A YEAR after opening, Jose’s Deli at Hillview are expanding with an updated menu to keep customers' tastebuds tingling.
Originally established by Michael Opie, Patrick Fox and Joe McDowell, the deli quickly became a fans' favourite with people travelling from all over to try their gigantic burgers, dirty fries and other curious creations which have taken social media by storm.
Now, due to demand the team have added pizzas and various sides to their ever growing menu which would make even the most decisive of eaters, struggle to choose what to order.
Discussing the success of their business, owners Michael and Patrick said that they have been delighted to be nominated for three awards within their first year of opening.
“The feedback we have got from customers, not only within the North Belfast community, but also customers who have travelled from Ballymena, Antrim, Crumlin, Lisburn, all over this city has been brilliant,” said Michael.
“Because this has been such a success, we have been able to create so many jobs within the local community. We are bringing jobs to North Belfast at a time when jobs are like hens' teeth.
“We are also making plans to expand and have taken on the unit next door and have plans over the next few months to do something different in there.”
PIZZA: Jose's Deli have updated their already extensive menu to include fresh stonebaked pizza
Due to customer demand, Michael and Paddy have added pizza to their menu.
“We trialled the pizza menu to see how it would go and it has been a big hit. Patrick and I are food lovers and we love pizza,” Michael continued.
“Because we are lovers of food, we have been able to bring ideas to the table and decide what we think people would love on our menu.
“When we decided to start selling pizza, we needed to make sure that we had the right chef, that we were making our own fresh dough which is really important to us because it gives the pizza a fresh taste. Then we brought in a stone baked oven. As we are pizza lovers, we have tasted different pizzas and stone baked is definitely the pizza to eat.”
DIRTY: The Dirty Fries are a big hit with their regular customers
Michael said that they also found that eating pizza fresh within their sit-in café is a different experience all together and to share that with customers, they have added a diner style seating area.
Among some of the best-selling items have been the dirty fries, their pure Angus beef burgers and their box meals.
Detailing his favourite menu item, Patrick said that he loves the Pakora Burger.
“We have been doing the Pakora Burger for a while now. It started off as a special and the demand for it was through the roof that we had no other choice but to put it on the menu.
UNIQUE: The Jose's Deli menu has many items that you won't find anywhere else including the Pakora Burger
“It is a unique burger and to thrive in this industry we need to be different, we need to come up with new ideas and you need to keep coming up with fresh ideas all of the time. That is why we do our specials and every day there is something different to try.”
Looking towards the future, Jose’s Deli are also set to launch a meal prep service.
Michael added: “We have trialled healthy meal prep which includes macronutrients on the carton and tells you the calories, protein and carbohydrate ratios which is important for anyone looking to lose weight or gain weight.
PREMIUM: Jose's Deli only use 100 per cent pure Angus Beef in their burgers
“Our chefs are also always willing to cook something to meet your dietary requirements, even if it isn’t on the menu. We also do healthy breakfasts and smoothies along with protein shakes and we are also planning to launch a range of protein treats.”
Michael and Patrick added that they would like to thank their repeat customers for their business.
Patrick said: “Even though we put the work in, we wouldn’t be anywhere without our loyal customers and our fantastic staff. We have a great team here.”
