Dina's Deli

My grandmother's name was Sarah Buchin. She was a Russian immigrant who never stopped caring for everyone she met.

After she died I searched for her love, and finally found it in a deli that has perfected her style of cooking.

Dina's Deli at St. Lawrence Market in the lower level brings Bubba Buchin back again, and again.

Run by an amazingly loving couple, Bella and Boris, everything there is made fresh; no additives, no preservatives.

It's clear that Bella has her mother's and her grandmother's love for cooking and preparing food. With 12 kinds of perogies to choose from, imagine six for $2.00, the taste will bring you to the Ukraine without a plane.

Their lasagna is the kind that makes you want to lick the plate. There is a spinach veggie and meat lover's lasagna. How can one woman make so many things, each tasting so good?

They sell soup for $4.00 and there is enough in an order for at least three huge helpings.

When ordering soup, you can choose from chicken, cabbage, veggie and pea ... with all that selection, mama is definitely in the kitchen.

Salads are made fresh, and "an abundance" is the best description I can find. Imagine mouth-watering, homemade salads such as coleslaw, potato salad, and many more. This really is salad heaven.

Bella works on a homemade stove and she keeps cooking all day.

Crepes are a house specialty with many choices for vegetarians also priced as low as $2.00.

Schnitzel is sold so fast it's barely out of the cooking pot. I am sure Bella sells more potato pancakes and chicken fingers than anyone else in Toronto.

Boris and Bella never stop cooking and working when they are there, but they always have time to say "Hello" and usually they remember your name.

I know Bubba Buchin will never come back. She only lives in the pictures in my mind and every time I taste the food at Dina's Deli, it makes my Bubba alive.

Thank you, Bella and Boris, for giving me so many smiles, keeping my memories alive.

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