New York Famous Deli

I am so confused by the good reviews. Maybe I came on an off day? Matzo ball — singular undercooked ball of dough floating in a literal bowl of water. No veggies no seasoning. Pastrami sandwich also a massacre. So fatty and dry. Sold out of 3 of the sides, and was expensive.
I am a deli lover, and grew up eating New York deli and the name off this place irritated me. Bummer.
Guest chef last month? Hopefully just an off day.

Not sure I’ve ever had ruder service in my life. Being a Jewish New York girl, I obviously love delis. I was so excited to try New York famous deli. I’d attempted to come on numerous occasions but it was always closed. Finally on a Friday night at around 6:40 I brought my daughter in for a mommy/​daughter dinner date. We both came in w smiles excited to be together, to embark on the weekend and to have a great, happy dinner together. When I came in I was immediately given a dirty look by the manager who told me they were sold out of everything and that they close in 10 minutes. I told him Unilocal said they were open until 8 and he said «well Unilocal is wrong.»
I said «so nothing is available?» And he said «what do you want?» Seeing as though it was my first time there and I didn’t even get a chance to look at the menu I didn’t know what I wanted. As I began to ask him if they had particular items he would cut me off and ask the cooking staff who kept limiting what I could have. At one point when I asked if they had something the manager actually shushed me!!! Can you believe that??? Up to that point I had been as friendly and cordial as one could be. I finally said «excuse me sir but can you lay off the attitude? It isn’t my fault you’re out of food and Unilocal is wrong.» I couldn’t believe he was so rude in front of my 5 year old daughter.
Our very presence there annoyed all the kitchen staff and especially the manager. It was unreal. It was unfortunate as we were looking to have an enjoyable meal. Fortunately we hopped on over to the poke bar which had excellent, friendly service and gave us the Friday night dining experience we were after.
I am a business owner and deal with customer service regularly, if you don’t want a bad Unilocal review then treat your customers with kindness and respect. I will be back because if this place has 4.5 stars and the service is that rude and awful then the food must be spectacular.

I’ve been here several times at their old location in the tiny strip mall a couple blocks away. I have yet to make it out to the new location but once in a while I crave their tender pastrami sandwich! I’m no pastrami expert but I do love a good flavored sandwich. The bread and meat is fresh. I do wish they would offer half pastrami sandwich on a hoagie roll, as one whole sandwich is way more than I can finish. I recommend this place to every one I know. Hipsters would go to Oinkster but real down to earth foodies come here.

The place is amazing, the sandwiches are great, all the meat are all premium and imported from the east coast and jimmy (the owner) is a super nice guy.
Will definitely come back!

So finally was able to stop by here for lunch on my day off. I was also suffering from a cold so was craving some matzo ball soup and heard that they had it here so was really excited. I scored some nice street parking and walked over to the restaurant to find that their entire place was filled with smoke. I don’t mean like a normal korean bbq type of smokiness, I mean I felt like I was being smoked to be eaten kinda smell. It was intense– I think they had a small kitchen fire or something.
At either rate, I went up to the front to place my to-​go order but the owner (I’m assuming he’s the owner since he was busy yelling orders and at his kitchen crew). He basically told me I had to wait to place my order (I guess they either got backed up or he just got new staff who didn’t know what they were doing). So I just chilled at their tables waiting to place my order. Finally 10 minutes later I placed my order and then decided to walk around outside because my eyes were stinging from the smoke to wait for my order.
After about 15 minutes of wandering around and feeding the meter, I headed back. Luckily my takeout was ready.
When I got home, yes I was surprised about the pastrami– unlike the typical thinner slices, they were nice chunks of meat– very tender and juicy with some yummy mustard on a very soft rye bread (I got the lunch special– half sandwich and soup combo). The matzo ball soup was good, but a little salty. Their potato salad was awesome though– I love potato salad and this one didn’t use too much mayo and had great flavor.
I’m hoping this was a one time fluke incident because I would love to go back and try some more meat sandwiches!

Been looking for a deli in the San Gabriel area. Stumbled onto this place on Unilocal.Nice cool day & matzo ball soup sounded really good so I thought we’d try it out. I ordered the lunch special — ½ sandwich with soup. The portions were really good sized. My husband ordered the full sandwich and it was huge! It’s a nice homey feeling restaurant with good deli food. The only thing that I wish they had done was put more deli mustard on the sandwich and maybe trimmed the bit of fat off the pastrami. Other than those two minor things and the fact that parking is practically non existent I’d give it 2 thumbs up!

