TX, Houston, Skyline Deli cafe

717 Texas, Suite 150, Houston, TX 77002 (Ground floor of the Calpine Center)

There are four Skyline Deli locations around Houston, the one I visit regularly is one block north of Jones Hall in what used to be the Calpine Center. It may still be the Calpine Center, but Calpine no longer have offices in the building, the main tenant in the building appears to be oil company Conoco Phillips. The building is at the end of the underground tunnel network on a little used branch that is accessed from the north side of the Chase Tower tunnel.

This Skyline Deli is open from 6:30 am to 4:00 pm though not much happens in the mid morning after breakfast finishes and before lunch starts. But at lunchtime there is always a line to buy a freshly made designer salad or a hot meal or a sandwich or a wrap or panini.

The salads are made to order, choose romaine or iceberg lettuce or spinach, add five toppings from a selection of 20 or more including artichokes, beetroot, chopped peppers, black or green olives, chicken, tuna, shrimp, chopped or cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, jalapenos, cucumber, onion, hard boiled egg, baby corn and several others that I cannot recall, then add one or two scoops of dressing from a selection of ten and watch one of the staff mix it all together and you have a great salad for less than $5.00.

If salad isn’t your repast of desire, try a hot plate of mashed potatoes, meat loaf and green beans. The selection of hot food changes daily, though there are always hamburgers or Philly cheese steaks, home made Chilli and soup available. About $6.00 for a hot meal or $4.00 for a burger. And if non of these tickle your fancy then resort to a sandwich and a side for $6.00 from a selection of 18 exotic mixings or design your own sandwich from a great selection of 9 breads, 15 meats, 5 cheeses, 15 dressings and 10 toppings for $5.00. That makes to many variations to count, but it’s a lot. Then if you are still hungry there are cakes and pies and ice cream for desert and a coffee bar that makes good espresso and hot tea. Coke and Dr Pepper from the soda fountain are $1.20.

The tables and chairs are clean and most days there are tables available by the large windows looking out onto Milam Street. It’s a nice place to sit for a while and watch the people walking by. There is free wireless internet if you must bring a computer to lunch.