Deli Bohemia Bonita Springs Review

Deli Bohemia opened September 8, 08, and has been busy since. Owner Helen Valent, fluent in 5 languages, has been in several popular movies. She is most fluent in the language and nuances of wonderful slow cooked comfort foods.

Helen says her diners “Drive here from Fort Myers, Bonita, and Naples. They are German, Polish, Czech, from all over Eastern Europe, ad quite a few from Canada. They love the slow cooking foods of Bohemia-the old fashioned way.” Eight people were visiting at 3 pm on my Wednesday visit, and three were repeats.

Vera Trifunovic, Ratko Radisic, Owner Helen Valent It’s on Old 41, 0.8 miles due north of the intersection with Terry, on the north side of the road after it curves west. Go inside. It’s bright, open, and has perhaps 5 tables. Look around-one fridge has fifteen home made soups, another fridge has cured meats, and a third has various cheeses. One display case has desserts, and they are known for their pastries!

There are daily specials, each for $9. Tuesday-Schnitzel, Weds-Deli Meatloaf with potatoes, Thursday-Cabbage rolls with dumplings or potatoes, Friday-Stuffed pepper in tomato sauce with potatoes, Saturday-Meat lasagna with salad OR chicken paprikash with spatzle or dumplings, and Sunday-Schnitzel.

I had to try the goulash ($9)-it’s the real thing. A generous portion of tender pork (or beef), slow cooked with lots of mild Hungarian paprika, onions, garlic and lots of love, it’s fork tender with a nice lighter sauce. I prefer it served over spatzle-dumplings are optional.

.
There’s no shortage of soups! Each is one pint for $3.99. Try Goulash, Beef dumpling, Special chicken noodle, Four-bean soup, cream of potato,

ham and leek, Cream of Broccoli, Chili, and Split yellow pea soup. I ordered the Sauerkraut with Sausage soup (below). Rich, tasty, and just a hint of heat, it’s briming with sauerkraut and onions, home made sausage and hints of okra. As as one lady put it, “This is the loving food I was brought up with –just as my grandmother cooked.”

The prices are great, across the board. Bottled drinks, Coke, juices, hot tea and hot coffee are all under $1.60. This if no foo-foo Starbucks with $4 coffees!

There are open faced sandwiches for $3, yes $3! Sample Chicken salad with cold cuts; an Egg lover with Hungarian sausage; Ham salad with ham or hard salami, and a Garlic breeze with smoked salmon.

Save room for dessert. The masterfully baked pastries are light and worth trying several. I'd like to apprentice at this bakery! My favorite is the apple strudel-wonderfully baked apples, without added sugar, in a light crisp phyllo type pastry -it’s one of the best strudel I’ve had. The plum marmelade filled kifle ($1.59), the delicate sugar dusted rolled pastry, is filled with a rich ribbon of plum delight.

.

Walnut Kifle and Plum Filled Kifle Close behind is the beautifully baked poppy seed roll, with a generous amount of crunchy poppy seeds, rolled in the light pastry. Take home smoked sausage, regular or hot for $9/lb, various cold cuts, or bread dumplings- $3 a pack. I took home her Canadian customers' favorite, the Linseed Rye Bread, (Leinsamen Brot), with the amazing double crust. This is one heavy bread, filled with crunchy cracked whole wheat, flax and whole rye kernels. There’s five other farmer style heavy dark and light breads-all so much better than the Wonderbread and other lite fluff Americans think of when hearing "bread". Enjoy this, instead. Deli Bohemia in The Shoppes at Hawthorne, 9748 It’s 0.4 miles North on 41 from Rosemary, and 0.8 miles north from West Terry Street., at 26455 Old US 41 North, Bonita Springs, 947-9748 Open 11 am-7 pm, Mon-Saturday, with 22 seats, so reserve!