I was feeling a little under the weather and decided chicken soup would be a great choice to lift my spirits. Well I left angry and dissatisfied. The prices here are outrageous for what you get. They had the option of ordering a bowl of soup, or a "big" bowl of soup, since it was to be my meal I opted for the $10 "big" bowl. My husband ordered the $18 Ruben which came with a small side of slaw, you had to pay $3 more to add fries. Mind you, this was lunchtime btw. My soup arrived first, and in no way was this a big bowl! It was a standard size bowl, rather on the small side and filled with soup that contained dry chewy chicken and stringy noodles, and I kid you not, it tasted exactly like Lipton instant chicken noodle soup! $10? Why kid everyone and have the menu say bowl or big bowl instead of cup or bowl? It left me pissed and feeling ripped. After my wanna be Lipton soup was brought out, my husband still waited nearly 5 minutes for his sandwich. Finally it came, and it was a very nice sandwich. But dang, at $18 it better be! I can't understand why people would pay these outrageous markups. We won't be going back. read more

We have gone to Milton's for several years and love it. But tonight we were outside with great service and a fabulous dinner of CORN BEEF AND CABBAGE. It was so well presented and very good. I just wanted to write in Yelp which I have never done before. We need to support out local restaurants. xxxooo Karolyn D. read more

Pretty much a highly sub par food experience. The raising of the prices over the past few years is fairly appalling and essentially prevents me from ever returning. The worst part is the temperament of the folks in charge makes me somewhat frightened to even complain. A long time ago I was a fan but those days are long gone. read more

Went to purchase some soup last night, and while I knew it would be overpriced, I didn't expect the woman I order from to be rude to me. It didn't seem that she remembered who the customer is. I simply asked for some bagel chips instead of bread and you should have seen the face I got and the explanation. I did call her out and she did apologized. Regarding the soup, for $16.50, definitely not worth it. No real chicken soup flavor. The matzah ball was good, but too many noodles and hardly any chicken, plus the chicken had very little flavor. Tasted liked some canned chicken and not real chicken. read more

Ok, so their pizzas are really good. However, they are a real pain in the ass with when these pizzas are available. Only one weekend a month, for only certain hours. I just tried to order one on their website and it failed to put the order through. So I called and was put on hold for 10 mins. When the girl answers, she tells me I needed to place a pizza order by 8pm...that was 10 mins ago when I called. Or if their website worked, I would have made it by their deadline. I love their pizzas, but I'm kinda done with this place. They tried to tell me to order other food, which I had planned to, but without the Chicago style pizza, it's pointless. I hate to complain, but this is not the first time I've been told that their pizzas weren't available. Great food, crappy availability. read more

One of the best Jewish Deli's we've ever been to in 40 yrs. Prices are reasonable and food tastes delicious. Open almost all the time, and amazing dessert selections from the deli. We come here 1-2x/week and bring the rest of the family every chance we get! Highly recommend. read more

Milton's is undoubtedly the best deli in San Diego. I've been going there since they opened. The food is the best! And the staff are very service-oriented. They seem to really care about the customers. I highly recommend it if you like deli. It is also very authentic. read more

Milton's Deli has the best food and service, LOVE there Ruben sandwich and I can not leave there restaurant with out purchasing there AMAZING PASTRY'S !!!! read more

If you want the best breakfast in town come to Milton's make sure you see Midnight you lucky to have her here

We wanted to try something different than what we usually order from Milton's to eat at home. We ordered their fried chicken dinner and boy did we stumble on something amazing! Thank goodness we only ordered 1 order as it was a huge meal, plenty for two. It was served with 4 pieces of chicken breasts cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and oh so juicy and tender on the inside! Mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob and coleslaw. If you like fried chicken, please try theirs! read more

I ordered the turkey club there was no one in the place took almost 15 minutes to receive my order when I ate the sandwich it was the most driest thing I've ever ate my entire life absolutely no flavor bread was as dense as a brick I couldn't eat it, so disappointed I thought the reviews would reveal a much better establishment I guess Yelp isn't always right. Plus it cost almost $24 for a sandwich and a drink. I will never come back. You should give me my money back what a waste read more

