Pittsburgh-based deli and sandwich shop opening first Columbus location

Columbus foodies searching for a Neighbor’s Deli replacement might want to keep their eyes on the University District.

Frenchi’s Deli, which has served as a popular spot for University of Pittsburgh students since it first opened 2015, is expanding to Columbus. The eatery will be located at 18 E. Hudson St.

According to co-owner Djamal “Frenchi” Aboudou, the new campus-area spot is waiting on city approval to open. He believes the deli will launch before the end of February.

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“It’s funny, before we opened in Pittsburgh, we actually wanted to start in Columbus. With businesses, it’s hard to get things exactly the way you want them, though,” Aboudou said. “We found a location in Pittsburgh and have been doing great there since 2015, so now we’re ready to come to Ohio State.”

Aboudou, who is originally from France, said college students have been the largest portion of Frenchi’s customer base in Pennsylvania, and he imagines this trend to continue in central Ohio.

Offering a wide variety of indulgent, bodega-style sandwiches that are made directly in front of diners, the sandwich shop aims to blend American dining with aspects of French street food.

“We’re two guys from France, and we want to bring the French way of fast food and American way together. People have been loving it so far,” Adoubou said.

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