deli that's been here seemingly forever. Love coming here and enjoying the low key atmosphere. Beer selection is awesome and you can get singles or build your own 6 pack.

This is an excellent sandwich shop that the hubs and I hit after hiking. We completely undid all the good the hike did because the food was fantastic. I had a Reuben, macaroni salad, potato soup, and a Truck Stop Honey Brown. We bought hard root beer to take home. We're quickly becoming regulars.

My friend posted on Facebook that Diplomat Deli turned away about 40 kids on Tuesday, who were walking during the snow crisis & waiting for their parents to pick them up. Other businesses in the area took them in.

I have been eating at Diplomat Deli regularly for around 20 years! I ALWAYS get the Estate (chicken salad) on pumpernickel bread. It's my very favorite! After each of my three children were born, this is what I requested as my "first meal!" ;-)

The Senator sandwich is my kryptonite. Amazing. The pralines at the counter as also really great. Great price great service.

Confusion etc. Prices on the urbanspoon and the restaurant menu are totally different. If you pay for a make your own sandwich, the side coleslaw which you would get with a titled sandwich will cost you a dollar and some change. And that is the only eating establishment that serve a soft drink in a can and charges for refill of another can. The pastrami sandwich was tasty but the cut of meat is not N.Y. nor Manhattan style and very thin. So please do not call it a Manhattan!!!

Sandwiches speak for themselves. Simple and good. I like the Senator.

They added their own tip after I paid!. Their food is ok - nothing spectacular. We have gotten take out a few times. The last time I got take out they added a 20% tip on to my charge after I left. I usually fill in the total amount and cross out the tip with take out, but the increased charge showed up on my credit card statement. This is after they messed up the order (in a minor way). Needless to say, we are NOT going back.

It wears well. We are local and regulars. Here is my 2 cents.<br/>They have one of the two good Muffalatos in B'ham. One of the three owners is always on register. They stick to what they know. One of owners is a long time NO, La. and it shows in their gumbo too. Both good adaptations anyway. Pimento cheese grilled on sour dough is a favorite as is their Reuben . Soups change daily. Beer Cheese soup , chicken noodle and vegetable beef are my favorites. Deserts are OK to good, I like the plastic wrapped Pralines which are from TX. <br/>Bottled beer selection was excellent in its' day but others have passed, still not bad and their on tap selection is 6 or 7 some local brews.<br/>Nice comfortable little place to have a brew and and and a sandwich, worth a stop IMHO.<br/><br/><br/>-----17 Sep, 2012-----<br/><br/>It wears well on you. As a 25 yr + customer I first came for the extensive beer selection way before such was available in B'ham. They still have tastings and a good selection. Others are past them on that but they still have a whole wall full of imports and domestics and a few on draft. Ask for a chilled mug. <br/><br/>There has been many lunches and dinners and my favorites are the Club sandwiches, hot pastrami Rueben and muffalatto. Deviled eggs and slaw are good as are the rotating soups / chili / gumbo offerings which are better than average to good. You notice little things, they give their food a little something else. If you like that something else, you'll come back. <br/><br/>Liquor store part seems more of a hobby than huge money maker as I rarely see anyone picking up a bottle.<br/><br/>Staff is friendly and service is generally good. Crowd varies with the time of day from soccer moms and families to local 20 somethings and older. It is usually v. tight for VH home football games and can be @ lunch and early PM crew. Had a St. Patty's or two their with a good Irish selection of beer . The outside seating handles overflow with good weather. Nice local spot and long term owners who are usually on hand.<br/>Not the beat all and end all just good overall.

Really?. Don't get me wrong, the food and service are fine but I was not blown away like some of the other folks providing reviews. I had the diplomat and it was OK - nothing to write home about. I think my favorite thing was the side of coleslaw. I would go back if nearby but certainly wouldn't travel out of my way to eat here.

In a City Devoid of Good Delis, This Place Is a Treasure. We don't eat here often because it's usually pretty busy and there's not that much seating inside, but when the weather's nice and we're craving some good sandwiches, we'll head here and sit outside on the patio. The food is plentiful and delicious, and the service is always good. The inside could use some updating, but since we don't eat inside, who cares. <br/><br/>I've had the cheese sandwich (it is LOADED with cheese, so beware) and the egg salad, and both were delicious. I always forget that it comes with ruffled chips so I'll order an unnecessary side order, usually their delicious slaw. <br/><br/>If you're craving a hearty sandwich, this is the place to head to.

Great Food!. I have been eating here since 1982 when they first opened. The food and prices are great. The only downside is the service is slow. The two owners stand there talking and won't lift a finger to help the poor waitresses. They could at least refill water glasses!

Good on all points. My wife and I had the occasion to each lunch there. Had a table outside as day was beautiful. Service was great and food was quick, delicious, and reasonably priced.<br/>I had the pastrami, my wife the reuben and both very good<br/>Just wish they were closer to our home.

