Panzer's Delicatessen

Why is it significant?

Panzer’s Delicatessen on Circus Road in St John’s Wood, London, is a historic food store founded in 1944 famous for its hand-carved Scottish smoked salmon. Established by European refugees Mr. Panzer and Walter Vogl, it provided traditional Jewish foods like challah and bagels. Local resident David Josephs later restored the venue, which remains popular among notable locals including Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi.

Key Facts

What to look for?

• Refugees Mr. Panzer and Walter Vogl opened Panzer’s Delicatessen in London in 1944 to serve European specialties.
• Master carvers at Panzer’s Delicatessen hand-slice Scottish smoked salmon so thinly that paper can be read through it.
• Local resident David Josephs saved Panzer’s Delicatessen in the early twenty-first century and restored its 1940s Austrian decor.
• Pop star Harry Styles once spent three thousand pounds on sea bass at Panzer’s Delicatessen for a friend.

Photo: Google

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Who founded Panzer's Delicatessen in London in 1944?

Step under the signature green awning on Circus Road, and the scent of freshly baked bread and rich, cured fish instantly pulls you inside. This is Panzer’s Delicatessen, a legendary culinary sanctuary that has fed North London for over eight decades. Its story begins in the shadowed days of nineteen forty-four. Two men who had fled Nazi-occupied Europe, Mr. Panzer from Austria and Walter Vogl from Czechoslovakia, joined forces to open a small grocery shop. In a city weary from war, Panzer’s quickly grew into much more than a market. For the growing Jewish refugee community in St John’s Wood, it offered the comforting tastes of home: fluffy braided challah, warm bagels, and traditional cured meats. What truly transformed Panzer’s into a world-famous food destination was its relentless obsession with Scottish smoked salmon. Behind the glass counter, master carvers still practice the rare art of hand slicing. There are no machines here. The slicer tilts a long, razor-sharp blade against the fish, carving translucent slices so thin you can practically read a newspaper through them. Regulars will even tell the craftsman whether they prefer the silkier, oilier cut closer to the skin, or the firmer, leaner cut from the top fillet. By the early twenty first century, as supermarkets threatened independent shops across London, Panzer’s faced an uncertain future. That was when David Josephs, a local resident whose grandfather had brought him here every Sunday as a child, bought the deli to ensure it would never close. He carefully restored the space, blending nineteen forties Austrian architectural details with custom terrazzo floor tiles tinted in pale salmon pink and deep leafy green. Today, you might stand in line behind food writer Nigella Lawson, chef Yotam Ottolenghi, or even pop star Harry Styles, who once famously bought three thousand pounds worth of sea bass here to send to a friend! Yet despite the celebrity glamour, Panzer’s remains deeply true to its refugee roots, a vibrant neighbourhood spot where tradition is carved by hand every single morning.