"Oh God, I wish there was a Metro in Southwood. I got moved out there. I don't get to go anymore." Metro Deli owner Rob Bazemore told the Tallahassee Democrat that he kept hearing some version of that from downtown customers whose jobs had been moved out to Southwood.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, he gave them their Metro back. The deli's second location is now open at 3197 Merchants Row Blvd., Suite 130, in The Town Center at Southwood. The first location had nearly 24 years downtown before this one opened. Bazemore didn't come chasing a new set of customers. He followed the ones he already had, and that says something about how Southwood's Town Center fills up on a weekday.
The customers moved first
Bazemore told the Democrat he had looked for a second spot on and off for several years. Once the Southwood storefront opened up, it "made the most sense for us." His explanation was about who works nearby. "The people we've already been serving downtown, they moved a lot of state offices out there," he said, describing Southwood as a place with "just like endless space for state buildings."
He made the same point before the opening, in an August interview with Tallahassee Foodies: "Southwood just feels like the most natural place for Metro Deli to expand because of the similar concentration of people working in the area."
A downtown business that has spent two decades feeding people on a short lunch break looked at Merchants Row and saw the same kind of customer. Metro Deli opened downtown in 2002, and Bazemore has owned it since 2004, according to Florida Politics. He took it over while still a student at Florida State University. His wife, mother, brother, sister and nephew have all worked important roles in the business. Tallahassee Foodies described the downtown following as people who need quick food in the middle of a busy workday. The Southwood shop is betting that a second office district has grown up in the southeast part of town.
A deli that runs on workday hours
You can see the bet in the hours. Metro Deli Southwood is open 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. It's closed Sunday. The pre-opening plan reported by Tallahassee Foodies put weekday breakfast at 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., with lunch served from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
So the deli is busiest when people are at their desks. If you live in Southwood and want breakfast here, go on a weekday morning. On Saturday it doesn't open until late morning. If you're picking up sandwiches for a Sunday at Central Park, you'll need another plan.
The rest of Merchants Row runs on a different schedule, and lining the hours up shows how the block divides the day:
| Spot on Merchants Row | Address | Hours listed by the business |
|---|---|---|
| Metro Deli Southwood | 3197 Merchants Row Blvd., Ste. 130 | 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Mon–Fri; 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sat; closed Sun |
| El Jalisco | 3197 Merchants Row Blvd. | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun–Thu; 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri–Sat |
| Subway | 3196 Merchants Row Blvd. | 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon–Fri; 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Sat; 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun |
| Canopy Road Café | 3196 Merchants Row Blvd. | Check the café's site for current hours |
Sources: El Jalisco Southwood, Subway at 3196 Merchants Row, Canopy Road Café.
The Democrat named those three as the other food businesses around the new deli. Metro Deli adds a second breakfast-and-lunch counter to a block where, after 4 p.m., El Jalisco and Subway are the ones still open.
Same menu, plus one fall sandwich
Bazemore didn't build a separate Southwood menu. Tallahassee Foodies reported that the new location would serve the downtown breakfast and lunch menu, including:
- Brunswick stew every day
- A rotating soup alongside it
- Daily specials
- The cheeseburger wrap that the deli calls "world-famous"
The timing of the opening put a seasonal item on the board. The Democrat reported that Southwood customers got the fall "Harvest Turkey" right away. It's sliced fried turkey, lettuce, tomato, cranberry honey mustard and provolone on a croissant.
Downtown regulars will know how ordering works. You order at the front counter and move down an assembly line, choosing your sauces, vegetables, cheeses and sliced meats.
The room and the e-bikes
The Democrat described the Southwood shop as having the same New York-style feel as downtown, "just a little more polished and about 300 square feet larger." Rows of tables run along one side of the dining room. Leather booths line the other wall under big TVs, movie posters and sports memorabilia.
Delivery is what gives away the workday focus. Bazemore plans to hire a few more people so the Southwood shop can match downtown's pickup and delivery service. He's also adding e-bikes so breakfast and lunch orders get across town fast. On the Monday after the opening, the bikes were already parked outside the storefront. The location will also offer Metro Deli's full breakfast and lunch catering menu with free delivery. For an office near Merchants Row ordering for a morning meeting, that's a short trip.
The opening came a little later than first announced. In late August, Tallahassee Foodies said the deli expected to open in mid-September. The doors opened on Oct. 10.
What used to be in Suite 130
People who have been in the Town Center a while will remember this storefront by its color. Southwood Sweets, the ice cream and candy shop, opened there in May 2022. Tallahassee Foodies reported that it was a place for families to get treats and celebrate for nearly four years before it closed earlier in 2026. Tallahassee Foodies said the space was taken down to the floors and rebuilt with new seating, TVs and music.
The new tenant points the same way as the hours. The space used to sell ice cream and candy for family celebrations. It now sells something that stops at 4 p.m. and leans on weekday delivery.
Weekends on Merchants Row
Saturdays are the deli's short day. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. it's a lunch stop, which works for errands at the Town Center or a walk near the lake.
Sundays now belong to the Southwood Street Market. WCTV reported in March that the market returned in 2026 with more than 35 vendors. It also changed its schedule. It used to run on the second and fourth Sundays, and market coordinator Amanda Johnson said it would now run on the last Sunday of each month. At that pace, the next market should be Sunday, Oct. 25, followed by Nov. 29 and Dec. 27. Those dates follow from the monthly schedule and haven't been posted as specific events, so check the market's own channels before you go. A September market was listed for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3196 Merchants Row Blvd.
The deli is closed on market Sundays. Over a full week, Merchants Row splits like this. Metro Deli handles weekday breakfast and lunch for people who work nearby. The market fills one Sunday a month. El Jalisco and Subway stay open into the evening.
Getting there
Metro Deli Southwood is in Suite 130 at 3197 Merchants Row Blvd., the same street number El Jalisco lists. The Town Center itself uses the address 3196 Merchants Row Blvd., so you'll see both numbers on the block. The original downtown deli is at 104 S. Monroe St.
The pre-opening plan had weekday lunch ending at 3 p.m., an hour before the doors close, and on Saturdays the deli opens at 11 a.m. If seeing your neighborhood through the eyes of a business owner makes you wonder what your own Southwood home is worth, let's connect. Team With Titus can get you a free home valuation or set up a consultation, and I'll bring the same street-level detail to your numbers.
