A South Floridian originally from New York, I really miss having a good Kosher Jewish deli nearby. The kind of place where you crunch on unlimited pickles while you browsing through the menu, deciding if you want a full meal (usually lots of meat and veggies in some very fattening sauce) or perhaps just matzoh ball soup and a sandwich. Of course in a real Jewish deli, the sandwiches are more like full meals, stuffed high with delicious hot pastrami, corned beef, turkey, or roast beef. Or, perhaps start out with a hot potato knish, followed by a platter of smoked fish. These are the delicious foods found in the typical Jewish deli.

Here in South Florida, we don't have too many of these delis around, and those that we do have aren't quite as good as those I remember from my NY childhood. Part of the difference is that the delis down here are typically not Kosher restaurants. The laws of keeping Kosher in the Jewish religion are very strict and very costly for a restaurant to maintain, resulting in much higher prices for the customer. Thus the delis down here tend to be what we call "Jewish-style". They serve many of the same items found in a Kosher deli, but the foods aren't actually Kosher, and the strict laws are not followed.

The Original Pastrami Club on University Drive in Lauderhill is one of these Jewish-style restaurants. Located in a strip shopping center, this restaurant is nothing to look at from the outside, and just as unappealing (looks-wise) on the inside. There's the counter where you can walk up to take food out, and a bunch of tight-spaced dark tables and booths with red chairs and benches. From the tables and booths, you can't help but over-hear the noise from the counter. You hear the people ordering, the servers weighing and slicing, the discussion about prices... You hear it all! Atmosphere-wise, this restaurant would only get a single star.

Service-wise, it does a lot better. We're always seated quickly, and a server will quickly bring you a plate of pickles. The plates vary in size, depending on how many are in your party. There are typically two very large sour garlic pickles, two dill pickles, and one sour tomato (cut into wedges) per person.

The menu is extensive.

Let's discuss the sandwiches

The meat sandwiches can be ordered small (5 oz.), medium (7 oz.), or large (10 oz.). The small sandwiches are $6-$7. Each increase in size raises the price by $2. Of course the bread is the same no matter what size you order. The sizes refer to how much meat there is. Medium is prefect for me. 7 oz. of meat is a LOT. All of the sandwiches come on your choice of bread, with potato salad or cole slaw. You can add fries for $1.25, cheese for 75 cents, and you can choose extra-lean meat for an extra 75 cents.

There are triple-decker sandwiches ($10-$12) that combine two or more meats among 3 slices of bread. These sandwiches contain a total of 10 oz. of meat and have cute Hebrew names, such as L'Chaim ("Life") which is corned beef and pastrami. The Mazel Tov ("Congratulations") is a make-your-own-combo with any two meats.

There are hot, open sandwiches (roast beef and turkey) and grilled sandwiches such as the Rueben, the Rachel, and the Turben. (Corned beef, pastrami, or turkey on grilled rye bread with sauerkraut and melted swiss cheese).

And then there are the salad sandwiches and wraps. They have egg, tuna, chicken, whitefish, and shrimp. Prices range from $6-$8. As the salads are truly heaped onto the bread - they're actually quite messy to eat!

I always get the corned beef and pastrami combination on seedless rye bread. That's one of the good things about this place - they carry seedless rye. A lot of restaurants do not. The sandwiches are always delicious - with plenty of flavorful, juicy meat. My husband prefers turkey and roast beef, and is always happy with his meal.

Onto the hot meals

You can start with an appetizer. Crispy fried Latkes (potato pancakes) are served with sour cream or applesauce. You can also have stuffed cabbage (stuffed with a sweet meat/rice mixture and covered with thick tomato sauce), baked or fried potato knish, onion rings, and blintzes (similar to a crepe, stuffed with cheese). All are reasonably priced (under $6). I've had the stuffed cabbage and it's delicious (and huge). I frequently take two home to make a meal for the next day.

Of course there's soup, too. Matzoh ball soup, chicken soup with vegetables and noodles, and a daily soup option. I always get the matzoh ball soup - it's simply delicious, with plenty of carrots, onions, and chunks of chicken.

As far as dinner entrees go, you can choose a la carte, or the full dinner. A la carte includes a vegetable and one side dish. A full dinner ($2 extra) adds a soup, a soda or coffee, and a dessert. For $2 the full dinner is well worth it!

There are many choices - here are just a few examples: roasted chicken with stuffing, stuffed cabbage, sautéed chicken livers, turkey off the frame, stuffed breast of veal, your choice deli platter, brisket platter, chicken cutlet, corned beef with cabbage, and broiled salmon. The full dinner prices range from $9-$16. Since I mostly come here for the sandwiches, the only dinner item I've had is the stuffed cabbage. It's delicious, and the portion is huge. I've seen plenty of other people order many other items, and they always look delicious. The other diners always appear to enjoy their meal!

Of course, this being South Florida, there's an early bird dinner special. Available from 3:00-5:00, Monday through Sunday, for $8.99 you get soup, an entrée (from a short list of options), a side dish, a vegetable, a dessert, and a beverage. Have I ever taken advantage of this deal? Nope! I don't eat dinner quite that early. But, I suppose, if I ever found myself hungry during those hours, it wouldn't be a bad deal!

I told you there would be smoked fish platters, too

No Jewish-style deli would be complete without offering smoked lox, whitefish, kippered salmon, sable, and pickled herring. In this case, it comes on the platter with a bagel, cream cheese, and salad. I've not ordered them, but these are very popular items ranging in price from $9 to $13.

What else?

In case you haven't found anything to eat yet, there are also hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, and omelets. I do believe everyone can find something they like here!

Overall, I like the food here. The sandwiches are delicious, and the prices are reasonable. But I don't come here very often, mostly because its atmosphere is so unappealing. It's certainly not the kind of place I'd bring guests from out of town! This is more like a place I'd go to, if I happen to be in the area, and want a quick lunch.


For a Jewish-style deli with a much more appealing atmosphere, give
Too Jays a try!


Recommended: No

Kid Friendliness: Yes