department store basement food hall
Colloquial abbreviation of デパートの地下, referring to the food section typically located in the basement of a department store.
Let's buy some prepared dishes at the department store basement food hall and go home.
あのデパ地下はスイーツが充実している。
That department store's basement food hall has a great selection of sweets.
I bought some souvenir sweets at the department store basement food hall.
On the weekend, I went out looking forward to the gourmet food at the department store basement food hall.
My friend and I went around different department store basement food halls, trying various prepared dishes.
地下 is the generic word for 'basement/underground', whereas デパ地下 is a fixed colloquial term specifically for a department store's food floor.
Standard kanji-katakana spelling; the most common written form.
All-katakana spelling, often seen in casual or advertising contexts.
Abbreviation of デパート (department store) + 地下 (basement). The term became common as department stores began concentrating food sales in their basement floors.