Save the Deli, Revisited
In 2009, author David Sax explored the cultural significance of delis in his book, Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen. But in addition to celebrating these restaurants, Sax also described the dire situations many of them faced at the time. He writes, “In many cities delis simply no longer exist. In others, one or two holdouts are barely hanging on. Traditional products are disappearing from menus and shelves because they don’t fit into the bottom line. As have gone the Jews, so too have gone their nearby delis. So in many ways, this is a book about the Jewish experience, told via Jews’ most recognized contribution to the American table… The Jewish deli clearly has the ability to endure. But can it thrive, and how?”
Written in the aftermath of the Great Recession, the author visited famous establishments in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere around the world. Today, this chronicle serves as one measuring stick for a decade of economic disruption as well as the crushing pressures the pandemic has put on the restaurant industry. Reading through the book now, I honestly wondered if any of these cultural institutions made it through the last year, so I decided to do some digging to find out.
The results were mixed. Of the 113 delis most prominently featured in Sax’s book, 30 had permanently closed and 2 had temporarily closed as of November 2021. And while 2020 certainly showed the largest number of shuttered delis, the persistent issues affecting these businesses still align with those described in 2009. In places like New York and Toronto, skyrocketing rents were a big factor, causing a 50 percent loss over the last 10 years. Other places fared better, but in several instances, an unexpected maintenance expense could throw restaurants into a downward spiral that ended with them going out of business. And that attrition was gradual, but consistent, annually chipping away at one or two longstanding delis up to the present. Still, in spite of all these challenges, many have soldiered on and have managed to sustain themselves through perhaps the worst crisis of our lifetimes.
Below I breakdown the numbers by year and by location and I also include a full listing of what’s still open in case you’re getting hungry from all this reading. Beyond just analysis though, I wanted to underscore why this matters. In a world full of franchises, this is something different. Some of these delis have been in continuous operation for almost a century, serving as anchors in their communities and providing decades of reliable employment. People are drawn to good food and to neighborhoods with character and personality and we’ve all experienced the opposite as well: dull, carbon copied places with nothing to add and no story to tell. But as David Sax demonstrates, food can be the vehicle for history, flavor, comfort, and culture. And that’s too important to lose.
New York City
Katz’s Delicatessen — Opened in 1888. Still Open.
Gottlieb’s — Opened in 1962. Still Open.
Stage Delicatessen — Opened in 1937. Closed in 2012.
Carnegie Deli — Opened in 1937. Closed in 2016.
Artie’s Delicatessen — Opened in 1999. Closed in 2017.
Loeser’s Kosher Delicatessen — Opened in 1960. Closed in 2019.
Ben’s Kosher Deli — Opened in 1972. Still Open.
Ben’s Best — Opened in 1945. Closed in 2018.
Kensington Kosher Delicatessen — Opened in the 1970s. Still Open.
Amazing 66 Chinese Restaurant — Honorable mention. Closed in 2020.
Essex on Coney — Opened in 1992. Still Open.
Sarge’s Deli — Opened in 1964. Still Open.
2nd Avenue Deli — Reopened in 2007. Still Open.
Chicago, Illinois
Manny’s Coffee Shop & Deli — Opened in 1942. Still Open.
Kaufman’s Bagel & Deli — Opened in 1960. Still Open.
Eleven City Deli — Temporary Closed.
Max and Benny’s — Opened in 1986. Still Open.
Max’s Deli — Still Open.
Steve’s Deli — Closed in 2013.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Famous 4th Street Deli — Opened in 1923. Still Open.
Koch’s Deli — Opened in 1966. Temporarily Closed.
Baltimore, Maryland
Miller’s Deli — Opened in the 1960s. Closed in 2020.
Attman’s Delicatessen — Opened in 1915. Still Open.
Michigan
Lou’s Deli — Located in Detroit, Michigan. Still Open.
Bread Baskets Deli — Located in Detroit, Michigan. Still Open.
Stage Deli — Opened in 1962. Still Open.
Star Deli — Started in 1973. Still Open.
Tony’s Embers Deli — Still Open.
Zingerman’s Delicatessen — Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Still Open.
Colorado
Zaidy’s Deli and Bakery — Located in Denver. Still Open.
The Bagel Deli and Restaurant — Located in Denver. Opened in 1967. Still Open.
East Side Kosher Deli — Located in Denver. Still Open.
The New York Deli News — Located in Denver. Opened in 1989. Still Open.
Deli Tech — Located in Denver. Opened in 2002. Closed in 2011.
Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli — Located in Denver. Opened in 1994. Still Open.
Jimmy and Drew’s 28th Street Deli — Located in Boulder, Colorado. Started in 2006. Closed.
Missouri
Protzel’s Delicatssen — Located in St. Louis, Missouri. Opened in 1954. Still Open.
New York Bakery and Deli — Located in Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1905. Closed in 2009.
