Duke's Deli

Two chefs from the much-missed Eat the Bird opened Duke's on Paris Street, and Exeter noticed fast - it's a New York Italian-American deli done properly, with bread baked daily on site and sandwiches stacked to the point of structural risk rather than portioned for a delicate eater. Everything is made fresh to order rather than pre-assembled and held under a heat lamp, which shows in how quickly a queue forms at busy times.

The ingredients are more local than the New York styling suggests: Shipton Mill flour in the bread, Dartmoor beef and Holsworthy pork in the fillings. The meatball sub is the one regulars point newcomers towards, generously filled and worth the inevitable extra napkins. Reviewers consistently call out the quality of the bread and meats and the fact that everything really is made in house rather than bought in. 11 Paris Street, Exeter.