What a food adventure today! I decided to get out of the apartment for the day and venture out to the Bronx to get myself a Jewish deli that I had heard about for a time. It was worth taking three (yes, that is right), THREE trains to get there from South Brooklyn. For those of you who are scoring at home, I took the F to Jay St, switched to the A, took the A to 168th St, switched to the 1, and then took the 1 to 231st St, where I took an Uber to the restaurant. Overall it took me about two hours to get there. Quite the schlepp I should say. Some people might argue that going two hours for a deli is insane. It is, but at the same time, it is about the adventure, not necessarily the food itself. The fun of getting there is what makes it great. All the train rides, going through Manhattan, just seeing all the people through your trip and passing by some beautiful views of the city. It made me all the more excited when I got to the restaurant, which is very much an old fashioned Jewish deli with only a handful of tables. Nothing crazy, but it was pretty busy for a Saturday lunch. That is a good sign if people are waiting for tables. I got in no issues. The food was actually pretty good! Not half bad for what I was thinking I was going to get. Their Matzo Ball soup might be some of the best in the city. It is hearty, and made as such that only the Bronx could serve it. Chunks of chicken, thick carrots, perfectly cooked noodles, and one matzo ball with great flavor. This is definitely one Matzo Ball worth getting. No messing around and it comes out hot. This is why I made the adventure. I also had to try the Pastrami, Corned Beef, and Tongue. All three meats are delicious. Melty in your mouth, mounds of it, terrific coleslaw to boot, a nice Russian Dressing, it was so good and so large that I had to take it to go to bring home for later. That way I will have part of my meal as a lunch, and then the next day have lunch as well. No complaints about that! As a side, I had to get some Kasha Varnishkas. A little bit heavy on the onion, but I was able to pick around it. The longing for this side was apparent because it also is delicious. It felt like the Jewish holidays all over again. This is something I cannot easily find, and yet this deli serves up a good one. Thumbs up for me. At the end of the meal, because why not, I got a noodle kugel. It is a nice portion, but I can pass on it for a future visit. It does not bring much to the table and comes in fairly hot. I should have gotten a cookie, but I can get those at a bakery in Brooklyn. There is not much to be missed for dessert. Going home was even more of an adventure. This time, I walked to the nearby (about 20 minute walk) Metro North station, Marble Hill (right on the water and plenty of railfanning action). It is about a 25 minute train ride to Grand Central, where I switched to the 4 train, took the 4 train to Atlantic Ave, switched to the N, ultimately taking the N train home. By the time I got home, I needed a nap. Between the travel and the good food, I needed one. Quite the adventure, quite worth the experience.
Wonderful service! This was also the absolute best food I've had in all of the Bronx!
The pastrami, corn beef sandwhich was amazing. Im usually not a fan of corn beef but definetely recommend to try it. Would love to come back
I thought Liebman's was pretty good. Now that I've tried the big 3 Deli's in NYC,for Pastrami on rye I can compare. This is a very good sandwich, I got it over stuffed for an extra $5 $30 total. I can eat a lot ,and could only eat half at a time. The famous fries for $10 nah they aren't worth $10 maybe $3. Of the 3 this is the hardest one to get to unless you have a car. This wasn't the best tasting of the 3, but it was the best when it came to friendly service. This is more of a local place, unlike the other 2. I highly recommend trying it especially if you have a car it's way up in the Bronx. If you are wanting the best tasting, very long lines, super touristy this isnt the one. I'm happy I tried it but......
The corn beef and pastrami off the chain. I always get my sandwich to go and never disappointed
I thought the Patrami and Matzah Ball Soup were both really good. As were the fries. Ample pickles and coleslaw. The pastrami was very expensive but that's sort of how these types of places are. There does appear to be an arbitrage opportunity on the half soup and sandwich. The decor is cool.
