Rachael’s Nosheri

Two little pieces of background before I get started on what very well may amount to a tirade of sizeable proportions:
1. This place has been on my to-​eat list for a while, and took multiple attempts at convincing my wife to go there as she is not a huge fan of Jewish delis.
2. My grandparents have owned a kosher deli in Cleveland for years, so when it comes to how deli soups and sandwiches are «supposed» to be prepared and taste, I don’t trust anyone’s opinion but my own.
Now with that being said, lets delve into Rachael’s Nosheri… I had really high hopes for this place. I based this on having to work close by on several occasions, as well as stopping in at one point to see if they would be open on Memorial Day in anticipation of eating there. However, I was sorely disappointed not only by the food but the nasty attitude of the front end staff. The restaurant is set up as a traditional deli, without a «restaurant», so its your old, order at front counter, take your utensils, and sit wherever you like kind of deal. This was fine with us as we had brought my daughter Ivy, and sitting still and being waited on is still a bit hard for her as she’s very young.
My wife decided on their chili and a BBQ chicken sandwich, and I went with my deli test staple, a bowl of matzoh ball soup (to share with Ivy) and a corned beef special. Expecting the best, I went up to the counter to order and was greeted by a British man, of Indian descent who informed me he was the owner. While he seemed very happy that he owns the place, he could have cared less what I wanted to order and told me to tell the cook. The kitchen staff on the other hand were very nice. After that I went back to the register to order drinks. Neither my wife or I knew what we wanted, so it took me a minute to figure it out, which really pissed the owner off apparently, as he huffed and puffed and crossed his arms and stared at me while I tried to decide. (If you want other people to take orders, make it a restaurant, and put your beverage list inside the damn menu!)
Our soups arrived first. The matzoh ball soup was passable, but was nothing special at all. It kind of seemed like they had bought a box of Manichewitz mix and followed the box directions. That’s okay, cause its matzoh ball soup. Its job is to be basic and savory and Ivy really liked it. On the other hand, my wife’s chili was downright disgusting. It was a dark brown color, almost black, with barely any beans or meat in it, and it tasted like someone had emptied a jar of BBQ sauce into a bowl, added some shit to it, and heated it up in the microwave. This wouldn’t be too far of a stretch as they were extensively using the microwave for everything from soup to bagels while we were there. She ate a few bites and said that it was making her feel sick, but we had spent almost $ 4 on the chili and she felt bad wasting it. We didn’t eat it.
Then the sandwiches… Oh the sandwiches! There was so much chance for success here; so much chance for redemption. Sadly, both of us were left dissatisfied once again. My wife’s sandwich looked like a pit BBQ sandwich you’d get in the south. Which was fine because that’s what she had wanted. However, it was terrible. She took the whole thing apart and only ate the chicken after scraping off the BBQ sauce. Mine was even worse. While it looked wonderful; on rye, with a good amount of corned beef, held together with sandwich picks with green pimiento olives on the tips, it was a nightmare. There was so much dressing and coleslaw that I could not taste the sandwich. It tasted like sour mayonnaise. I scraped the dressing and coleslaw off and decided I would settle for a nice kosher corned beef sandwich. Unfortunately, there is no way that the corned beef that Rachael’s uses is the «lean kosher corned beef» they say it is they use. I have had thousands of corned beef sandwiches of all types, and know the look and flavor of kosher corned beef when its done right, and this was as far from this as I could imagine. Something like the corned beef you’d get in traditional corned beef and cabbage, which, when expecting that dish is a wonderful and tasty adventure, except not on your sandwich when you’re anticipating a yummy kosher deli prepared corned beef sandwich.
We will not be returning here. I would suggest to everyone thinking about trying this place to take a second glance at their reviews before making a decision. On top of the nasty owner and sub-​par food, the place is dirty, like gross dirty. I wouldn’t even take my two-​year-​old to the bathroom here when she had to pee. If you do try out Rachael’s, good luck to you! From the multiple people on here saying they got sick eating here, i’m worrying about the next 72 hours, hoping that my fate is not the same.

I ordered a quart of Matzo Ball soup and a perfect match sandwich. The soup was delicious, the sandwich was like butter, and the delivery man was nice to me when he delivered it right to my door. I thought I found the perfect little jewish deli. That is, until the next day.
Never in my life have I had «an accident» until this day. It came from nowhere and all the sudden, I’m doing the walk of immense shame trying to get back upstairs before anyone else notices. Out it all came as if I had just eaten a raw piece of chicken served by a chef that had forgotten to wash their hands. My lovely little lunch and dinner from yesterday now had me on the ground crying and begging for mercy from the imodium gods.
If you need to power wash your colon, I think this is the right place! Otherwise, avoid it!

