By Evan Pretzer
While Los Victors Mexican Food California Style just closed up, a more-experienced Wausau restaurant — Yummy Deli — has recently taken its place on the west side, at least for the next couple of years.
Since Dec. 19, the Yummy Deli has been operating at 1205 Merrill Ave. The Hmong eatery with items like sesame balls, steam rolls, and chicken fried rice has been in existence since 2021. It formerly called the Wausau World Market home. When a new owner took over this establishment after the previous one ran into financial difficulties and a dispute with city officials, Molly Her and her in-laws and husband opted to move. The group whose earliest days were in a food truck plans to occupy the location until an upcoming move to Rib Mountain.
Though it is stressful, Her says customers have stuck by them. The facility now is allowing people to come in with added convenience. Essentially, many customers are not too far away.
“A lot of people are quite excited,” she says. “Our customer base has been very supportive and loyal and has been following us everywhere we go. In this new place, we have been seeing a lot of people. They like the convenience, this is a smaller area and a lot of homes are nearby, too.”
Yummy Deli already making a splash
Area residents like Paokee Xiong have left them good reviews and say the pho Her describes as hearty is “quite delicious.” The praise is welcomed, but, at the same time, the organization is not operating at the previous capacity it had in the Wausau World Market.
Apart from the restaurant, the family also owns the Thao Oriental Store. The new space in Rib Mountain near Hu Hot is undergoing renovation, and they plan to move both The Oriental Store and the Deli into that location.
The shift has not been easy, but, for Her, Joua, and Pa Thao, it has made them better and with years of customer service under their belts, they cannot afford to play it safe anymore.
“As the business grows and grows well, you have to be willing to take risks,” Her says. “Our location by HuHot is going to be bigger and at first we were scared. So, go big or go home.”
The Yummy Deli is open from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Sunday and also features Hmong sausage you can buy in a large tray. Pre-orders for food must be placed at least 48 hours in advance, they offer multiple fish entrees and those wanting more information can find it on the Yummy Deli, LLC Facebook page or by calling 715-870-2442.
Evan J. Pretzer is a contributor to City Pages. He can be reached at [email protected].
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