Lansky’s Old World Deli

Food was lovely here, service was great, but the manager loudly disciplined a
Server on the restaurant floor, for
Not givin someone ketchup
Quick enough? It left a slightly bad taste in our mouth. Do these things, if necessary, in private!
No one wants to witness that, especially when it wasn’t warranted!

This review is specifically about Lansky’s soups…
It’s winter time and it’s cold. I come home from work so hungry, and never have any idea what to eat. I’m too tired to cook, so I call Lansky’s and find out what their soups are. Their soups are made fresh daily, some of their options, they have everyday, but some options rotate. They always have a solid vegetarian selection. So far my favorites are Split Pea and Mushroom Barley. They are fresh, homemade and thick… A half-​container is a meal in itself. Get a full container and you have soup for 2 or 3 meals. All soups always come with Rye bread.
If you’re around the Upper West Side, looking for some soup, I definitely recommend Lansky’s. In regards to their other menu options, I haven’t tried anything, so I can’t tell you :)
No, that’s not true! I have tried their pickles… And compared to all other pickles, they were fine. Not the best, not the worst.

The sign read
«Lansky’s Old World Deli OPEN DAILY 7AM-​MIDNIGHT»
They had a paper sign on the door that said they opened at 10am on New Years Day. I was meeting here for breakfast before heading to the airport. I had a bag and it was cold outside. They let a co-​worker in, but wouldn’t let me in, because they open at 10. Ten minutes later, 10AM arrives and still they are not open. We knock and they tell us it will be another 10 – 15 minutes before they open (despite their sign). My friend convinces them to let us in so we can at least be out of the cold.
#NewYorkHospitality
We got some Matza Ball soup to start. The soup hit the spot. It was solid. The Matza balls was fluffy as advertised, the soup was good, the noodles decent. Then we got a Lansky Special which has pastrami, corned beef, swiss cheese, cole slaw, and russian dressing. Also the complimentary banana bread with strawberry butter was a nice touch.
The sandwich was good, but not great (no Kat’z). The redeeming factor was our Russian waitress. She was really nice and very helpful. Otherwise this would be a 2 star review.
Note: They also had an unlimited drinks with brunch on the menu. Probably to cater to changing times and crowd. Too bad they don’t seem to be able to keep a good thing good.

Brunch craving so here we come Lansky’s! (Also we wanted to compare pastrami sandwiches.)
We had pastrami, Imperial Benedict (which comes with unlimited mimosas) and large bowl of matzo ball soup.
Who has the superior pastrami sandwich?
1^st Katz
2^nd Artie
3^rd Lansky
Lansky’s pastrami looks promising but is dry, hardened and lacking the flavoring that both Katz and Artie’s have.
Lansky presents a complimentary basket of banana bread and strawberry butter. The butter was good, and the bread was sufficient (but not warm) but Free!
The matzo ball soup was hearty: filled with noodles but their matzo ball lacked the flavor and density that Artie’s had.
The Imperial Benedict was toasted english muffins topped with lukewarm crab cakes and a poached egg on top. It was edible. One of the poached egg had a piece of egg shell in it.
This was a decently priced Jewish-​style deli for acceptable food but why settle for acceptable when you can get great food for 10 or more blocks away?

My friends and I came here after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and it was packed. I loved everything about the décor, especially the rotary phone, cute! Anyway, it was about a 15 mins. wait for the 4 of us. The waitress quickly seated us and brought us our menus, but the wait for the food felt like forever! Okie, so it was probably 20 mins., but still…
We ordered from the Thanksgiving Brunch menu corned beef hash and Eggs Benedict. Maybe it was a busy morning so the service was slow, but by the time the food came to the table, it was only warm; good thing I ordered a hot chocolate. I had the eggs benedict and it was all pretty good. They changed my home fries to mash potatoes, but I wasn’t told this at any point of our meal. I didn’t mind it, but I would have appreciated being told at least. The muffin was all right, but it could have been better. As for the hollandaise sauce, it just tasted a little different from how I usually like it. After standing outside for 2 hours, it was nice to go here where it was nice and warm. Overall, it wasn’t bad here. I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but if I’m in the area, sure!
P. S. On a side note and this may sound weird, but I thought the whole chain flush toilet in the bathroom was kinda cute, staying true to the whole décor!