California
Chez Panisse — Located in San Francisco, California. Opened in 1971. Still Open.
Brother’s Manhattan Deli — Still Open.
Saul’s Deli — Opened as a deli in 1950s and as Saul’s in 1986. Still Open.
David’s Delicatessen — Located in San Francisco, California. Still Open.
Factor’s Deli — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1948. Still Open.
Nate n’ Al’s — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1945. Still Open.
Greenblatt’s Deli — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1926. Closed in 2021.
Junior’s Deli — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1959. Closed in 2012.
Canter’s Deli — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1931. Still Open.
Brent’s Deli — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1967. Still Open.
Art’s Delicatessen and Restaurant — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1957. Still Open.
Jerry’s Famous Deli — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1978. Closed in 2020.
Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant — Located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1947. Still Open.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Canter’s Deli — Closed in 2018.
Carnegie Deli — Closed in 2019.
Stage Deli — Closed in 2017.
Weiss Bakery and Deli — Opened in 2006. Still Open.
Greenberg’s Deli — Still Open.
Texas
Kenny’s and Ziggy’s — Located in Houston, Texas. Opened in 1999. Still Open.
Katz’s Deli — Located in Austin, Texas. Opened in 1979. Closed in 2011.
Florida
Myron’s — Still Open.
3G’s Gourmet Deli & Restaurant — Still Open.
Bagel Cove Restaurant & Deli — Still Open.
Pomperdale A New York Deli — Opened in the 1960s. Still Open.
Jerry’s Famous Deli — Opened in 2000. Closed in 2014.
TooJay’s Deli — Opened in 1981. Still Open.
Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant and Caterers — Still Open.
Across America
I Love New York Deli — Located in Seattle, Washington. Closed in 2012.
Kenny and Zuke’s — Located in Portland, Oregon. Still Open.
Sadie Katz — Located in Burlington, Vermont. Closed in 2011.
Shapiro’s Delicatessen — Located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Opened in 1905. Still Open.
Jake’s Deli — Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Still Open.
Zaftig’s Delicatessen — Located in Boston, Massachusetts. Still Open.
Corky and Lenny’s Deli — Located in Cleveland, Ohio. Opened in 1956. Still Open.
Harold’s Famous Deli — Located in Edison, New Jersey. Still Open.
Kosher on the Go — Located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Opened in 2001. Still Open.
Goldman’s Deli — Located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Still Open.
Kosher Cajun New York Deli & Grocery — Located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Opened in 1987. Still Open.
The New York Corned Beef Society of Atlanta — Defunct.
Duke’s — Located in Washington DC. Still Open.
Montreal, Canada
St-Viateur Bagel — Opened in 1957. Still Open.
Snowden Deli — Opened in 1946. Still Open.
Schwartz’s Deli — Opened in 1928. Still Open.
Main Deli — Opened in 1974. Still Open.
Moishes — Opened in 1938. Closed in 2020.
Nickels — Opened in 1990. Still Open.
Le Roi du Smoked Meat — Opened in 1954. Still Open.
Smoke Meat Pete — Opened in 1996. Still Open.
Lester’s Deli — Opened in 1956. Still Open.
Wilensky’s Light Lunch — Opened in 1932. Still Open.
Dunn’s Famous — Opened in 1927. Still Open.
Toronto, Canada
Yitz’s Delicatessen & Catering — Located in Toronto. Opened in 1972. Closed in 2019.
Silverstein’s Bakery — Opened in 1918. Closed in 2016.
Mel’s Montreal Delicatessen — Closed in 2009.
Centre Street Deli — Opened in 1988. Still Open.
Pancer’s Original Deli — Opened in 1957. Still Open.
Steeles Deli — Closed in 2017.
Wolfie’s Deli -Opened in 1975. Still Open.
Pickle Barrel — Opened in 1971. Still Open.
London, UK
Bloom’s Deli — Opened in 1920. Closed in 2010.
B&K Salt Beef Bar — Opened in the 1960s. Still Open.
Beigel Bake Brick Lane Bakery — Opened in 1974. Still Open.
The Brass Rail — Still Open.
Reubens — Opened in 1973. Still Open.
Harry Morgan’s — Opened in 1948. Closed in 2021.
Europe
Chez Gilles — Located in Belgium. Still Open.
Hoffy’s — Located in Belgium. Opened in 1986. Still Open.
Murciano Bakery — Located in Paris, France. Still Open.
Maison David — Located in Paris, France. Opened in 1975. Still Open.
Klezmer Hois — Located in Poland. Opened in 1993. Still Open.
Alef — Located in Poland. Still Open.
Ariel — Located in Poland. Still Open.
Worldwide
Big Mamma — Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Closed.
Archie B’s Deli — Located in Hong Kong, China. Still Open.
Main Street Deli — Located in Hong Kong, China. Still Open.