LOVE this place!. I work just the other side of the street from Diplomat and when I'm looking for a quick bite, this is my go to place.<br/>LOVE the reuben w/ thousand island, beer cheese soup, and the German potato salad...oh and let's not forget the Abita Andy Gator on tap there!

Beer Cheese Soup. As soon as the air cools off in Birmingham, I start craving Diplomat's beer cheese soup. The combo of soup and sandwich is a little too much food for lunch but what can I do? I love the sandwiches and crave the soup. Having a locally brewed brown ale with the soup makes lunch even more pleasurable. I often get some beer to go as the wall of coolers holds a fine selection of craft and high gravity beers at very reasonable prices. <br/>The place has a unique set-up but the mixture of neighborhood regulars, professionals and stay home moms gives the place a homey feel and plenty of local charm.

Great food and great experience!. I went here for lunch today and really enjoyed it. We had the "Reuben" and the "Southerner", both tasty hot sandwiches. For dessert I had the homemade "Lemon Ice Box Pie". Everything tasted excellent!

Don't Judge This Book By Its Cover. When you pull up to the curb in front of the strip mall corner unit location of the Diplomat, you see a liquor store. That's really all. Inexplicably, there are café tables and chairs in a little courtyard between the curb and the door. This might seem a little strange to anyone who hasn't been to the Diplomat before. It's certainly not what you would expect, if you were looking for a great sandwich place, yet that is what you'll find if you get beyond the rough exterior of the place, and go on inside... well... almost.<br/><br/>Once you're inside, you'll see ... well ... a liquor store. Oddly, however, where you would expect aisles of rum, vodka and tequila, you instead see the tables and chairs of a 1980s café. The walls are beer and wine coolers or shelves of liquor and assorted package store fare. The service is friendly and punctual in this little café/package store, and the food is good. After sitting for a while and adjusting to the odd amalgamation of restaurant and liquor store, it becomes remarkably easy to stop wondering how this place has been in business since 1982.<br/><br/>We came in a little before the rest of the "dinner crowd," such as it was on a Friday night; and we were surprised to see a variety of apparently regular customers come in. A couple of families with young children, an elderly couple, a couple of middle-aged women, some young people (who mostly came in to buy beer or liquor or smokes, and didn't stay to eat) all came in while we ate. The people with the children knew right where the kids' highchairs were, and just helped themselves. All seemed content with their food, and didn't spend a lot of time looking at the menu; this tells me they'd been there before - probably more than a few times.<br/><br/>Regular customers are a good sign. We weren't disappointed. My wife enjoyed the chicken salad sandwich - which they stressed at each phase of the ordering process comes "without fruits or nuts" - and I liked my reuben pretty well. It wasn't the best I'd had - certainly the first I'd ever had with mustard and "Russian dressing," instead of Thousand Island (or something homemade at least resembling Thousand Island). I am learning, however, that when it comes to Birmingham cuisine, expecting anything to be done a certain way will only lead you to disappointment. You're much better off coming in without preconceived notions about how your food "should" be, and trying to appreciate it for what it is. If you take that approach with the food and the atmosphere, you'll probably become a regular at the Diplomat. If you're looking for something more cookie-cutter, stick with Pañera Bread Co. or Subway.

Best true deli in town.. As with many of BHM's finest, this gem is located in an otherwise entirely unremarkable strip mall. <br/><br/>What is remarkable, though, is that this place is one of only a few in town that realizes what it actually means to be a delicatessen. Many places down here in the south try to make their name by churching their sandwiches up. Diplomat doesn't forget, though, that the deli is supposed to be all about the meat. <br/><br/>The Italian Sausage sub was awesome, as well as the Muffaletta. Both were stuffed to the limits with high quality, hot meat. <br/><br/>In addition to the great food, Diplomat doubles as a package store and has a truly fine beer and wine selection. The High Gravity selection here is probably even better than Vulcan Beverage. I was especially pleased to see Brugge Zot--a smaller batch Belgian from Bruges I sampled at the brewery this past summer!

This place has quality sandwiches at great prices.

Whenever I'm in Vestavia and the edge of Hoover I try to get a Diplomat deli sandwich-- one of Bham's BEST delis. My favorite is the Californian--turkey (or roast beef-I always get turkey) with alfalfa sprouts, cream cheese and pepper jelly! Also the Royal--banana, havarti, and sprouts is an inspired creation.

The best sanwices

Best Reuben in town. Great selection of microbrews.

Muffalatos are great

My church member Joyce and I, have been trying to get together for lunch, for a while now, and today we finally met up. We ate lunch at Diplomat Deli in Vestavia Hills, off of Montgomery Highway in a strip mall. Since 1982, family owned Diplomat Deli , ha