Dilly Deli, a new cafe and deli on Little Underbank in Stockport, has opened its doors, bringing a continental flair to the town's rapidly evolving food scene. The venue, which launched in April, offers a shop brimming with premium ingredients and a sit-in cafe space over two floors, serving freshly made baguettes, cheese and meat plates, and tapas-style nibbles alongside coffees, cocktails, and wines.
Underbanks: Stockport's Cultural Renaissance
The Underbanks area, often dubbed the 'Soho of the North' or 'New Berlin', has become a hub for independent boutiques, bakeries, and bars. This transformation began in 2017 with the Rediscovering the Underbanks initiative, a multi-million-pound scheme to restore heritage buildings, create new apartments, and pedestrianise the area. More recently, Incu, a placemaking initiative, has provided short-term pop-up spaces for start-ups like Little Scarfs pasta studio and Cafe Convene, which have been warmly received.
Dilly Deli: A Culinary Destination
Situated on the corner of Little Underbank, Dilly Deli boasts an electric blue frontage and an interior described as an "Aladdin's cave" of treats. The shop shelves are lined with spicy aioli, Romesco sauce, curry pastes, fancy ketchup, hot sauce, pastas, noodles, and high-end ingredients. The cafe offers a Jambon Beurre (£8.50), a classic French baguette with Cumbrian butter, Dijon mayo, honey roast ham, and pickles, which one reviewer said "reminds me of holidays abroad." Other sandwich options include Serrano ham, smoked salmon and red pepper, and burrata. Larger dishes feature charcuterie plates, cheese boards, pate en croute, and sardines on toast with chorizo and chilli oil.
Quality and Ambiance
A cheese plate (£8) with Isle of Mull cheddar, goats cheese, and truffle gouda, served with crackers, pickles, and chutney, was quickly devoured, with the reviewer noting the quality of the cheeses. The deli also offers Gilda, a Basque pintxo of green olive, salted anchovy, and spicy pickled pepper, ideal with wine. While the loaded Iberico ham crisps were deemed "a touch too indulgent" for one, the concept was praised as "food heaven in a aluminum bag."
According to the Manchester Evening News, Dilly Deli is "filling a gap in a town which is rapidly becoming one of Greater Manchester's - if not the UK's - most exciting food spots." The venue is located at 1 Little Underbank, Stockport SK1 1LA.
