Ben’s Deli

209 W. 38th Street
b/w 7th and 8th Avenue (close to 7th Ave.)
(212) 398-2367
website

Ben’s Deli and I have had a rough relationship.  The first time my sister and her now-husband took me to the location in Carle Place, I had no idea what kosher meant (I was 19).  The menu is fairly extensive; we were hungry and pressed for time.  I blurted out my order, “Can I have a ham and cheese sandwich?” or perhaps the slightly less offensive “How come there’s no cheese on the menu?”  The waitress just looked at me and said she’d come back, at which time my sister glaringly informed me that as it was a kosher deli, I would find no dairy items- and certainly no pork items- on the menu. 

Despite this rough start, I enjoyed thoroughly this location each time we went there.  A few years back, I had the chance to go to the one in Bay Terrace and was pleased to find that the food was the same, as was the service.  This is not an easy task to undertake with 6-7 locations scattered around LI, Queens, and Manhattan. 

I was hesitant in suggesting this place to my best friend for our monthly dinners, but then thought, what the hell; can it really become horrible only because the rent is higher in Manhattan? 

Upon entering the place, I was amused to find that along the border of the celing was a joke… the infamous, “kosher deli, Asian waiter speaking flawless Yiddish” joke, that is. 

As soon as we sat down, our relish tray was placed in front of us.  Gosh, they have such great pickles and probably the best standard cole slaw I’ve ever eaten.  We dove in, as we were starving from shopping a bit before heading here. 

With such an extensive menu, we definitely had trouble deciding before finally, we both went with soup (it was cold out!!!)- chicken noodle for me, and mushroom barley for my best friend.  We were both extremely happy with our choices; mine was perfect, not too salty nor bland, and hers was soothing to the cold that had seeped into her from the outside. 

We also decided to share a potato pancake/latke, which was thick, chewy, and delicious.  It came with a small container of apple sauce for dipping, which was completely unnecessary.  It was crispy along the edges, and chewy on the inside; perfect.  We dogged this, although we couldn’t finish it since we were so full from the rest of our meal. 

We parted ways culinarily at that point, myself opting for a standard corned beef sandwich- they make their own pastrami and corned beef, and it is so good.  They stack so much on your sandwich, it’s unbelievably good.  I almost thought I’d wrap half to take home, but it beckoned to me and I scarfed down the rest of it.  **Normally comes on rye bread- yes, I know, it’s standard, but I hate rye bread so I changed it to club bread for an extra 50c or something.  It was worth it.  I’m getting hungry looking at it… *drool* 

My best friend opted for a chicken salad platter.  As you can see, it’s huge.  She said it was very good, filling, and really yummy overall.  I was too busy eating my own sandwich to try any of hers, but it sure did look very tasty… 

Honestly, I’ve never had a bad experience at Ben’s Deli- even when I asked for everything against the rules when I requested a ham and cheese sandwich, they didn’t spit in my food.  They merely shrugged it off as the stupid Chinese girl not knowing what kosher meant.  I learned my lesson, and learned to appreciate corned beef and pastrami.. and their roast beef, which is always rare in the center, perfection, I swear.  They’re not expensive, and the service is always pleasant and friendly.  This location, as it is a bit off the beaten path, so to speak, was empty at 7 pm on a Friday night, though I could imagine that they are busy during lunch time on weekdays. 

Yvo says:  Go here if you’re in the area or, if you’re not, if you’re craving pastrami/corned beef (and aren’t near the other famous places in the city, which I’ve yet to try).  It’s solid quality, not expensive, and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.  It is definitely worth walking an avenue or two from Times Square.  Luckily, my boyfriend works fairly close to Ben’s, so I just may be heading back again… and again… and again… (now that I don’t work in LI nor live in northern Queens, it’s rare that I’ll be near a Ben’s otherwise.)