Josie K’s Deli & Kitchen is a family affair through and through. April Potesta and her sister, Lindsay Morris, own the restaurant, which is named after one of their grandmothers.
“We wanted this all to be loosely based off of our family — our menus, our family recipes. We’re an Italian family so we have a whole bunch of grandmas with a whole bunch of different recipes. Grandma Josie created the biscotti recipe,” Potesta explains. Every sandwich ordered comes with chips and a biscotti. The “K” is in honor of their mother, Karen, who often helps out at the deli. Even sandwiches are named after family members. The Dagwood (turkey, ham, salami) was Morris’ favorite childhood sandwich while Potesta loved turkey, bacon and cheese — which she calls Piggy’s turkey after her childhood pig. Potesta says she was immersed in the food business from the beginning. Her parents owned an old-world deli in Sonora, California, when she was a kid.
Josie K’s also offers a breakfast burrito and bagels. The “Kitchen” part of the name covers the premade dinners available to take home.
“We serve homemade take-and-bake products. We have lasagnas, meatloaf, meatballs, garlic breads.” Potesta says it’s a place you could grab breakfast, lunch and dinner in one trip.
She says winning the Best of award was a surprise but credits the relationship with customers.
“I think the deli experience is gone. I think having that kind of old school artisan deli where you come in, people know your name, we cut everything fresh every single day…and we know our customers. They walk in. We know their sandwich. We know their name,” Potesta says. “So, people come in and if they don’t order their sandwich (the same way), we’ll question them like, ‘I thought you don’t like onions’ and they’re like ‘Oh yeah. I don’t like onions.’”
She says she works hard to keep prices affordable and has a staff that’s been with her for years.
“We have a very, very, very good team. Almost like a family,” Potesta says. “It’s just a good environment. It’s a fun team environment.”
Josie K’s also has an annex in the Legend Taproom in La Pine. The restaurant will celebrate its fifth anniversary in the Sunriver Business Park Aug. 16.
“We’re just really happy to be here and proud to support the community.”
Runner-Up: Cafe Sintra
Josie K’s Deli & Kitchen
Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm, Sat 9am-4pm
56870 Venture Ln. Ste. 106S, Bend
541-241-5177
josiek.com/
This article appears in Best of Central Oregon 2026 and the Source August 13, 2026.
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