Spitbraai meals are a highlight of this Pretoria deli's menu

Fast food is quick and greasy? Not according to this Pretoria market stall turned deli. They are committed to serving delicious, healthy fast food in their sibling-run restaurant

The Smaak Deli and Takeout Restaurant in 16th Street, Hazelwood, has done market food stalls across Pretoria proud graduating successfully from serving market meals to launching its first restaurant.

The restaurant opened late last year and is run by siblings Chani and Dylan Maré together with Mariette Maré, Dylan's wife – the same team that run Dough Catering, a catering company and stall, which regularly features at markets across Pretoria.

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Smaak Deli and Takeout Restaurant is uniquely different as spitbraai meals are served. The restaurant was developed because the Marés wanted to make their dishes available to the public daily.

Mariette says their passion for cooking started after years of travelling the Carribean Islands, the Meditteranean, Italy, Spain and France, where they absorbed culinary information about cultures and flavours.

“We started Dough Catering when Dylan made our first spitbraai in 2010 and focused mainly on creating lamb spitbraai meals at venues across Gauteng. Through Smaak Deli and Takeout Restaurant we are now able to showcase the meals we have been creating for the past five years,” says Mariette.

The area the restaurant occupies was previously an office which the Marés renovated into a restaurant, building in counters and their own trendy homemade furniture. The menu offers a variety of popular spitbraai meals including the lamb pita filled with lamb from their slow-cooking spitbraai, roma tomatoes, red onions, homemade aioli and herb oil.

Try the sandwiches made with wood-fired-oven-baked ciabatta, or seed loaf with toppings such as Parma ham and brie, green figs with rocket. If you feel like being creative, build a box of their local award-winning cheese and charcuterie selection which includes Parma ham, cervelat, chorizo and wood-fire-oven-baked bread.

They also have a family frozen meal range including shredded BBQ pork shoulder pie and lasagne as well as family meals made fresh to order. For dessert choose from the daily selection of sweet baked goodies such as cronut pops or mini cheese cakes. Wash it all down with a cappuccino, fresh fruit juice, ice-cold craft beer or glass of wine.

“We want to prove that fast food can be healthy and provide convenient quick, wholesome meals made fresh to order every day. Smaak Deli and Takeout Restaurant is also available to hire for functions and we can custom design menus with fresh ingredients especially for you,” says Mariette. Call 012-346-0342.

This article was originally published in one of the Sunday Times Neighbourhood: Property and Lifestyle guides. Visit yourneighbourhood.co.za, like YourNeighbourhoodZA on Facebook and follow YourHoodZA on Twitter.