Sandwiches, scrolls and Seoul-inspired flavours – Janus Deli comes to Slacks Creek
Gold Coast-born Janus Deli has opened its biggest location yet in Slacks Creek, marking a bold step north for the Korean-inspired sandwich slinger. Housed in a converted warehouse, the new venue doubles as a deli and central production hub, serving up subs, scrolls and spicy fried chicken. Get the scoop!
Those unfamiliar with Roman mythology might find Janus (the Roman god of beginnings and endings, transitions and passages) an odd choice to name a sandwich joint, but dig a little deeper into the background of this Gold Coast deli and things quickly start to make more sense.
You see, Janus Deli began from an ending. Before COVID, doughnut-slinging franchise D Point Ten was once a prominent fixture of Gold Coast’s sweet-treat scene. The brainchild of two chefs, Dean and Ryan, had a number of outlets all along the coast, but the pandemic forced a number of locations to close in rapid succession.
Looking for a way to make ends meet once again, Dean and Ryan went back to the drawing board, brainstorming a new concept that could entice a broader consumer base.
“A lot of our regular customers said to us, ‘We love your coffee, we love your vibe and we love your people – but we can’t just have donuts every day. Why don’t you sell simple toasties?’” recalls Dean. “Myself and Ryan, we’re both chefs, so we just decided to do what we do best.”
Drawing upon their Korean heritage, and inspired by America’s rich deli lineage, the duo founded Janus Deli in October 2023, first opening in Molendinar and following up with another location in Surfers Paradise soon after.
Propelled by the desire to create ‘happy moments for all’, Dean and Ryan devised a menu that blended Korean and American flavours, with gourmet doughnuts and Paradox Coffee Roasters coffee sweetening the deal. Janus Deli quickly became a hit and it didn’t take long for Dean and Ryan to turn their attention northward.
This week, Janus Deli cut the ribbon on a brand-new location in Slacks Creek. Tucked away in the heart of a light-industrial precinct not far from the M1, the outlet doubles as a deli and production hub, designed especially to cater for demand and also prepare for further growth in Brisbane.
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“We’ve always wanted to expand to Brisbane,” Dean tells us. “That’s why we wanted to have a central location and why we chose Slacks Creek – it’s almost right in the middle of Brisbane City and the Gold Coast.”
Janus Deli Slacks Creek is the team’s largest location to date. A cavernous warehouse has been converted to accommodate a service counter, a production kitchen and a spacious regular kitchen. Seating for approximately 80 guests is spread across the venue, including a quieter upper-level hideaway removed from the bustle of the deli’s buzzing nexus. The crew has leaned into the site’s gritty industrial aesthetic, adding colour via graffiti and wall neons.
But it’s Janus Deli’s menu that will likely draw the attention of visitors. Behind the counter, images of the venue’s sandwiches give glimpses of what’s in store, while a cabinet filled with sweet items makes for tempting additions.
The local starting point is the sandwich selection, which is divided into toasted and hot sandwiches, and fresh sandwiches. Those after a taste of Janus’ Korean influence should look to The Seoul Sub – filled with Korean galbi meatballs, galbi sauce, poached egg, jalapeno, mayo and mozzarella – and the Janus Deli Delight, which takes the quintessential deli sanger (mortadella, leg ham, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato and red onion) and tweaks it with a liberal lashing of kiwi yoghurt dressing.
“[The dressing] is really popular in Korea,” Dean tells us. “Maybe some people don’t like it because it’s a little bit sweet, but it actually points us out. This is our style.”
Other highlights of the menu include toasties like the Moo-licious (corned beef, sauerkraut, pickles, Swiss cheese and Janus sauce), the Truffy Mushy (truffle mushroom, provolone, mozzarella and truffle mayo) and the Chicken Donut Sanga, which crams fried chicken thigh, poached egg and Sriracha mayo between a vanilla-glazed doughnut.
Janus Deli also serves five kinds of fried chicken (coated in the likes of garlic soy, Korean-style spicy and teriyaki mayo), dirty fries and sharing combos featuring a mixture of all of the above.
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As for the sweets, you’ll spy a selection of doughnuts – including Nutella-filled, Gaytime-, creme brulee and tiramisu-inspired varieties – plus cinnamon-coated crullers, and doughnut cookies.
The latest addition to the Janus line-up is a range of cinnamon scrolls, topped with flavours like blueberry, Biscoff, apple crumble and rich Dubai Chocolate.
“We make a lot of doughnuts, but doughnuts are fried – we want something baked,” says Dean. “I can’t really have two donuts at the same time, but I can have two scrolls.”
The scrolls are baked at Slacks Creek, with several trays sent to Janus Deli’s Molendinar store before then being distributed to Surfers Paradise. Janus Deli’s production kitchen is also employed to produce other bits and pieces for the Gold Coast stores.
While the Slacks Creek offering doesn’t currently differ from its coastal siblings, Dean isn’t ruling out some location-exclusive additions in the future.
“At the moment, we’re running the same menu,” Dean tells us. “But because this is the central kitchen, we can maybe have more fun here – try new menus or weekend specials and see how it goes.”
On the coffee front, Paradox’s Poker Face blend is on deck alongside specialty iced matcha, Mont Blancs, tiramisu lattes, milkshakes and lemonades – all of which pair sublimely with a sweet snack.
“I try to focus on matching with food and drinks,” Dean reveals. “That’s why our coffee is a little bit stronger and bitter than probably some other cafes, but it goes really well with our sweets.”
As Janus Deli continues its growth toward Brisbane (the team is planning to officially expand into the city next year), foodies are encouraged to get acquainted with what’s on offer – sambos, sweets and smiles.
“We put in a lot of effort and a lot of love,” says Dean. “ Our slogan is ‘Happy Moment for All’ – when our customers come to the shop, I want them to enjoy and be happy.”
Janus Deli Slacks Creek is open now – head to The Directory for more information.