Top of Tampa

Tampa / Guides / Delis & Sandwiches in Clearwater, FL: Local Favorites
The Guide · Delis & Sandwiches in Clearwater, FL: Local Favorites

Delis & Sandwiches in Clearwater, FL: Local Favorites (2026)

Six restaurants across Tampa. Compare neighborhoods, price tiers and what to order, then read the full reviews.

Jenna Kalouris
By Jenna Kalouris Staff Writer, Top of Tampa · Updated October 2026 · How the score is built
Delis & Sandwiches in Clearwater, FL: Local Favorites (2026)
THE TAMPA DINING GUIDES 6 restaurants
Compare all 6 restaurantsNeighborhood · price · score · first order
In the same order as the guide. Scores are out of 10; dollar symbols show the listed price tier.
RestaurantNeighborhoodPriceScoreWhat to order
01 Lenny’s RestaurantClearwater$$9.2Ham and cheese omelette
02 Shorty's Breakfast & Gourmet DeliClearwater$$All meat omelet
03 Sunset SubsClearwater$Cheesesteaks
04 Mangroves CaféClearwaterMorning burrito
05 Ferisa's Smoothie CafeClearwaterSmoothies
06 Frankie's DeliClearwater$Italian sandwich

6 restaurants · In guide order

1 Lenny’s Restaurant Yelp

Lenny’s Restaurant

Brunch · Clearwater · $$ · № 7 on the List
Insider Score9.2

Silver dollar pancakes stack high next to a ham and cheese omelette built for sharing, and the room fills up fast on Saturday mornings. This is a family breakfast spot first, with service that keeps tables moving without rushing anyone out. Spring Training visitors have found it through fan groups, but it runs on regulars the rest of the year.

What to orderHam and cheese omeletteSilver dollar pancakesEggs and toast Call Directions
Full review & visiting detailsRead the full review & visiting details

Clearwater's Everyday Breakfast Champ Delivers

Ham and cheese omelette

The ham and cheese omelette is the standard test for a diner kitchen and Lenny's runs it straight, no shortcuts.

Silver dollar pancakes

Silver dollar pancakes stack small and thin, a better bet than the full-size short stack for anyone also ordering eggs.

Eggs and toast

Eggs and toast keeps the order simple for anyone who wants a real breakfast without the omelette-size commitment.

Lenny's runs the basics and runs them straight: a ham and cheese omelette, silver dollar pancakes, eggs and toast, no theatrics required. That is the whole pitch, and in a stretch of Clearwater where breakfast options lean toward either fast-food drive-through or beach-strip markup, a straightforward plate at a fair price is worth noting on its own. The omelette is the anchor. Ham and cheese is the least ambitious thing on a diner menu and the hardest to get consistently right: enough filling that it does not read as an egg white afterthought, cooked through without turning rubbery.

The silver dollar pancakes work the other direction, small and stacked rather than the single dinner-plate-sized disc some rooms default to, which means more edges, more browning, more chances for the batter to actually taste like something instead of just holding syrup. Eggs and toast is the room's answer to anyone who wants to test a kitchen without ordering anything complicated: it is the dish with nowhere to hide. Clearwater does not have a deep bench of sit-down breakfast rooms outside the beach corridor, and the ones near the water skew toward captive tourist pricing. Lenny's sits away from that pull, priced for a family that wants to eat on a Saturday without planning around it.

The room reads as built for repeat business rather than a single big weekend, which tracks with a menu that does not chase trends: no elaborate benedict builds, no seasonal specials competing for attention. It is a kitchen that has picked its lane and stayed in it. The operation looks built around turning tables efficiently on weekend mornings without a wait that punishes families with kids in tow. That is the room's real audience: parents who want eggs that arrive quickly and correctly, a check that does not sting, and a table wide enough for a group.

It will not out-ambition a Central Avenue brunch spot chasing photogenic plates, and it is not trying to. For what it does, plain breakfast done right at a price that does not require justification, it holds its ground on the Pinellas side of the bay.

Map showing Lenny’s Restaurant© OpenStreetMap
HoursDaily: 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Address21220 US Hwy 19 N
Clearwater, FL 33765
Insider tip

Order the silver dollar pancakes alongside the ham and cheese omelette to split between two people rather than doubling up on one or the other. Go early on weekends if a family group needs a table together.

2 Shorty's Breakfast & Gourmet Deli Yelp

Shorty's Breakfast & Gourmet Deli

Cuban · Clearwater · $$

The all meat omelet and a proper Reuben carry this Cuban leaning breakfast and lunch counter, which serves breakfast all day rather than cutting it off at eleven. Prices stay well below the hotel breakfast buffets nearby. Seating runs tight and the room gets loud at peak hours, so this is a grab a booth and eat fast kind of place, not a lingering one.

