Let’s Eat

By Dan Greenwood

Siblings Milad (right) and Souraya Sadaka opened Sadaka’s Deli at Mankato East Center in December 2020.

Photos by Pat Christman

When siblings Milad and Souraya Sadaka opened Sadaka’s Deli at Mankato East Center in December 2020, they created a menu that would attract a diverse array of clients.

They hesitate to label themselves, or the menu, which features everything from American fare such as hamburgers and club sandwiches to international cuisine, with German, Mexican, Vietnamese, Canadian and a handful of Lebanese-inspired dishes in honor of their family background.

“We do a little bit of everything from hamburgers to grilled cheeses to Mediterranean food,” Souraya Sadaka said.

The siblings have worked together in the restaurant industry for 25 years, most recently at Charley’s Restaurant and Lounge in Mankato, named after their other brother.

The deli has been a popular spot for the 1,500 employees who work at the center, which includes a branch for Mayo Clinic Health System and Mankato Clinic, among other businesses, with some customers stopping in daily for breakfast or lunch.

They take pride in using fresh and local ingredients, buying directly from vendors at the Mankato Farmers’ Market, including their Lebanese salad, which includes locally grown fresh onions, tomatoes, mint and zucchini. It’s then topped with marinated chicken and a signature sauce, using recipes created by Souraya Sadaka’s brother, Milad.

“Every day we cut our vegetables, he (Milad) cuts the ham and turkey, and everything is served fresh every day. We make our salads as we go. We don’t prepare anything ahead of time, so it stays nice and fresh,” Souraya Sadaka said.

Part of the reason they don’t want to be boxed in with a label is that the duo has made it their mission to be incredibly flexible with customers, offering to customize orders, even taking suggestions for future menu items. Souraya Sadaka said their menu is never set in stone.

“We ask them what they like, and

Sadaka's Deli has some familiar dishes, such as the shawarma sandwich but the deli has something for everyone. we do it for them,” Milad Sadaka said.

While there are familiar dishes, like the club or shawarma sandwich, Milad Sakada goes above and beyond to make those offerings stand out for their uniqueness. For the club sandwich, he uses wild rice berry bread and two European hams — Jambon and Mortadeli — topped with turkey and bacon.

“We cook our bacon daily so it’s nice and hot and crisp and not soft,” Souraya Sadaka said.

The gourmet approach to the club sandwich makes this one of their most popular items, but the Tawook sandwich is another hit, made with a cabbage mix, tomatoes, marinated chicken with the fries stuffed into the sandwich. But what stands out especially are the three pickled vegetables that accompany the sandwich.

“The difference about our shawarma is we use three different pickles in it,” Souraya Sadaka said. “We do turnips, wild cucumber and regular pickles. Milad makes his homemade sauce — it just blends with the sandwich — you take a bite and you can’t stop eating it. It’s absolutely delicious. We have a twist to everything we do.” Also on the menu is Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich with meat and vegetables. Souraya Sadaka said they make the sandwich with chicken that’s marinated for a couple of days with ginger and soy sauce with just the right kick of spice, using mayo and Sriracha sauce as condiments, and then it’s topped with cilantro, pickled carrots, radishes, cucumbers and jalapenos. “I have a couple people from Vietnam who come here just for its size and flavor,” Souraya Sadaka said. Poutine, a Canadian creation of French fries and cheese curds topped with Sadaka’s homemade gravy is another hit, as well as vegan and vegetarian options such as falafel, a Middle Eastern patty made with chickpeas and spices served on their Mediterranean salad. Breakfasts are served all day. They include the basics, like croissants, eggs, bagels and breakfast sandwiches, as well as avocado toast and eggs Benedict using their homemade hollandaise sauce, which they also use for their Benedict burger, a grilled panini sandwich with burger patties, Jambon ham, Gouda cheese and poached eggs. Ever since Sadaka’s Deli opened last year, the siblings said they’ve received overwhelming support from the beginning, striving to make everyone feel welcome. “We come here every day and treat our job like it’s our first job,” Souraya Sadaka said. “Everything we do, we do it from the heart; we serve what we eat.”