The stars I've given are for the food only as every other aspect of this deli is disgusting and disappointing. Though it's a local legend, I will never eat there again.
Parking is scarce, which doesn't bother me. Because of this, we parked behind the building. In order to enter, we had to walk past the kitchen door. The ground was filthy, covered in grease and garbage and cigarette butts, and smelled disgusting. It cannot be hard to power wash once a week, ensure garbage is disposed of properly, and provide employees with a receptacle for their cigarette butts.
When we entered, it was clear the place is a dive. It is dark, cluttered, and crowded. I don't mind this so much. The sign said to seat ourselves, so we chose a seat back by the beer wall. The first employee we saw was a short, older woman with a permanent scowl and a large, open wound on the right side of her face near the jawline. If the woman were opposed to wearing makeup, she really needed to cover the wound with a bandaid...especially since she repeatedly picked at it during our visit. She approached our table and dumped the remainder of a bag of generic chips in a basket on our table. These were the very bottom, leftover pieces that are hard to eat.
She stood about three feet from our table for our entire stay, which was much of the reason why our visit was terrible. She kept her personal belongings and a can of soda on the shelf along the wall with the chips, to go containers, and bus tub. The bus tub situation was especially unsanitary. All the dirty dishes went in a tub and the garbage was scraped into a small bucket. It filled frequently and was dumped in a trash can nearby, while additional dishes and garbage sat on the wall. I know space is at a premium, but tables should be bussed into the kitchen or at a proper bussing station. The bus girl never washed her hands and touched the baskets, wax paper in the baskets, and bags of chips with the same hands she used to carry dirty dishes and cups and to pick at her face. She needs gloves.
We were very near the kitchen entrance and were able to see the employees carry food out from the kitchen. The first employee wore gloves, but no one else did. Because they hand carry, plates were often stacked on top of each other, cradled in elbows, held close to the body, and even had fingers up on or in the food. One server had her thumb in the salad she was running. These same people took orders, used a computer to place orders, and touched all surfaces in the restaurant without washing their hands or wearing gloves. This is incredibly unsanitary.
I did see one woman handling the bread and wearing gloves, but the same man who rang out customers and handled money also handled dishes and ran food. Gloves or trays would solve this problem.
The decor was old and used. The carpet worn, the table clothes torn. Not one employee was friendly to us. They all did their jobs pretty efficiently, but without any added niceties. I don't necessarily mind brusque service, if it's paired with a clean restaurant. This restaurant was filthy and their food handling practices leave a lot to be desired. The food definitely stood up to the reputation, but I won't return. read more