Our Story
Made From Scratch.
Built With Purpose.
Deli Nerds was born from a simple, stubborn belief: that fresh, real food — made from scratch, every single day — is worth it. For the cooks, for the community, for you.
How It Started
The Nerdiest Deli You'll Ever Love
We're not a chain. We don't franchise. We're a small, passionate team of food nerds who obsess over every single detail — the protein sourcing, the sauce ratios, the exact temperature of your au jus.
Deli Nerds opened in Costa Mesa with one mission: prove that a fast, casual deli could serve food that rivals your favorite sit-down restaurant. No freezer shortcuts. No bagged sauces. No compromises.
Every slider, wrap, bowl, and salad is built to order with ingredients we'd be proud to serve our own families — because that's exactly what we do.
What We Stand For
The Nerdy Way
Premium Ingredients Only
Grass-fed beef. Wild-caught seafood. Pasture-raised chicken. Hormone-free. Antibiotic-free. Nitrate-free. We read every label — so you don't have to.
Made Fresh Daily
32+ scratch-made dressings and sauces. Produce picked daily. Nothing comes from a bag or a freezer. If it wasn't made today in our kitchen, it's not on your plate.
Community First
We're your neighbor. We source locally, hire locally, and show up for Costa Mesa. From your office lunch to your company event, we're in your corner.
Obsessive Quality Control
Every order gets the same level of care whether it's a single slider or a catered event for 300. We sweat the small stuff — because the small stuff is what makes food great.
The Food
Why We're Worth the Drive
Sliders that snap with flavor. Bowls that actually fill you up. Wraps built for real appetites. Breakfast that makes Monday mornings bearable.
We have 32 house-made dressings and sauces — avocado oil and olive oil based, never seed oils. Our proteins are hand-selected, in-house sliced, and handled like they deserve to be.
We cook every single order to order. No heat lamps. No holding. Just fresh, every time.
View the Full MenuPeople Who Get It
"The service is amazing. Super helpful and nice. All the sandwiches that I tried were yummy. Great little hidden gem."
"Had the smash sliders and french dip sliders. Both were fantastic. Very friendly lady inside welcomed us in. Would love to come back."
"Wow, the food is delicious and the ingredients are whole and fresh, so it makes sense."