I so want to like this place. Great location and great menu. But the service is dismal, the prices are ridiculous, and the food has gone downhill since it was sold a few years ago. The new owners seem much more interested in getting their bread on grocery store shelves than in running a restaurant. read more

I walked in with my family and had to use the restroom. There was no toilet paper in my stall. This was so horrible. The bathroom was also dirty. On my way out I had to use the restroom so bad from all of the water I drank but I held it and just left. I couldn't go in that bathroom again. Our tuna sandwich was good, but everything else came soggy and just flavorless..... I thought this place was good but I didn't enjoy it. Maybe I'm just being picky. read more

Well is my first time to try this place I thought will be better and good but i have a bad experience coming here at Milton's the food is terrible no flavor how so ever the place is old me and my Wife we decide to try for the. First time I think was a terrible choice to come here the food is expensive for a food that the sandwiches and food is terrible they should shut down this place I will never come back not even for free I don't give any star I don't recommend to people to and try is other places better then Milton's everywhere this place is for people who don't know nothing about food read more

I ordered a poppy seed bagel with lox, cream cheese, tomotoes, onions, and capers. They charges me $10.50! What the f@*& is that about? Ridiculously overpriced for an average tasting small bagel. read more

Better than your favorite breakfast place by a mile. You come and eat the waffle and then you'll realize that you've wasted your time everywhere else read more

I knew there was a reason I've lived so close to this deli for 8 years & have never been until last week. Even with a coupon, it was $35 for lunch for 2! and NOT a very good lunch...why would I want to pay this much for a sandwich & cole slaw? I thought I was in heaven when I saw phosphates on the menu - I quickly ordered a cherry phosphate & sadly had to send it back. It didn't even come close to a real phosphate - way too carbonated, didn't taste like cherry & was just colored bright red. So sad & definitely will not be going back. I'd pass on this place unless you want an overpriced mediocre sandwich. read more

Milton's has an expansive menu including a few gluten free options. However, while Milton's has a gluten free menu (small) and gf bread, they do not have a very safe environment. In order to avoid cross-contamination, my bread had to be microwaved rather than toasted. That being said, I greatly enjoyed my "Milton Melt" and the microwaved gluten free bread was actually pretty delicious. The service is alright-- if a little slow. Overall, a nice sandwich experience, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there again unless I'm in Del Mar. read more

I'm not a huge fan. I've only been here twice and wouldn't choose to go back. There are some vegetarian options on the menu but nothing spectacular. The service is just okay. As everyone else has noted, the prices are way over the top. DZ Akins is soooo much better, and Elijah's in Del Mar is a little better. The food, atmosphere, and service do not even come close to justifying the prices. read more

Came here twice in one day. First I bought a simple sandwich that wasn't even close to some of our deli shops in San Diego for twice the price, ya it had plenty of turkey but that was the highlight. Second I ordered Matza ball soup to go and was surprised with chicken soup. Won't be back read more

Horrible service! Took forever to have someone take our order. Food was extremely bland, and when the soup came out it was cold. Our server was very nice and helped as much as she could. The lady behind the counter was rude to our server and very unhelpful, tried to buy something from the bakery from her (lady behind the counter) and kept getting told "I can't help you." We felt really bad for our server. read more

Amazing food and amazing service Lynn was super quick and attentive. The corned beef and hash browns as the best I've ever had. If you are in the area wrong with a quick breakfast at Milton's. read more

I have to give this place three stars because it seems to be kind of hit and miss. I have to give them props for friendly and helpful service, but really, doesn't it all come down to the food? I came here for brunch and thoroughly enjoyed my omelet with lox and onions with a side of home fried potatoes. My friend ordered one of their sandwiches and was just as disappointed as I was pleased. The sandwich was kind of boring and blah, especially for the price. It's kind of a toss up as to whether I will come back. read more

