On The Side Books

This was my first Jewish dining experience, and it did not disappoint. I sampled food from my friends, and everything was delicious. I had 1/2 a chicken salad sandwich and fries. The coleslaw was fresh, crisp, and the best I've ever had.

+1

Bill Yu

Their pastrami is still one of the best, almost on par with Katz. But the ambiance is way superior to Katz so the dining experience is better. The sandwiches we ordered were: pastrami, corned beef and lox. For the lox we were given tofu based cream cheese (Jewish dietary law forbids mixing meat and dairy for a meal) which was just as good as regular cream cheese. Next time the tongue sandwich.

+7

emre biyikli

It is relatively easier to find a seat at the 4 chair bar if you are a single person party. Pickles and some sort of veggies are served upfront, which was very fresh and tasty. You can a whole sandwich or half sandwich with either soup or fries. The sandwich is many layers of meat between two thin layers of sandwich bread. The meat is good and tasty. But I don't think that it is as good as Katz. They accept credit cards.

Leon Lin

Good taste, average price for this food type, average portions. For what they do, they do it well. Got the pastrami to go. There's a good amount of pastrami in the sandwich, but it is a ~25 dollar sandwich. Understandably pastrami is expensive though. Taste was good, tender, well seasoned, flavorful, both with the sauce and without. Would eat more often if not for the cost.

Brooklyn Neil

I had eaten at their original location many years ago and returned with a friend a few weeks ago to find that not much (except the prices and location). What can I say, they have always been a solid choice for corn beef, pastrami and other deli meats. I ordered a chopped liver sandwich on rye. The flavor was good but the chopped liver at Sarge's (which contains egg) has a better consistency. Service was not overly friendly but they were and usually are quite busy. I suggest you go at an off hour. They will still be busy but you may feel a little less rushed and crowded in.

Kendrick Khoe

Jewish people who come here tends to rave about it. People rave about the matzo ball soup. The matzo ball soup style was made to be buttery soft. The chicken broth was on the bland side, but still decent. I did enjoy it. The pastrami was on the a bit too salty side. I tend to like fattier cuts. I will ask for it next time. Mine was very lean as most Americans will want that. The price is high. Close to $40 for a meal. I guess it is NYC and Jewish deli will generally charge that much.

+8

Sameet Sapra

Classic old school deli, I thought the pastrami was thinly sliced but not as fatty as I remember Katz to be. But the service, ambiance, bread, and free pickles and sugar cookie all made for a pretty enjoyable experience. They were pretty busy for a 2 pm but we got seated immediately.

+3

Simon Moris

Classic kosher deli and smart restaurant space. My server was very nice, but the French guy on the next table had a very brusque server who came across as quite rude. I actually had to step in to explain something on the menu for him which the server didn't seem to want to take the time for. Soup and half sandwich is a great deal and was plenty for lunch. Matzo ball soup was excellent and I enjoyed the pastrami although it was not very hot. Great value and a fun experience, at least for me maybe not for my neighbour. Manager/owner (?) also very nice, taking the time to ask if i enjoyed my meal.

+2

Mary Naughton

While this is a lovely place, I would try to order something different next time. I heard they were known for their matzoh ball soup but this was so watery, it’s not even close to most of what other places offer in the city like Park East Kosher, and nothing will ever compare with Carnegie Deli, so sorry to have lost that icon year ago. Come here and order something other than the soup, it was as if they dipped a chicken in for a minute and threw it out, no chicken flavor at all.

Brandon Woodard

This may have been my worst meal in New York. Bland doesn’t even begin to cover it. The pastrami was good, but literally every other item my party ordered was incredibly under seasoned. I can’t figure out if I went on an off night because the other reviews mention how good the food was. This was not my experience at all. Service was also non-existent. They took our order and brought the check. Nothing in between. I wouldn’t return to this place. The premium price point is a joke for what you get.