What to orderAll meat omeletReubenCuban sandwich Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1261 Gulf Blvd 125, Ste 125, Clearwater, FL 33767 · (727) 596-5100
3 Sunset Subs Yelp

Sunset Subs

Sandwiches · Clearwater · $

Cheesesteaks and a footlong Italian are the draw at this counter service sub shop, built for a fast lunch between errands. Portion consistency has been an issue lately, with some finding the fillings thinner than the price justifies. Reliable for a quick sandwich, but worth ordering with clear expectations rather than nostalgia for a better version.

What to orderCheesesteaksFootlong ItalianSubmarine sandwich Call Directions Scored from the full review record 23688 US Hwy 19 N, Clearwater, FL 33765 · (727) 799-0913
4 Mangroves Café Yelp

Mangroves Café

Cafes · Clearwater

A morning burrito and cappuccino combination anchors this small St. Petersburg Clearwater area cafe, prized mainly for its location near the airport. The counter runs friendly and the room is sized for a quick sit down or a to go order before a flight. It works best as a convenient stop, not a destination meal.

What to orderMorning burritoCappuccinoCoffee Call Directions Scored from the full review record 13577 Feather Sound Dr, Ste 180, Clearwater, FL 33762 · (727) 827-7917
5 Ferisa's Smoothie Cafe Yelp

Ferisa's Smoothie Cafe

Juice Bars & Smoothies · Clearwater

Fresh smoothies and hotdogs share the menu with from scratch Middle Eastern plates at this small, family run cafe, the kind of place where everything on the plate tastes made that day. Reports of the storefront being permanently closed have circulated, so anyone planning a visit should call ahead before making the trip.

What to orderSmoothiesHotdogsFrom-scratch Middle Eastern plates Call Directions Scored from the full review record 30051 US Hwy 19 N, Clearwater, FL 33761 · (727) 386-5639
6 Frankie's Deli Yelp

Frankie's Deli

Delis · Clearwater · $

Crispy Italian bread wraps a long roster of sandwiches at this counter service deli, where the roast beef and turkey builds get the same care as the namesake Italian. Prices stay reasonable and the staff keeps the line moving for takeout or the handful of eat in seats. A straightforward neighborhood lunch stop, not a production.

What to orderItalian sandwichRoast beef sandwichTurkey sandwich Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1969 Sunset Point Rd, Ste 10, Clearwater, FL 33765 · (727) 446-3775
What to know before choosing a restaurant

Delis & Sandwiches in Clearwater, FL: 1. Lenny’s Restaurant · 2. Shorty's Breakfast & Gourmet Deli · 3. Sunset Subs · 4. Mangroves Café · 5. Ferisa's Smoothie Cafe. Addresses, prices and what to order.

Clearwater's sandwich counters run from Cuban breakfast plates to Italian sub shops slicing on crusty bread, and the good ones don't need the beach crowd to survive. This list sticks to the rooms that earn a lunch break or a Saturday morning drive, not the ones coasting on hotel foot traffic.

Frequently asked

What is the best deli near me in Clearwater?
It depends on what you want. Frankie's Deli and Shorty's Breakfast & Gourmet Deli both rank high on the Insider Score for classic sandwiches and Cuban leaning breakfast plates, while Sunset Subs covers a faster cheesesteak fix. No restaurant on this list pays to be included; placement is based on the Insider Score alone.
Which spot is best for a quick breakfast before heading to the beach?
Lenny's Restaurant and Shorty's Breakfast & Gourmet Deli both serve full breakfast menus without hotel prices. Lenny's leans into weekend family brunch, while Shorty's keeps breakfast running all day, which helps if plans run late.
Is Mangroves Café good if I have a flight to catch?
Yes, that is its main strength. It sits near the airport and serves a fast morning burrito and cappuccino combination, with both dine in and to go options, making it a practical stop rather than a leisurely meal.
Are any of these restaurants closed or unreliable?
Ferisa's Smoothie Cafe has had reports of its storefront being permanently closed, so it is worth calling ahead before visiting. The Insider Score reflects past performance, not necessarily current operating status, and no restaurant pays for its ranking here.
ƒ

The data first, then the verdict

We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →

About the writer
Jenna Kalouris
Staff Writer, Top of Tampa

Staff Writer. Grew up bussing tables near the sponge docks and keeps score across the bridges: a room has to beat what is already on her side of the water to earn the drive. Leads with the practical fact.

Five rooms, every Friday.

The new opening, the sleeper the score just flagged, and the one room worth booking this week. Free.

Get the Tip Sheet →