Liebman's Deli

Today, April 22, 2023, I took a three hour schlep from South Brooklyn to Riverdale up in da Bronx to Liebman's Kosher Delicatessen & Restaurant at 552 W 235th St, Bronx, NY 10463. Now I have a soft spot for this place, because my aunt Joan and Uncle Bill z"l lived a couple of blocks away and had Liebman's cater all their simchas. Sadly, they've been gone for over 15 years, so it's been a while. I arrived at Liebman's around noon, having left home around 9am and I was hungry. The first thing I noticed is that the place had had a facelift and that it was a lot brighter and cheerful than it had been in the past. Being the last day for the Riverdale Restaurant Week Special, I went for it, ordering a Pastrami on rye, full sour pickles, a square knish and a Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray from my friendly and attentive waiter for the unbelievable price of only $20. By the time I got back from the sparkling clean rest room, everything was laid out at my table and I was ready to feast! The generous standard (as opposed to the overstuffed which would have been $5 extra and worth every penny) 12 oz. of pastrami was machine sliced, but thicker than Sarge's and Pastrami Queen. It was glistening with fat, had a nice crust of spices and a noticeable smoke ring. It was beautifully tender and juicy, nicely smoky and had just the perfect amount of salt. It was the best Kosher pastrami I've had in NYC, and I'd rank it just under Katz's pastrami for flavor and tenderness; definitely worth the trip. The Cole slaw was shaved thin, but retained it's crispiness. It was some of the freshest and tastiest I've had in a while. The pickles, while being juicy and garlicky, were nice and crispy, not mushy like pickles in a lot of places. They made a wonderful palate cleanser in-between bites of sandwich and sips of Cel-Ray. When, not if, I return, I'm going to try the overstuffed version, which at $26.99 is still a bargain for an overstuffed Kosher pastrami sandwich. In my humble opinion, Liebman's Kosher Delicatessen & Restaurant is worth the trip!

I ordered from this place frequently through Uber Eats. The food is usually good and it’s my favorite Matzo Ball soup. Imagine my surprise when I ordered my usual soup and the kreplach on the side had a ROACH in the package. This is unacceptable and wouldn’t recommend anyone orders from here again. Clearly quality checking isn’t being done at this establishment.