Zarri's Delicatessen is on lower Solano Avenue, one block west of the BART overpass in Albany California. a variety of imported Italian foods are available there, including cheeses, cheap wine, and their own canned spaghetti sauce.
But the majority of their business is done around lunchtime, when as many as five people are working the sandwich counter, while the charming old Mr Zarri rings up each sale on the cash register. Sandwiches (e.g. Italian meats, roast beef, ham, turkey, coppa salami) average $2.75, on a choice of sweet or sourdough roll or rye bread. More exotic sandwich meats (e.g. liver sausage, tongue, domestic prosciutto) are a bit more expensive. A nice selection of chips (including my favorite, Tim's Cascade) and drinks (Orangina comes to mind) nicely pad out a lunch to about $4.00
The wine selection consists of a mix of imported Italian wines and a few California wines made in the Italian style. Most are under $7.00 a bottle. A case discount of 10% is offered on most. I am generally wary of buying Italian wines, but I have been pleased enough with the "taste for price" of the chiantis and barbarosas there.
Closed Mondays.