I lived in South Florida for 12 years and they have great deli's because of all the NY transplants. The only good deli I've found out here is DZ Akin's. after trying Milton's, it's still DZ Akin's. Why can't anyone out here make good corned beef? Just go to allrecipes.com and pick a 5-star recipe! I got half a corned beef sandwich and matzo ball soup and my bill with tip was $21!?! Let me repeat...HALF a sandwich and soup! Are you kidding me? That is just embarrassing. The bread on my sandwich was soooo soggy and the meat was extremely tough. I looked like a dog chewing on a bone trying to eat this thing! I ended up using a fork and knife. The soup was flavorless and they put these long strips of chicken in it that I had to cut with a knife. I ate soup with a knife and spoon! Save yourself some money and stop by Subway...trust me, you will get a better sandwich. I wish I would've looked this place up before I went. Just hoping I can help at least 1 other person from making the same mistake I did. :( And all the people trying to justify the price because of location...that's ridiculous! McDonald's is across the street and they're not charging $12 for a Big Mac. read more

Fresh ingredients and fat service. I love picking up a loaf kid bread on my way out. The eye bread is awesome!

This is the sixth time I have ordered delivery from them. This is also the 5th time they have not provided the correct mobile order for my family, given that one time they provided a false salad dressing for my family. There mobile delivery service is a joke because it is unlikely they will actually give you the food you ordered. Tonight I ordered a sandwich and only got a salad which I did not order. I like the food they provide but their delivery service is dog shit. read more

OVERPRICED!!!! DO NOT GO THERE! I ordered a turkey Ruben and a coke, the bill was $25.00!!!!! WTF! Total ripoff, will NEVER ever go there again. BYE-BYE Overpriced Miltons- thanks for ripping the locals off! I'm still pissed! read more

Oyvey what dreck, seriously i do not know whats worse the food the service or the parking? Eek! Methinks NOT Dz Akins it is still the only place in san diego for a great corned beef sandwhich. read more

