Try as you might, one would be hard-pressed to find a local eatery in Pahrump where diners, upon finishing a juicy pastrami sandwich, can stroll a few steps and order dessert and premium coffee all under the same roof.
And so enters Backstreet Deli located at 4760 Pahrump Valley Blvd., Suite 12.
Owners Joan and Alex Vollhardt opened their business in mid-July.
Joan Vollhardt said she and her husband actually purchased the business back in March.
“We decided to redo the inside,” she said. “It was formerly a sandwich shop, and we just upgraded it. Since we opened, business has been really good and we’ve gotten a lot of really good feedback on Facebook, so we’ve been fairly busy for a new business here in town. We can also do deliveries now through a third party here in Pahrump.”
Regarding the menu, Vollhardt spoke about one of the more popular items she offers.
“One of the big things on our menu that everyone seems to like is the Chicago Dog,” she noted. “We actually use all of the Vienna products directly from Chicago, so they are the authentic Chicago dogs. They are not common here on the West Coast, but everyone from Chicago really appreciates it. We also have our sandwiches, including pastrami, roast beef, turkey and more. We have Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and we carry numerous side salads as well. We cut all of our meats and cheeses, and we slice our own vegetables. There are other sandwich shops here in Pahrump but not like this deli-style concept.”
Vollhardt’s Backstreet Deli sits alongside another business called the “Beans and Cream Cafe,” owned by her friends Tod and Linda Olsen.
Those who lived on the West Coast over the decades may remember the very popular Thrifty Ice Cream brand, which is offered at the adjacent shop, Vollhardt said.
“They also have really good pastries, desserts, cookies, and high-quality coffee, so it’s a very unique concept for this area,” she said. “Customers can come in and have a sandwich or hot dog from our deli and walk through and have coffee and dessert if they like. We brought it all together in one place.”
Vollhardt also noted that Backstreet Deli will also offer additional items.
“Here shortly, we are going to be offering party platters for people who are having a few people over and things like that,” she said. “So we will have the party platters, sandwiches and desserts. We also have many types of bread, including sub rolls, rye, sourdough, regular white bread and rosemary bread, so there is something for everybody. Everything is reasonably priced, but we are using high-end products and most people can tell when they eat it. We are just trying to do high-quality meats, sandwiches, cheeses, and do it differently than everyone else.”
Additionally, Vollhardt said the COVID-19 outbreak hasn’t really affected the operation of her new business.
“We actually waited to open the dine-in portion,” she said. “We had the bar next door to us that we were counting on for a big part of our business, but they closed the day before we opened because of the mandates. They will eventually open back up. We actually purchased it in March and we planned to open in April, but we were not able to do that because of the COVID-19 virus. I haven’t really seen the effects, because I really don’t have anything to compare it to.”
Backstreet Deli is open for business Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The phone number is 775-505-0830.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes