REVIEW: Adams Street Deli & Grill

When choosing a lunch spot downtown, two factors often dominate the decision process: is the food good, and are they quick?

Plenty of places meet one requirement, but few meet both. Often you’ll find yourself either waiting forever, or trying to choke down a subpar meal.

Adams Street Deli & Grill provides the rare combination of good food and quick preparation.

Located on Adams St. (obviously), they’re easy to miss among all the other eateries in that area. The wall adjacent to the dining area features an impressive mural of the Jacksonville skyline. It could use some slight updating, though; the “Modis” lettering on the Wells Fargo Center implies that it was painted no later than 2011.

When we went in at around 12:30, there weren’t too many other customers there with us.

Upon entering, we were greeted by the awkward-but-friendly cook. He readily took our order, but was a bit pushy about us trying the chicken fried rice. (We did.)

Our food was ready in under 10 minutes, which we found rather impressive.

The menu options include standard deli fare such as sandwiches, wraps, and salads, along with more unique options such as fried rice with your choice of either shrimp or chicken.

We were able to sample their grilled chicken sandwich, their burger, and their chicken fried rice. We were pleasantly surprised by how well-cooked and fresh everything was, especially given how quickly it came out. Serving sizes were generous, and both the sandwich and burger came with a serving of fries so large that it could have passed as a meal of its own.

If you work downtown and have already tried all of the well-known eateries the area has to offer, we definitely recommend giving Adams Street Deli & Grill a chance.