We Review Mother's Deli

Almost every city has one. North Bend has Coos Head Foods, Mapleton has Alpha-Bits and Bandon has Mother’s Natural Grocery and Deli. An earthy scent greets visitors upon entering. There is something about the combination of hemp, vitamins, essential oils and nag champa that appeals to me. I’m not the sort of person who has ever appreciated patchouli oil, but I find the meld of organic aromas nurturing and inviting. An added bonus at Mother’s is their deli, where they serve a variety of home cooked foods.


I often forget about Mother’s as an option when traveling to Bandon, probably because there are just too many places to choose from. I have had great food at Mother’s in the past, and this experience was no different.


Mother’s Natural Grocery and Deli is probably not the place to have a business luncheon. It is quite small and offers only three tables for diners to sit in. There are so many interesting items for sale in the store like clothing, hats, vegetables, vitamins, bags, rocks and books to name just a few, that you want to look around just to see what’s available. I enjoyed looking at the various bumper stickers and signs for sale such as “A closed mind is a wonder thing to lose” and “question reality”. Unfortunately, the space is very limited and two people approaching each other in any area of the market must negotiate a safe traffic pattern to avoid literally ‘upsetting the apple cart’. I decided that sleuthing would have to wait another day, as I wanted to grab a table.


I was visually lost in the menu printed on the chalkboard behind the counter, and was surprised at the variety of offerings. They offer hot casseroles, sandwiches, salads and tasty baked goods. Almost all of the items are between $5.25-6.25 and all items are vegetarian.



The menu required a bit of deciphering. I looked for the soup selections and finally asked for assistance from the cashier, who pointed to the soup section. I ordered the zesty mushroom. I was told that I needed to choose between the ‘zesty’ or the ‘mushroom’ soup, that they were in fact two distinct soups. I was beginning to see the logic of the menu. I chose the mushroom soup made with local wild mushrooms, and a yummy looking acorn squash filled with prunes, wild rice, nuts, seeds and peppers. Each item was hearty, delicious and a healthy choice too. For dessert, I could not pass up the tofu key lime tart. Unusual texture, but very tasty.


My boyfriend ordered the black bean burrito, a cup of the ‘zesty’ soup—a vegetable soup with a ‘zing’ and for dessert the peach cobbler. He reported the meal was ‘very good and quite filling’. Having sampled his burrito, I too concurred that it was spiced just right and would fill you up! The peach cobbler was a little flat, but again, I felt like it was a ‘healthy’ dessert—not too sweet.


Mother’s Natural Grocery and Deli creates their dishes using only organic ingredients and local ingredients when they are available. The staff is friendly and genuine. They often engage with their customers, calling many by name.


The only drawback to this experience was the time it took to receive our lunch. The acorn squash was in the cold case and of course had to be reheated. Because the Deli is also a grocery and sells naturopathic products, the deli staff also has to serve customers buying groceries or asking about herb products. All of the service appeared to be very thorough and professional. We waited about forty minutes for our meal, which I thought was excessive.


A final feature of the eatery is the organic sodas and juices that are available. I had a ginger-lime soda and my boyfriend had a delicious cup of fair-trade coffee. The eating quarters were small, but adequate, and I found the ambiance to be just the thing to warm me up on a cold winter coastal afternoon. I'll have to remember Mother’s Natural Grocery and Deli next time I'm in town. Two entrees, two soups and two desserts $26.00 (including 15% gratuity) Three happy MongoThumbs!




Reviewed by Krab March 2008
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