Solid Italian hoagie, I’m a fan.

For 3 years I’ve lived around the corner and only now did I make it into Rachael’s… The place always seemed to be closed, which may not be the case but rather it is always empty… Perhaps they do mostly take-​out orders and from what I’ve read in other Unilocal reviews there isn’t many positives to dining in. I love Matzoh Ball Soup and believe it to be a true deli staple so I grabbed some for take-​out. The container was quite small for $ 3.80 and there just wasn’t much to it. The Matzoh Balls had the taste and consistency like they were made from a boxed mix and the broth has a sprinkle on thyme and a piece of carrot, but no traces of other herbs, vegetables, or even real chicken that might’ve been used in the broth… Kaufman’s Deli is right on 19^th and Chestnut with giant Matzoh Balls served in a broth you can tell is homemade with celery, onion, carrot, dill, thyme, pepper, and chicken. I don’t see any reason to come back to Rachael’s…

Ordered from Rachael’s for the first time this morning and had it delivered because I was running late to work and couldn’t stop to pick something up on the way. They were 1 of 2 places that delivered breakfast, so I gave them a chance. I also ordered online, so there’s no miscommunication.
They had the perfect opportunity to impress me, but unfortunately, they failed. Went for some basics to make things easier (albeit not cheaper). A cheese omelet (bland), pancakes (dry and tough) and a side of bacon (crispy but cold). Even the rye toast that came with the omelet was burnt and cold. The best part (I say sarcastically) was that on Foodler, when I had to pick a juice, it asked me specifically if I wanted OJ with or without some pulp. I chose without and guess what I got? Don’t give me a choice and then get it wrong.
Since this establishment is only 3 blocks away, I was hoping that the food would not be cold, but the eggs and pancakes were lukewarm, if that. Please invest in one of those delivery bags that is designed to keep foods hot; it will definitely help. I really dislike giving any business just 1 star, so I gave you 2 in the hopes that you will take my advice and get better.

The lox stock & bagel was delicious!!! Very friendly service :) And so close to Rittenhouse Square Park.

Rachaels used to be a great place, and then Rachael left. This Indian British guy took over who is absolutely nasty. The food went downhill, and the place turned into a real shit hole. The Indian British guy is nothing but rude to the customers. I have eaten there twice since he took over and got sick both times. Stay clear of this place

I visited Rachaels today for the fist time, craving an authentic Reuben, and this lovely little deli did not disappoint! The corned beef was super lean (I don’t like fat on the beef in a sandwich), and the beef was super tender, so one bite broke through… in other words, the beef was cooked properly, so i didn’t have to fight with it to stay in the sandwich when taking a bite. The Russian dressing was flavorful and light, and the rye bread was high quality. Kept it’s stucture well, despite the dressing, and me taking the sandwich to go. A really great Reuben!

This place was great! Basic, quick and good. Of course I got a Reuben and I love their pickles. They’re always cool enough to give me extra pickles:) The potato salad and Cole slaw leaves a lot to be desired. But I think everyone would agree that you go for the sandwiches more than anything else.

This would be a 3.5 star review.
Your run of the mill deli/​quick breakfast place.
Most recently, I’ve ordered the Morning Special, which is a breakfast sammy of 2 eggs over easy, cheese, bacon and tomato served on a bagel of your choice (I chose wheat). This is a hearty sandwich albeit messy, the yolks were perfectly runny, and I’m a sucker for egg and cheese anything so no complaints there. Also ordered a side of roasted potatoes which were nicely seasoned. My eating partner in crime got the challah french toast, which was also delicious.
While both of these items were really good, I didn’t rate this place higher for a few reasons. Being a ridiculously die-​hard breakfast fan, I don’t think I’d order any of the lunch items too frequently, but I have had the matzoh ball soup. Pass. Marathon’s is far and away a better choice. I’ve also had an omelette which was below average (overcooked, not enough cheese to veggie ratio) and an egg and cheese on an english muffin (hard to fuck up, but the english muffin coulda been fresher). Their iced coffee is also not as tasty as other places in the area (Manhatten Bagel’s is surprisingly good).
All this being said, they do deliver for free within the immediate area, so I will probably use this place as a delivery staple for ravenous mornings when leaving the bed seems an unlikely possibility.

