
Manchester, IA: Delaware County (Our 72nd County!)
Near the banks of the mighty Maquoketa River is a little Delaware County deli that overlooks one of Iowa’s premier recreational destinations. We made another Northeast Iowa day trip in search of some of the area’s finest meat lockers for the Iowa’s Wurst Road Trip project and we discovered an overlook that not every restaurant can enjoy. But you can lose yourself in the scenery and your sandwich at Olive That Deli!
Walk in and get a game plan going right away. The menu features tons of delicious choices and you can bet your chicken salad that the food here is fresh and prepared before your hungry little eyes.
Yes, that bread is soft and flavorful. Yes, that’s a lot of meat, fresh vegetables. Yes, I like my sandwich heavy on the mayo. And, no, the jalapenos they use are NOT wimpy. Always use both hands when lifting this, as you can see the professional doing in the picture. This was the #19 and it was an honor to devour it. You like soup?

The loaded baked potato soup had me in it’s tractor beam upon arrival to Olive That Deli. Chucks of tender potatoes in a very hot creamy base and a whole lot of smoky flavor with every bite. Hey, what about that view we went on and on about?
Sunny, blue skies, mild temps and a perfectly scenic river to explore. The whitewater roars here in the summer months and it lures in the rising number of kayak enthusiasts that are showing up in Iowa in larger numbers with every passing season. Today, the only activity were the peaceful sounds of the river flowing past the rocks and the occasional bird flying by. And that’s all we needed on an incredible day like this in Manchester. This was only a brief pit stop for us, but like usual, we found oodles of reasons to make a return trip to the area. We’ll see you again, Manchester!