We Just finished eating our delivered meal. 1/2 sour pickles, matzo ball soup, huge potato knish, Pastrami, corned beef, cole slaw, rye bread, mustard & chocolate rugellah. Everything was just ok. The potato knish was huge but had no flavor. The Matzo ball was nice & soft but lacked flavor as did the soup. The rye bread was very fresh. The pastrami & corned beef was just adequate; not quite what i'm used to. The best of everything were the half sour pickles- nice crunch & flavorful & the raspberry & chocolate rugalleh!! This is the first time we have purchased from Liebman's Kosher deli & yes we are a little disappointed. However everything came packaged perfectly keeping everything cold & some items frozen & delivered as promised. We decided to try this deli & compare it to the other very famous New York Deli. We'll be ordering from Houston St next time.
Such a cute deli with diner vibes seating. This is my first time at a Jewish deli and we were overwhelmed with choices. We had to wait a like bit for seats but that's because we went on a weekend and they were busy! Staff was super nice though and always came to check on us. We ordered the potato kugel and pastrami sandwich which came with pickles and coleslaw. Their coleslaw is THE BEST. I think about it everyday. It's perfectly sweet and tart and is so addicting. We ordered coleslaw to go just so we could eat more of it at home. I didn't care for the pickles because I like sweet pickles and they were salty pickles but they were super crunchy and refreshing. The potato kugel is very yummy, especially their tomatoe gravy. The gravy made us keep coming back to nibble on the kugel even though we were so full. The pastrami is great! It's not too salty and it's not excessively fatty either. It paired well with their mustard.
Shame on me for being born and raised in the Bronx but never trying Liebman's until just recently. Call it life, call it me growing up on the other side of the borough - however you slice it, Liebman's is somewhat of an institution and somehow missed my radar. Anyway, my parents had recently started ordering from here and had great things to say, so when I was over the other night they recommended this place for dinner, so off we went. Liebman's original and iconic location is in the Bronx, though they also opened a location in Westchester and ship some of their products nationwide. The menu offers everything one would expect from a Kosher Jewish deli - sandwiches, knishes, latkes, soups, etc. In addition to dining in, they have an expansive takeout menu and offer catering. As I get older, I'm finding that I'm eating deli food less and less - partly due to my tastes changing and for overall health; however, Liebman's serves up super fresh food and for that reason alone I was excited to try. After browsing the menu, I decided to get some mazo ball soup, a spinach knish, and a turkey sandwich with tomato and horseradish mayo (on rye, of course). Everything was delicious - the soup tasted super fresh and wasn't overly salty which I appreciated. The knish was great, I don't *love* knishes but the spinach was a welcome flavor and I didn't want to leave without trying one; it was so big I had to save some for later. The sandwich was great - they used fresh turkey (vs. cold-cut style) and it was SUPER stuffed. The tomato was a good complement, and that horseradish mayo really took it to another level. The sandwich came with a side of cole slaw (also good), as well as more horseradish mayo; there's too much meat for the amount they put in the sandwich so supplementation is needed. Overall, Liebman's is definitely a yes - the history, the offerings, and most importantly the quality really make this place top-drawer. It's definitely worth stopping by and I look forward to my next visit.
One of the last of a breed and how I wish it weren't. I can't say that the pastrami or knish were the best I've ever had, but they were the best I've had in a long time. The pastrami could have been more strongly spiced but it was warm and fatty and delicious. The kasha knish would have benefited from a little onion but it was clearly griddled and not microwaved. That's worth everything. Full and half sours and cole slaw on the table, just as it should be. The soup of the day, mushroom barley, is dairy restaurant style meaning no beef, but it was rather good. The deli looks like a deli, not hipster nor high-end. It's formica, fluorescent lights, and music from the 50's and 60's. Many of the customers are clearly regulars and are greeted like friends. The restaurant has been open since 1953 and I think the waiter has, too, but he was kind and brusquely efficient despite being busy. Oh, and the prices are high. Wanna know why? 1) The food is kosher. Kosher meat is expensive. 2) The sandwiches are large. Larger than many people really need. 3) For the amount you're paying, the value is there.