The food is good but that’s about it. I came with my boyfriend over the weekend for breakfast. The girl who works at the register wasn’t pleasant at all. She yelled at us for trying to order from her. I guess you order with the cooks, but none of them wrote our order down. It was busy, so they got some of the other people’s orders confused and they were bringing food to the wrong tables. It was very disorganized but it could have been easily fixed if the orders were written down and there was better communication with the staff. They also forgot to put tomato on my boyfriend’s morning special. Finally when it was time to pay, my boyfriend went up to the cashier and all she said to him was «hey what’s up?». It seemed unprofessional to me; how about «are you all set?» Or «how was your meal today?». All in all, the service just wasn’t organized or friendly so I don’t think we will go back.

It’s no frills, but it’s still really good. Prices are better than Kaufman’s Deli up the street but there’s just something missing that merits a lost star

I’ve eaten here many times and I have to say, I’ve never been disappointed. Their Reuben is one of my favorite plates. I’ve even eaten breakfast there and it was delicious. It’s a great alternative to 4^th Street down the street, which is ridiculously overpriced. The people who work there are so sweet, too.

Rachael’s has been on my to-​eat list for quite some time now, because I LOVE Jewish delis. Their prices are extremely reasonable for their location, but honestly, I was less than impressed. When we walked in we were surprised to see that it was not that busy at 10am on a Saturday, but the longer we were there the more we understood why. Both dining partner and I ordered breakfast sandwiches and drinks to the tune of about $ 13. While the breakfast sandwiches were fine, it is kind of hard to mess those up. You walk in and place your order in the front, then grab some utensils and seat yourself. Their kitchen is right up front fully equipped with a microwave that appeared to get a good amount of use. I’ve seen McDonald’s cleaner and brighter than this place. The neon signage lights in the windows are all half lit. The employees were fairly friendly but the place itself could use some sprucing up. There was no free salad and pickle bar like most other deli’s and quite frankly I probably would have been scared to eat out of one anyway.
If you want a deli experience go down to Famous 4^th Street, or if you’ve got a car and a sense of adventure head out to Hymie’s, that’s a real Jewish deli done right.

We went for their lox and it delivered. It is not the most welcoming space, even a bit grimey, but if you want a quick bagel sandwich, this is worth the stop.

The success of a place like Rachael’s is consistency. My office is nearby here, and I know I can depend on the Nosheri for a solid, satisfying lunch. There’s nothing particularly fancy about this place beyond the sea of neon, and if you’re looking for something like that, the rest of the Rittenhouse Square restaurants will cater to your preferences gladly and charge you appropriately.
I usually phone in my order ahead of time; they will deliver as well if you need the convenience. They know I really like pickles, which are fresh, so they give me a few extra.
I wouldn’t advise waiting in line at noon for lunch or 11 on the weekend for breakfast-​the locals know how good of a balance of quality and value this spot offers, so an early breakfast or a later lunch time are best. And they’re $ 4 – 5 cheaper than Famous Fourth’s 19^th Street location.
Noshing may now commence.

After trying more Jewish delis, I’ve come to realize that Rachael’s Nosheri is not the best out there. More tender corn beef, pastrami, and roast beef can be found elsewhere. Despite that, I still like this place because the pickles are fantastic, especially the tomatoes.

Stopped by for lunch because I wasn’t sure what I was hungry for and Rachael’s has so many items to choose from.
Decided on the chicken salad platter. I also wanted a huge pickle, but the cook said it came with one, so I decided to forego my side order.
While the portion was huge, the quality was just meh. The chicken salad tasted salty and the side of coleslaw and potato salad were just okay, but I’ve had better quality at a neighborhood BBQ.
By the way, my platter did not come with a pickle, so another disappointment there.
I’d go back to try something else, but I’m not in a hurry to do so.

So, I was craving Matzoh Ball Soup — and I passed this place and HAD to stop. The Matzoh Ball soup was good. It hit the spot at the time but I have had better (and not just homemade better — see my review of Cherry Hill’s Kibitz Room).
And I HATE when I am eating «in» and I am served my food in or on disposable goods. Like, styrofoam? Really? Would it kill you to have to clean a dish? Soup, particularly Matzoh Ball (where you need to break those babies up a little) doe snot work in a styrofoam bowl in my opinion.
I will come back here when I am in Rittenhouse area and need a Nosh but I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to get to this place.

Have tried this twice for breakfast. Portions are huge, quality is great and it offers fantastic values.
The wrap with nova lox, and sauteed onions is fantastic. I have a pretty good appetite and was only able to eat a half. I ordered with egg whites and left out the cream cheese. Healthy and very tasty.
Also have had the nova on a toasted bagel with onion and tomato. Again, too big for one person and very fresh.
I like 4^th St. Deli and this place is every bit as good, with better prices.
If you want good deli, give this place a shot. Well worth the visit.