Ladies and Gentlemen, First, having read other reviews, I believe a word to my non-Jewish friends who are unaccustomed to a $15 sandwich is in order: A pastrami sandwich with a half-pound or more of meat costs as much as a half-pound steak or a half-pound of ribs because there is a half pound or more of meat in it. And for those unfamiliar with the concept, there is one and only one correct recipe for a pastrami sandwich. It is: 1. Get a slice of fresh rye bread. 2. Put a half-pound or more of freshly-sliced hot pastrami on top of the rye bread. 3. Put another slice of rye bread on top of the pastrami. 4. Serve with mustard and cole slaw on the side. 5. Pickles are in another dish that was put on the table before you started ordering. 6. Enjoy with a Dr. Brown's black cherry, cream, or celery soda. It is a sandwich invented in New York, as tall as a sky-high New York building, at a sky-high New York price. I'm not saying I like paying $15, I'm just saying that's what it costs to make it. It's not what you eat every day for lunch, but a special treat that should be savored on special occasions such as bar mitzvahs, brisses, grandma and grandpa visiting, first dates, or late nights after the theater when you are incredibly hungry. You will pay the same price for a similar product at Langers, Canters, Katz's, the Carnegie, DZ Akins, Sherman's or Mahattan's in Palm Springs, and other fine establishments of their ilk. You might pay as low as $11-12 in equally good restaurants in markets such as Houston, Cleveland, or Henderson, Nevada, where rents are far below those in Del Mar. In the book "Save the Deli," the owner of Katz's on Houston St. in NYC said he would have to charge $45 for a pastrami sandwich if he didn't own the building and had to pay market rent for the space. Having read several other reviews of Milton's on Yelp, I perceive a dichotomy: Jewish customers who rate it highly, and non-Jewish customers whose reviews are either good or bad. It makes perfect sense, since Jewish customers most likely go to Milton's to order Jewish food, while other people (and the children and possibly parents of Jewish customers (the HORROR!) ) order pancakes and omelettes. For those in doubt, I assure you my J-dar is finely-tuned and I'm quite certain I can identify one of my fellow members of the tribe by their Yelp review. You're welcome. Now all that is off my chest, a confession: I haven't yet tried the pastrami. But I intend to in the future. I've seen it at other tables and it looked perfectly good to me. What I have eaten at Milton's are things I like even better than pastrami. For one, the smoked fish platter with whitefish and sable (about $32, plenty for sharing among 2 or 3 people). For those unfamiliar, you eat them on a bagel with cream cheese, tomato, cucumber, and onion, and it is divine, one of my very favorite things on planet Earth. The fish was excellent - very fresh, even more so than at some of my other favorite deli restaurants, and I was very happy. Also, the coffee is excellent. It's Farmer Brothers, perhaps my favorite brand of coffee. It is super-smooth, but not weak, and I could drink it all day. You don't see it so much anymore in restaurants now that everyone seems to think they should be serving that bitter over-roasted crap. They shouldn't. My father went for the Denver omelet in lieu of his standard lox, eggs, and onions (what gives, dad?) and seemed happy with it. "Denver" is something of a misnomer as it apparently does not contain pot. On another visit just 4 days later, the matzo ball soup, my benchmark for Jewish restaurants, was also excellent. It featured a 4" matzo ball, and pieces of chicken, carrot, and thin egg noodles in a delicious chicken broth. The matzo ball was the perfect balance between sinker and floater, which is no small feat. I would rate Miltons a 4.5 if that were possible. A few areas for improvement are warranted, but not enough to deduct a full star: - The bagels were good but probably should have been boiled a little longer to get that perfect chewiness. - My suggestion to management is to put the matzo ball soup in a larger bowl and add more broth. There was enough solid content in the soup, but I could have slurped more of the delicious broth, and would have been a little happier given the significant price tag of $8.95. But it was enough to for me to call a satisfying meal, and I am an eater. - Sell coffee cake. It's a Jewish bakery and they don't. What is that about? It was my birthday and I wanted some bad after brunch. I came here with a yelp deal but I will gladly come back and pay full retail. So, go and try it yourself. If it helps, the $15 sandwich is enough for sharing, for most people. read more

So overpriced! I don't mind spending $ for quality, great tasting food. Milton's was a huge disappointment! DZ Akins is much better. The food wasn't very good at all! Our bill was 65.00 for four basic sandwiches that non of us liked much. Basic sandwich was $12.99 with a small side of potato salad. We could have gotten much better for $6.00 at The Trolly Stop! The pasta salad was awful. My split pea soup was tasteless. My daughter ordered what she thought was a turkey sandwich, when it came it had no meat on it. I told the waitress & her answer was "that's what she ordered" She didn't even try to rectify the mistake and it wasn't a busy time in the restaurant. I feel like our lunch was a complete waist of money. We won't be going bake there read more

The good: They do have a large variety of choices on the menu. The pastries in the entry deli cases are good. Our waiter was efficient, helpful and polite. The atmosphere is excellent. The bad: The shrimp salad was a disappointment. Shrimp were bland and there was precious little avocado and bacon on the salad. Did not look like the picture and definitely not worth the price. The crab cake benedict is supposed to be served over a "bed of spinach." When it arrived, I said, "Where is the spinach?" I lifted up one of the crab cakes and found a few meager spinach leaves, hidden below. They were so small that none showed beyond the edges of the crab cake. There were, maybe three small bites of spinach on the entire plate. Given that spinach is pretty cheap, it seems stupid to aggravate customers by advertising that the entree is on a "bed of spinach" and then skimp so egregiously. The main thing that left a bad taste in our mouths was the bad attitude of the manager. Perhaps she was just having a bad day, but she was nasty and rude to us in a totally unnecessary way, even though we were friendly toward her. Yuk. This was our third visit, but I don't think we will go back. read more

