The Salamon family store in Rohrbach, Austria with Wally and his 2 brothers sitting on the steps with their mother.

The story begins in the small village of Rohrbach, near Vienna, Austria, where Ignatz Salamon, grandfather of the present owner ran a small general store.

Ignatz was a Polish-born Jew and with the Nazis advancing through Europe in 1939, he decided to move to the UK with his wife and 3 small children. Walter Salamon, who would later become the founder of Wally's Delicatessen, was just 3 years old at that time.

With a wife and family to support and very little savings, it was difficult for Ignatz at first, but he managed to find a job in a factory where he worked for 8 years during which time he was able to accumulate a little capital and also learn a new language. Then in 1947, he decided to open a Delicatessen in Bridge Street in Cardiff, where the John Lewis store now stands.

Ignatz, (also known as Ivor to his Welsh friends) had the benefit of his experience of running a general store in his native Poland and in Austria and this was to prove valuable to him in his new venture.

Responding to the needs of the immigrant community from eastern Europe, the shop soon started selling and specialising in Polish cooked meats and pickles, Hungarian salamis, German hams and sausages and European-style bread. The shop rapidly established a reputation for it's European products, many of which were obtained from London-based importers and had never before been seen in this part of the country. The shop was a constant hub of activity, and a meeting place for it's customers who would converse with each other and with the staff in a variety of languages. This is still the case today!

Interior Shot of Bridge Street Shop

After a few years Walter (Wally) and his brother Otto joined their father in the family business. Both brothers were teenagers at that time and had left school with no formal qualifications. Wally and Otto worked with their father until Ignatz died in 1963.

Current owner, Steven Salamon takes up the story:

"When my father and his brother took over the business from their father in 1963, he had the words 'Continental Delicatessen' painted on the shop front in letters that started small and got bigger and bigger. It looked fantastic. In those days, nothing he was selling was available in supermarkets. Panettone was imported from Italy and Stollen from Germany long before anyone here knew what they were!"

 The original shop in Bridge Street, Cardiff

As time passed and the South Wales continental community developed, the product range grew to include Italian and Spanish cheeses, hams and salamis, French charcuterie, Greek olives, olive oils and many more continental products.

The brothers worked together and the business went from strength to strength. In the 1970's the healthy eating craze kicked in which led to an increase in demand for muesli and other high fibre fruit and vegetables. As Steven explains "We developed, in conjunction with local suppliers, a whole range of cereals developed to our own recipes. which we are still selling despite many being plagiarised by those who take our recipe, add to it and then sell it as their product. And the same applies to our fruit and nut mixes, many of which are my father's original recipes."

In 1981, the shop was compulsorily purchased when Cardiff City Council decided to redevelop the Bridge Street area. It's place was taken by Toys-R-Us, the National Ice Rink and a multi-story car park.

At this point, the Salamon brothers went their separate ways, with Wally opting to open a delicatessen in the Royal Arcade while his brother decided on Caroline Street.

Wally Salamon decided to name his delicatessen Wally's Delicatessen, because he considered it an old-fashioned virtue that shopkeepers named their shop after themselves. The core business continued to be health foods and continental meats - though now with more Italian and Spanish varieties joining the German and eastern European cuts, and there was a new emphasis on oriental foods and spices.

Wally's son, Steven, joined the business in 1993 after first having qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He had worked at the UK's largest firm of accountants in London and then at an investment bank in Cardiff, before deciding that he really wanted to continue the traditions that his grandfather had laid down.

Steven became the owner of Wally's Delicatessen in 1995 and Steven and his father continued working together until Wally's death in 2008. Wally had worked in the family business all his working life and is still sorely missed by all his friends, relatives and staff. 

Walter (Wally) Salamon (1936 - 2008)

There are 3 members of staff who have been with Wally's Delicatessen since it started out in 1981. In fact, the shop manager, David Pike, first started working for Wally in the former shop in Bridge Street as a 14 year old on Saturdays. David went full time at age 16 and he is still at Wally's Delicatessen now in his early fifties! David's wife, Tricia, also started in 1981, as did Assistant Manager, David Richards, who started at the same age.

In June 2009, a new extension to the store was opened following the acquisition of adjoining premises. The extra floor space more than doubled the sales area. The extension was fitted out to the highest standards and was designed to provide a modern version of the original Wally's Delicatessen, whilst still maintaining it's special charm and character. The extra space has enabled Wally's to venture into many product areas that previously they did not have the room for. There is now an enlarged delicatessen counter, a 3 metre long walkaround Olive bar, a new Wines department, a take-away lunchtime food offering, Italian Gelati, loose teas and coffees and a range of store-baked artisan breads.

Another important benefit of the expansion is that customers now have more space to browse and there are bigger and better displays of products.

Wally's Delicatessen aims to continue to offer it's customers a unique shopping experience by combining their considerable experience and knowledge of the industry with a warm welcome and good old-fashioned personal service. You can be sure that Steven and his staff will be happy to assist you with any enquiries you may have.

Wally's Delicatessen owner, Steven Salamon and Shop Manager, David Pike