RtS: Benjie's Deli
 

Rank the Swank - Restaurants and Bars


Overall Swank Rank

Benjie's Deli
1828 N. Tustin Ave.
Tustin, CA
3/1/2008
http://www.benjiesdeli.com/


The Lowdown
There is nothing like comfort food in familiar surroundings.

Food
Decor
Service

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The Gig
Dinner

The Grub
Corned Beef on challa
"Benjie's special" sandwich (pastrami with russian dressing and coleslaw on rye).
Deeeeelicious potato salad.

The Scene
This may forever brand me as a heretic 'round here, but I was underwhelmed by Katella Deli. The food was perfectly fine, but it was just not presented, in terms of style of food preparation in the way I associate with a deli.

Enter Benjie's. We finally thought to check Tustin for a deli. We knew there was a kosher market in Tustin, so it stood to reason there'd be something. And something was indeed found.

Good sign #1: Fresh deli counter, complete with end case full of odd assortments of eclairs and other pastries.
Good sign #2: Old people
Good sign #3: BRICKS of fresh halva in plastic wrap at the register
Good sign #4: No potato pancakes or noodle casserole to be found on the menu.... latkes and kugel!
Good sign #5: Attached bamboo-lined cocktail lounge. Oh yes. Oh yes.

To be fair

Bad sign #1: Karaoke Fri. and Sat.

I will also say, go for the pastrami over the corned beef. Corned beef lacks. Which is unfortunate, but the whole package and a fantastic potato salad more than make up for their corned deficiency.

Felt like home.

And it's taking all of my willpower to not go back in the kitchen to unwrap and finish the rest of that pound birck of halva.

ooh, grrrrr. I was almost there. Good deli signs abound. My ex lives Tustin-Adjacent.


BUT - ARRGH. Corned Beef not up to snuff?


Sorry ... but for me, that's Total Deli Failure!



I'm crushed.

I was there the other night with mom and the usual crowd of old Santa Ana Jews in cowboy belts there for the early bird. I recommend the knockwurst platter. Mom had the brisket, which she said tasted good but came cold, which for her means not boiling hot.

Note that on the menu, the brisket is described as being accompanied by potato pancakes.

I hear what you're saying. And since it's the only one in Orange County that's even come close, it's disappointing that it's lacking. But I guess I'm just used to it. None of the delis that I grew up with got everything right. We just had enough of a variety that it didn't matter. If we wanted a good matzoh ball soup and some latkes, we'd go to Weiler's. If we wanted good corned beef, we'd head to Mort's. Good specialty sandwiches, Solley's. Hot fudge sunday and the best restaurant hotdog on the planet, the place (I can't remember the name for the life of me) at the back of the Fallbrook Mall where the blockbuster eventually was.

So it never mattered so much whether any specific food was up to snuff, it was all about environment.

I always preferred pastrami anyway, and if I want good corned beef, I work around the corner from Tommy Pastrami.

Thanks for the review! I must try it!