Sol's NYC Deli announces Gulf Gate opening

Solomon Shenker hopes the third time is the charm for Sol’s NYC Deli.

The chef behind the popular Main Street delicatessen announced the restaurant will relocate to Gulf Gate. Sol’s will share a space with Il Panificio pizzeria, located at 6644 Gateway Ave.

“We’re going to do the taste of New York,” Shenker said. “We’re going to have pizza and pastrami; we’re going to have cheesecake and calzones.”

Shenker, the former executive chef for Hotel Indigo, originally opened Sol Meyer New York Deli on Main Street in 2015. He split from that location and opened Sol’s NYC Deli in the Main Plaza complex in 2016, but announced the restaurant would close late last year.

Shenker said the size of the former Applebee’s property on Main Street made it hard to sustain business year-round. He thinks the Gulf Gate location will be a better fit for the restaurant, expressing excitement about the energy of the commercial district.

“I think it’s younger,” he said. “There’s a lot more going on.”

The plans for the new location are still flexible. Shenker said Sol’s will continue to offer its trademark deli sandwiches, but the Gulf Gate restaurant will have a leaner menu with rotating Jewish dishes featured daily. With an opening date set for Feb. 22, Shenker is considering offering breakfast or staying open late, depending on the demand.

For now, he’s focused on getting open — and staying open — in his restaurant’s new home.

“I think it’s going to be huge,” he said.