Deli Dakota

Do one thing and do it well. That’s the ethos of Jordan Ionvetti, who shut down much-loved cafe and hangout spot The Gift Shop only to reincarnate it as Deli Dakota, a dedicated sandwich shop with a tight menu, snappy service and an unfussy fit-out in Mount Gravatt East.

Iovenetti teamed up with Brisbane hospitality veteran Mitch Haworth in 2022 to create a spot with an impressive selection of handheld eats.

It’s certainly paid off. Deli Dakota’s sandwich cabinet is stacked with a generous variety of traditional and meltable sandwiches. For the breakfast crowd, you might order the Ham from the Heavens (smoked free-range ham and three-cheese bechamel on sourdough) or the Italian Stallion (caprese salad sandwich). The sandwich menu expands after 9am to include spiced buttermilk fried chicken (DFC: Dakota Fried Chicken), Tasmanian lamb shoulder, pork (Deli Dakota’s own take on a banh mi, finished with kewpie mayo) and a Moreton Bay bug po’ boy.

There’s a local focus with the fillings, with the pork sourced from Kingaroy and fior di latte from nearby Mansfield. Deli Dakota’s bread is being baked by New Farm’s The Bakeologists.

For drinks, beyond Rosso Roasting Co coffee there are cold-pressed juices and shakes.

The space itself is a cosy little shop decked out in white and black subway tiles and marked by flashes of its red branding. Like The Gift Shop, much of the seating is outside, giving it a buzzy, communal vibe.