New York Famous Deli is a must try to the locals of Eagle Rock and for anyone who wants to eat some fabulous food. My wife and I had such a wonderful eating experience. My wife had the pastrami sandwich and I had the triple decker. They both were delicious and the meat was tender and plentiful. The helpings were outstanding, my wife enjoyed the egg salad and I enjoyed the potatoe salad, you could taste the extra touch in both, and the chicken soup was great.
But most of all the owner and chef Jimmy really made our experience so pleasurable, we felt like we we were in someone’s kitchen. When you get service from the heart, that is rare now of days and it makes the food become that much more enjoyable. We will definitely be going back. Thank you Jimmy for allowing us to eat in your kitchen

My interaction with Jimmy and his food made me burst with happiness and nostalgia.
For one, the chicken matzah ball soup was clearly from scratch and tasted like the kind bubbe used to make (and similar to the recipe I use). You don’t know how many sussed up Cambell’s I’ve had to send back to kitchens in other so-​called New York delis.
Jimmy is a former cabbie from Manhattan, and has this amazing almost autism-​spectrum-​like talent in which you can mention any cross-​section in NYC, and he can tell you all the neighboring stores, and the best route to get there from anywhere else. Google maps does not remind me to nosh on pickled herring at Russ and Daughters if I’m at Houston and Allen (my bf picked that location because he used to live there when he was a douchy finance guy, ahem).
Jimmy the typical New York yente also makes it his business to get involved in your business. He straight up said to my bf «Trust me, you ain’t gonna find another beautiful Jewish New York broad like this,» which I suppose scores me a point in relationship power one up-​manship.
Jimmy is Hungarian, like my sweet late bubbe, and thus when I pulled a «yoy isthenem» he started using the same high pitched missile launch voice of dramatic Hungarianisms, the theatrics of one hand to the face with gaping mouth that is the exact iconic memory I have of my drama queen bubbe.
I can’t even handle how I feel about Jimmy and this place, so I will just netflix and kvell.

Love the new location only issue is parking. They have a ton of for traffic now and Andrew centrally located. They are located right next door to one amazing cheese store «Milk Farm». Jimmy is still running the place but their workers are to still in training so be patient. He really takes into consideration details of nice packing your food and not just throwing it in the bag. Plenty of seating spaces. Nice larger deli case. As soon as you walk in you see all the house made delicious salads, sides, and their small array of desserts offered fresh for the day in the clean large deli case. The egg salad is killer here! Oh so much flavor in a egg salad.
The pastrami on Rye is still my #1 here. Honestly the best of the best Pastrami thick juicy cut peices. They don’t skimp out on the meat. Both their potato salad and coleslaw is amazing. I have also tried their desserts and they are so good they have never dissapointed me ever. This is the place to be for amazing sandwiches, sides, & even dessert offerings. Bring the cash or spend $ 20 or more for credit usage. Oh and Jimmy is a true New Yorker he doesn’t have an attitude it’s just a typical New Yorker personality so don’t take it personally. I really enjoy his demeanor. He is truly friendly and has nice character to him once you get to know him. Honest to goodness local place!

First of all, I’m a little weird. I don’t eat very much bread. It takes a special place for me to eat a sandwich but this place just has that delicious magic to it. Its all about the quality in this place. Eagle Rock is fortunate to have a new quality deli to add to their roster of great eateries and it’s located right next door to MilkFarm!

I was just walking up Colorado Blvd and I noticed NY Famous deli, so I checked it out. I am always looking for a good classic deli (hard to find) in LA. The owner Jimmy greeted me and his crew made me a delicious turkey sandwich with a side of cole slaw. Super fresh and tasty! I will be back for sure!

Trying out the Western BBQ cheeseburger. Oh boy !! It’s delicious. It comes with cheese, bacon, onion rings, thousand island. Yum! Yum! Yum! Service was great! First time here. Will be coming back.

I came here after my brother in law recommended the pastrami. After living in Glendale and growing up around Billy’s I have a good understanding of what a good pastrami sandwich is.
I am disappointed with the pastrami sandwich because I felt it was really bland. Wasn’t very juicy and semi cold as if it was just sitting their and they gave the left over pastrami. I addition 17 dollars for a pastrami sandwich that is bland and and not juicy and hot is a total disappointment. Bottom line this place is not that great but it’s not that bad. It could be much worse.
Try the pastrami and judge for yourself. Hopefully you want get a lukewarm bland meal like I did…

The food here is so good. It was recommended by a friend so we decided to give this place a try for lunch and I’m sure glad that we did. I had the pastrami on a hogie bread with a side of fries and it was the best pastrami sandwich I’ve ever had, seriously. The meat is cut by knife so the chunks are big but that’s not a problem because the meat is so tender. I will definitely be back. The only downside is that it’s a bit pricey, just to give you an idea there was five of us that we each order one sandwich and a plate of fries with two drinks and the bill was just under $ 90. Besides that, the food is great and that’s what counts.

