New York-inspired deli opening soon downtown with a surprise special guest

A promising new deli will open soon at Museum of Glass with a surprise partnership that will mark a highly anticipated return to Tacoma.

Kyle Campisi is behind the cafe called Sliced, where he has curated a menu of eight house sandwiches and a few sides. The chef — whose resume includes several years with X Group Catering, Table 47 and Ocean 5 in Gig Harbor, and more recently his own Subtle Approach Catering — will infuse much-needed focus into a challenging space that has been a revolving door since 2020.

The surprise guest, which is still finalizing official paperwork, will also carry destination-worthy appeal. We’ll have more on it when it gets closer to opening.

The deli will debut at an unusual time for Museum of Glass, which just announced a $25 million renovation that will overhaul its entire gallery space and introduce a dedicated area for renowned Italian glass artist, Lino Tagliapietra. Some exhibitions will be displayed in the main hall while the gallery is under construction, anticipated to begin next month and wrap this fall, The News Tribune reported last week. The acclaimed Hot Shop, where dozens of glass artists hold residencies every year alongside an in-house team, will remain in full operation, as will the new Sliced.

The name and concept have been on Campisi’s mind since 2023 after his hope for a barbecue restaurant with his father fell through — but he didn’t know where it might land. The museum said goodbye to a short-lived coffee shop a few months ago, which had taken over from a grab-and-go-focused spot called La Finestra, which had replaced the fleeting Italian restaurant, Incalmo.

“I’d love to own a sandwich shop,” Campisi said in an interview last week. “I just think with this space, it has to be unique.”

He points to The Katz, the sandwich that gets first billing on the menu. Inspired by the towering pastrami and corned beef icons at Katz’s Delicatessen in New York City, Campisi is slicing up house corned beef, making classic deli-style mustard on site, and piling it onto untoasted rye bread. (You can choose to have the bread toasted, and you can “make it a Reuben.”) Due to the amount of meat, it will be available as a half or whole ($15/$28).

Other whole sandwiches hover around $14-$18.

The Genoan Rhapsody is the chef’s spin on a quintessential East Coast-style Italian hoagie with finocchiona (fennel-heavy salami), prosciutto, mortadella and provolone with tomatoes and slaw (in essence nicely chopped and dressed lettuce), all on a Grand Central baguette. A cheesesteak features house-shaved ribeye, grilled to order, with caramelized onions and Cooper Sharp American cheese.

The Don’t Go Bacon My Heart is Campisi’s “play on a BLT but not quite,” with “lots of crisp bacon,” heirloom tomatoes, sundried tomato aioli and shaved lettuce on toasted brioche from Macrina Bakery.

He has developed each sandwich with particular attention to the bread — most places order from just one of those wholesale bakeries.

“The most important part to the sandwich is the layering and what bread you are using,” said Campisi.

A jerk-style pork sandwich and chicken “a la vodka” will also be on a Grand Central baguette, while the Purple Submarine, a vegetarian eggplant situation, will be on a Macrina potato bun.

Sides include a Yukon gold potato salad with tons of dill, pickles and parsley; a fairly classic cavatappi pasta salad with kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, salami and mozzarella; and an asparagus-snap pea salad with romaine and a lemon-tarragon vinaigrette.

Also: matzo ball soup!

Downtown deli with delivery

Campisi’s second-in-command, Victor Mitchell, brings experience from Salamone’s Pizza, which some day they hope will translate to pizzas, too, whether here or in a second location.

They have also developed about six months’ worth of weekly or bi-weekly specials, said Campisi, who might also resurrect his brisket and pulled pork from time to time. Favorites might find a permanent spot on the menu.

In addition to serving museum guests, Sliced will lean into local delivery via DoorDash and Uber Eats, and Campisi hopes to find a foothold in work-lunch meetings and corporate events. That approach plays into his catering background — Subtle Approach has managed the hospitality at major fundraising events for the likes of Tacoma Art Museum, MultiCare and Red Hot at Museum of Glass. The chef was also familiar with the museum’s cafe space dating to the early 2010s when it was run by X Group as Choripan by Asado.

That connection made Campisi a great choice, said executive director Debbie Lenk in a statement.

“Having worked with Kyle and Subtle Approach Catering on many events in the past, it will be great to have him here in a more permanent capacity,” she said. “We are certain Sliced will not only enhance the visitor experience at our Museum, but for everyone along Thea Foss Waterway.”

Despite being equipped with a real commercial kitchen, one challenge that continues to plague the cafe for food businesses is, sigh, parking. There is a city-owned garage attached to the building, managed by Republic Parking, plus metered street spots on Dock Street. Customers might consider leaving the car on or near Pacific Avenue and walking across the Bridge of Glass. Campisi said he anticipates reimbursing the small garage parking fee for short visits with the purchase of two sandwiches.

Sliced will serve espresso drinks (no drip coffee) with housemade syrups, and let’s just say they will pair nicely with the goods of the special guest.

Sliced at Museum of Glass

• 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, slicedsandwiches.com
• Anticipated hours: Wednesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (expanded days/hours possible)
• Details: new sandwich shop with “NY deli vibes” and a special guest at MOG; target opening — April
• Follow instagram.com/slicedtacoma for updates

This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 5:15 AM.