Barese Italian Deli has only been open a few weeks, but it has already garnered the attention of residents for its homemade Italian dishes.

“We sold two weeks’ worth of food in only four hours on Saturday,” said owner Dan Dreisbach. “We had to send people out to get more food.
“It was an exhausting, fantastic day.”

It is the first foray into restaurant ownership for Dreisbach and his wife, Laura, who have lived in Bartlett for seven years. They said they opened the deli because there really isn’t any competition in the area that offers fresh hot and cold food.

“We’ve just always enjoyed food,” said Laura, whose family is from Italy. “Growing up, we lived in the city, and went to all the Italian delis.

“When we moved to Bartlett, we thought ‘Why not bring some of that here and see what people think?’”

Laura said the food, ranging from meatball sandwiches and Italian sausage to breaded pork tenderloin, is the same food she and her family have always made, it’s just in larger quantities.

“Everything’s been selling really well,” said Dan, who is a full-time Cicero firefighter. “The breaded pork tenderloin is just flying out the door, and so are the subs.”

The restaurant is in the Bartlett Village Center on Main Street. The space was built specifically for the restaurant.

The Dreisbachs are very happy with how things are going and just want people to know that they don’t make fast food.

“The restaurant’s doing very well. We knew we’d be busy, maybe not as busy as this, but we’re thrilled,” said Dan, noting catering orders have already started rolling in from Bartlett police. “The main thing people need to remember is, this is fresh food.

“Everything we send out is made by hand. It may take a little while longer, but it tastes a whole lot better.”

Laura agreed, saying, “It’s hard to please everybody; the wait may be a little long, but it’s worth it. We just hope people are willing to wait.”