We have written the following to what we believe are the owners of Milton's Deli... December 27, 2015 Barry Robbins and David Levy 2660 Via de la Valle in Del Mar San Diego, CA 92014 Dear Mr. Robbins and Mr. Levy, I feel compelled to write to you regarding an incident which occurred at your Deli on the evening of December 25th, 2015. I am writing to you mainly because I believe the staff at the time served you poorly. In addition, they have posted comments on Yelp which I am not sure that you are aware of. I find both situations very troubling. With regard to dinner on the 25th, my family had made reservations at the restaurant for 15 at 6:30PM. The staff at the time was aware of the reservations. They even called when only four of the party had arrived to make sure that all were coming. The staff asked the first member of the party to arrive; "How many the party was for." The individual stated that they were unsure but believed it was around 12. I note that they had just called the person that made the reservation and thus knew the exact #. The actual # was in fact 15. I do not believe that there was any dispute regarding the 15-person reservation. The result of this confusion was that our party was left "standing" around a table that had 3 fewer chairs than needed. We seated our elderly 80-year-old grandmother; my wife (who was accompanied by her service animal); and various children while we waited to see how the situation would be resolved. My expectation at this point, was that the waiter would state the seating arrangements had been messed up and ask a few of us to sit at a nearby table. This was the obvious resolution to the problem. Instead, the situation got quickly out of hand with the wait staff and night manager arguing that it was our fault. Ultimately, they decided that our family group was being rude and began to both verbally harass and attempt to physically remove (by pushing) several members of the party out of the restaurant. A good deal of the "escalation" occurred between the waiter and my cousins in Spanish. Thus I cannot speak to or comment on the actual words that were exchanged. I can only say that blaming the customer and then physically attempting to remove individuals from an establishment is guaranteed to escalate the situation. While I strongly objected to the service we were shown and the manner in which we were treated, I would not be writing to you had I not subsequently read the posting on Yelp for your restaurant. One Martin W. appears to speak for your restaurant on Yelp. I would strongly recommend that you reconsider the individuals position. The following are few of the responses that folks have posted which Martin W provided. Some were in response to the situation on 12/25 but others come from prior incidents. 12/22/15: Martin W: Please don't come back. 12/25/15: Martin W: As you saw we have a huge business. We've been open for 20 years in America. Do you think we got there by disrespecting customers? But you're group was headed by a bunch of assholes. You got what you deserved. You need to do some self introspection. Don't be a group of privileged pompous assholes. Do better for your kids. You don't want them to turn out like the stuck up jerkoffs their parents are. 12/25/12: " Get back from where you belong. Maybe you are a upty demanding bitch. You need to take your group of assholes and reevaluate your values. I love Mexican people, but your group gives them a bad name." - Martin W The first reply was in response to someone that felt the food was too expensive. This last reply is to a posting made by my cousin in reference to the aforementioned incident. Martin W. has no idea regarding the birth place of any of the family members. As to myself, I was born and raised in San Antonio. I am proudly of Mexican heritage even though I don't speak Spanish. I expect and demand less bigotry and better treatment of all individuals. Irrespective of the incident that occurred on 12/25/15, the written responses must be addressed. I would strongly recommend that you consider better training for your staff. I would certainly like to hear from you and what steps you have taken to rectify the situation. read more

I Love, love, love a good deli. I grew up on the east coast, lived in Manhattan while working for Goldman. I understand rude, I understand people that are not very intelligent. However, I cannot stand incompetence and the fact that a "worker" would treat this business the way she did. Okay the story: I called in soup, three half gallons - yep great stuff. However, when I show up to pick it up this "person" behind the counter looks at me like I am from mars. okay, give my name they look around and cannot find my order. I point to the bag behind and ask if that's it.....ooops. no big deal, while ringing this up I get 'tude like I ran over her foot on the 7 train......'tude continues and I wish her a good day. I get home, she turned my soup upside down on purpose. I call to complain. after asking for a mgr, she asks why, and I explain. She hangs up, when I call back she keeps hanging up.......nice! Happy bankruptcy........this person is probably one of the owner's charity cases to hire. read more