So if you want to come to this little spot, first things first. Parking sucks. Coming west in Colorado, pull over and park in front of the ugly terra cotta colored building the block before the deli.
The owner/​kitchen guy/​customer service specialist is busy at lunch. Don’t bug him. He’s stressing. Order ahead by phone even if it is for eat in or you may spend ½ of your lunch waiting.
Down to the grub though. Holy muddder of gahh. The pastrami will make you glad to be alive that moment you first see it. It looks and smells only half as good as it tastes however. This is the best thing I’ve had in ages. Yes it’s a $ 14 sandwich but it’s worth that easy. The rye is so so. If you like mustard, be sure to ask for extra. The pickle is biggiddy Bombay, perfect accompaniment to the pastrami.
Time to take a nap after getting stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey.
Thanks NYFD. I’ll be back again soon, but not too soon.

I want to give this place 5 stars more than anything but I just can’t. Their chicken soup is the only thing that makes me feel better when I’m sick. I stopped in today, the girl at the register was super nice. I remember the owner being weird about credit cards so I actually asked if I should go get some cash or if card was ok. She told me card was fine.
Got me my soup. It was delicious. I ordered for here but it came in a To go container which was weird but whatever.
Who I assume is the owner rang me up and he looked at my credit card and got super angry. «We don’t do credit cards under $ 20. Definitely not for $ 5.» I asked if he would prefer debit, but he just took my card to the register and respond, and said «are you going to come and sign this?» Instead of bringing it back to me. I tipped the waitress very well since she was very pleasant, but the owner makes me not want to go back there. Second time he’s been rude to me. I guess he doesn’t want my business.
I don’t think I’ve ever had someone be that rude to me when trying to pay. Very disappointed. Put some signage up about your credit card policy and don’t be so huffy. Next time I’ll just go to Langers.

This place is in the elite tier of the pastrami world, hands down. There is no arguing that. The thick cut style meat is completely decadent, falling apart and melting in your mouth. The flavor is 100% perfect.
If you can’t finish a whole sandwich, you can always do the lunch special of a half sandwich, soup, and choice of homemade cole slaw or potato salad. It’s not an easy decision between though because the slaw and salad are both absolutely delicious. Honestly the best potato salad I’ve ever had in my life though.
Overall 6 stars out of 5 for amazing food as well as great owner and hospitable staff. This place clearly has soul despite it’s hard to find hole in the wall location! Make an effort to come out and try this glorious joint for yourself.

Good pastrami. Flavorful. However a couple of things that disqualify it from actually being «New York Famous»
1) I wanted fries along with sandwich. So they substituted fries for cole slaw. In my book, serving pastrami sandwich without cole slaw is a big no no. At least serve a small serving… something.
2) Bread. Rye bread needs to be firm and not get soggy and soft.
Other than that it’s ok
I think I am going to stick with Oinkster a few blocks away next time I want a good pastrami sandwich

I have been sick for a week and was craving Matzo Ball soup. I ended up ordering the soup and Pastrami sandwich. Oh my, oh my, oh my. Both were delicious. Pastrami is not the thin slice cut you get from The Hat. This was thick cut and oh so good. The side of potatoe salad made my heart swell.
We also ordered the New York Egg cream. My man has had it before but my first time. He said it was done just right. Definitely recommend it.
It’s been open for 16 months. Jimmy the owner is truly a sweetheart. He gave me extra broth because I was sick :). His staff is just as fabulous. Hope you can support this little gem.
Can’t wait to go back and try something different.

I’m no longer a virgin. I have done it. I have had my first taste. Of matzo ball soup. And now I want it again. Badly. We have driven down Colorado Blvd. so many times and never seen this place. It’s in a small strip mall with a tiny parking lot tucked in the corner. Limited advertisement. It’s almost feels like a word of mouth place you were told about. Unless you Unilocal.When you walk inside you are greeted by a cold case fridge, a register, and about 8 tables of various sizes. They were all full the afternoon we went which says something.
She got the lunch special at 9.75. Half of a BLT that was a pretty good sized half portion and the matzo ball soup. It might have said half sized soup too, I can’t remember, but it certainly was no small portion. She was kind enough to share it with me because it came out well before my pastrami, and I am generally no fun to be around when I’m hungry. I could tell you that the matzo sat in a balanced, beautiful vegetable stock that left the palate clamoring for more. But all you need to know is that it’s delicious, and you should definitely get it if you go. It shouldn’t even be a debate. Just get it. The pastrami was thick cut, rich, and also delicious. You’ll have to unhook your jaw to eat it, but I enjoyed every bite. Go potato salad over coleslaw. Little more flavorful. Make sure you come hungry because you’re gonna get full.
The only beefs with the place is the sandwich is kind of high at 12 bucks and the meat slicer behind the counter sounds like the wood cutting saw at the Home Depot. Get ready to shout at whoever you’re eating with or if you’re solo, bring some ear plugs. Seriously, I’m not joking. It’s deafening.