It’s lunch rush at the Liebchen Delicatessen, a German deli in the Overlake neighborhood.

“In the last few days we’ve had regulars but also quite a steady stream of new customers,” says co-owner Siobhan Donohue, pausing as the crowd tapers off.

Liebchen only recently reopened after a move from the Lake Hills Shopping Center, but a procession of customers, files in, picking through the shelves and ordering without once needing to glance at the menu.

“No matter how much everybody else moved, the deli was still there,” said Donohue.

Liebchen Delicatessen has been serving the Eastside for 41 years. Opened in 1971 by Lynne Rosenthal, the company built a loyal customer base in the Lake Hills neighborhood, serving European goods. The shelves are packed with everything from candies to pastries, spreads and crockery items. Encircling the front counter are cases of sausages, fine cheeses and pickled herring. Goulash, the soup of the day has already sold out and in the back, a batch of black bottom cupcakes cools.

“When I was a kid it was all American [businesses],” remembers Donohue of the city’s changing neighborhood and customer base. “But more recently [there] are all kinds of Asian foods and Persian grocers…The Lake Hills neighborhood has a big German neighborhood. A lot of the people that lived next to the deli  were from the old country and would come and chat for hours.”

Donohue can remember visiting as a child after relocating to the Eastside from Seattle. Her mother, Maria, quickly forged a friendship with Rosenthal and as a teenager Donohue began working for the neighborhood deli. When Rosenthal retired in 2010 — the mother-daughter pair took over operations.

“I know everybody’s kids and grandparents. One of the customers just had cataract surgery and I asked how she was doing,” says Donohue, recounting stories of regulars. “It’s very much a community. People get chatting with each other, sit down and have a cup of tea or coffee and linger.”

In winter of 2012 staff were informed they would have to vacate their home of 41 years as the demolition of the Lake Hills Shopping Center moved ahead. Scrambling but determined to keep their deli in business, Donohue and her mother looked to the Overlake neighborhood.

Donohue began making a list of the deli’s customers to inform them of the move. So beloved was the business, that she quickly found herself writing 500 plus postcards.

Donohue says she already feels they’re growing into the new space.

“We all helped build it,” she says, “Ripped up the carpet, painted the walls, helped lay tiles and so it feels like home.”

Liebchen is located at 14125 NE 20th Street, Suite G. For more information about their menu and hours, visit their website.