Food is great but service is worse than shitty. Was told my sandwich would include certain things after having to go in and order myself and it turns out the sandwich didn't include those things. Was served food without utensils has to wait another 10 min read more

Been a regular for years now. That's got to say something for this deli. i love the Reuben. Soups are good too, but inconsistent. Managers are friendly and the wait staff attentive but that is because I am demanding! read more

If there were a magical way to get food from Milton's, without actually having to go to Milton's, I'd give it a better rating. The food is mostly New-York deli style options: corned beef, pastrami, knish, matzoh ball soup, salads, lox and bagels, etc. It's ok, but pricy. My in-laws are from Long Island (LAAANGHHHH IIIIIIsland!) and they think it's ok as well. ("...Of course, not nearly as good as NY delis, because the bagels are better due to the water." Here's my problem with Milton's: they wouldn't serve old meat, then why do they have old meat serving the food? In other words, the wait staff is ancient, and service is slow and often surly! We had a waitress who was in her hard-ridden 60's with dyed red hair who was awful! Slow, unenthusiastic, and plodding. One family member only ordered soup for lunch. She brought the soup almost immediately, but then he finished his soup and sat... and sat... while we all waited for our lunches! A good waiter would think, "AHA! That man ordered soup in lieu of lunch, I'll bring it with the other lunch orders." But she was no good. Then, after we complained that the meal was taking so long, she brought back everyone's meals (complaint=meals?) and then left. She never checked back to see if we needed anything. Finally, we had to stop her to ask for a refill on my daughter's drink. She took the glass (with it's little straw and cover) and NEVER CAME BACK. We all finished the meal with no drink refills and no check on how things were going. When my mother-in-law mentioned that it would have been nice if the little girl had had her drink refilled, the slattern just mumbled, "Would you like a to-go cup?" Um. NO. We wanted a refill 20 minutes ago, when we asked for it. I understand when people have a bad day at work and are tired and don't want to be 'chatty', but this was poor waitressing all the way around that was based on lack of detail and service, not energy. So, in sum, Milton's has good food and old, unmotivated waitresses. They should let them go and hire some people who want to work and know how good restaurant service is given. The old gals need to be put out to pasture-- at the nearby Del Mar Fairgrounds. If you go, prepare to wait, and wait, and wait. Maybe takeout is the answer? read more

painfully over priced! the service was friendly, but the food is just not good. the matza egg thing was not cooked enough, the pastrami hot sandwich is extremely expensive and just average in taste. would d not come back and would not recommend to anyone!! also the place look old style and not updated but they still charge for the dishes way too much! read more

Second time ! Still lives up our 5 star rating . This time we came on Saturday it was crowd but we were seated right away . I had the shrimp Salad which was so good I could have that everyday for a meal .My husband had stuff cabbage he said it was delicious! Our son had italian beef sandwich he inhale it He said it was very good . We definely be back . read more

It's very hard for me to give any palce 5 stars, but how can I not when it comes to Milton's! I can understand people not used to the area and the prices that are customary for Del Mar, However Miltons prices are not too much higher than your negihborhood chain. The quality, quantity and freshness of food however is. If I can have something different, tastier and more of it for 10 - 15% more money, I will. True foodies can recognize the gem that is Milton's. You just cant go wrong here. read more

This restaurant is so outdated and dirty. Their menu is a little too overwhelming as well. There's just too many food choices. I asked our server what he recommended and I was disappointed in that he didn't know what to offer me (bad sign from the start). So I ordered a breakfast croissant and it was terrible. They just stuffed dinky sausages with the well done eggs inside a giant, hard croissant. I substituted my sides for mashed potatoes, and I don't know what was in there but I bit into something crunchy! I came to the restaurant with my husband and baby. They did not have a high chair for my daughter. I also had to change her in the bathroom and the changing area was GROSS and DIRTY. It still had poo stains!!! Further, how does a restaurant have a changing area but no high chair?! I will never come back here again. read more