They might not be the most famous delicatessen in New York, but Lansky’s is a dependable spot for deli lovers in the UWS. True to the «Old Wold» mantra, it feels remarkably old school in here. Dated décor with a bit of a classic edge and the senior citizen patronage to boot, it is undeniably old school with a charming staff and the food is definitely solid.
The breakfast service is a decent time to go — their mean omelettes are tasty and vast, but the options are a tad thin when it comes to the rest of the typical brunch options. I’m here for their impressive sandwiches (aren’t most deli goers?). The mile high stacked sammies are no Carnegie’s, but it sure gives it a run for its money and is considerably cheaper too.
I’ve got good things to report for their Matzo ball soup and 1 Ib gigantor sized burger. Both are hearty and tasty, even if they are a tad salty. The soft shell crab BLT is a tad gourmet but packs little punch to its bite. Their potato knishes are worth repeating again and a huge thumbs up to the crispy pastrami grilled cheese. Rich, crunchy, and savory, that’s how all sandwiches should be.
Service has been on point with every experience. Not only are they polite and cheerful, but they’re prompt and diligent. They’ve even encouraged me to use the Unilocal check-​in offer (for a free beer) and were nice enough to offer cookies on the house as a peace offering on our way out. Oy.
I am not terribly fond of the lack of quality spots on the UWS, but Lansky’s impressed me enough to warrant a future return. I’ve been back several times before and will continue to do so when I’m feelin some Deli fare once again.

3 part review:
1. Italian Hero: Underwhelming! The mortadella was bland unappealing. The salami and capicola were much better but still not very impressive. Avoid.
2. The Lansky Special: Amazing! Huge triple decker sandwich with corned beef, pastrami, swiss, coleslaw and Russian dressing. I think the pastrami is made and cut in-​house. The whole sandwich was well balanced in flavor just not in size. Not an easy sandwich to bite into.
3. Lox and bagel: I dont know if they make their own lox but it is fantastic! Cut think, perfect texture, not too fishy smelling or tasting. Hands down the best thing i had there.
I don’t know if this place is a NY staple or not but I can see why people keep coming back.

I discovered Lansky’s from other reviewers. I just want to say THANK YOU! This place is your Jewish food castle. Although, I don’t know how Kosher it is since they have a lot of sandwiches with cheese and pastrami together. I thought you couldn’t mix the two together? Oye Vey! Oh well! The pastrami is to die for. It’s so juicy and tender, and the portions are huge. Totally worth the avg. price of $ 11 – 15. Next time I go, I want to try their chicken pot pie. I passed by another table that was eating it, and it looked so good and massive. By the way, as starters, they give out pickles and cole slaw. Yummy! But just a word of advice — if you plan to eat all this salt laden food there, plan to feel like a Good Year blimp the next day.

You know how when your whole table is in awe of the food, and you’re the only one who’s dissatisfied because you’ve had better?
Yeah.
Came here for brunch with a group of people. The best thing was the complimentary banana bread with strawberry butter. I could eat that for my entire meal, and perhaps that alone would’ve bumped this review to 5 stars.
Bottomless brunch is usually a great deal, especially for under $ 20. But once the bellini came into contact with my tongue, I knew why it was so cheap. Their prosecco had ice in it. ‘Nuff said.
Imperial eggs benedict. I opted for this instead of my usual lox benedict, because the description enticed me: Maryland crab cakes on benedict! Alas, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I was surprised the fishy crab cakes didn’t cause a bout of diarrhea. TMI, maybe.
While everyone else raved about their meal, I was saddened. Service is great, though.

Pickles and coleslaw — yumminess while we were waiting for the food.
Brisket of Beet Dinner — the brisket is so tender, tasted extra yummy with the gravy! potato pancakes were just the right size, not too thick and not too thin — and just the right amount of crispness.
Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes (served on a skillet!) — the mashed potatoes and gravy tasted so delicious — I may have ate it a wee too fast. The chicken was crispy — the white meat was just a tad dry (as expected since it is white meat) but all fixed when dipped in ketchup or the mashed potatoes and gravy. The dark meat portion was cooked just right!
Sadly didn’t have room for dessert -.- Next time!
PS they have this check-​in offer on the Unilocal app for $ 1 glass of Bud on tap — our server kindly reminded us of it :)

I’ve come here twice for brunch and haven’t been disappointed. The first time, I had steak and eggs, and the second time, a pretty decent burger, all washed down with various proportions of prosecco and bloody mary. Let’s be frank. You are not coming here for the amazing culinary experience, at least when it comes to brunch. You are coming to get drunk and full.
As far as a Jewish deli goes I’m not actually sure this place is any good or not. Haha! Hey, I’m honest. :)

We were first lured into Lansky’s by their $ 1 beer and sliders sign, but unfortunately, that didn’t apply on the day we were actually able to eat here. The prices weren’t all that much higher for the sliders anyway, so we just skipped on getting a lot of beer and all was well.
We went on a Friday during passover and aside from the cole slaw (delicious) and pickles (good) on the table, we were offered free matzoh. Cool, but we passed. The place was super busy, most likely because of the holiday, but our service was still pretty good.
We had regular and sloppy joe’s sliders which we thought were delicious. I’m not a slider person but I was very happy. We also got the mac and cheese… now, I’m a huge huge huge mac and cheese person, and I was a little disappointed. My non-​picky boyfriend barely touched it. It could’ve used muuuch more salt and I found myself putting ketchup and mustard on it to save it. Yes, he judged me.
So, I’ll give it 4 stars because I’d love more of the fresh-​tasting cole slaw, pickles, and sliders in my life. The mac and cheese can be there as well, as long as I can bring my own arsenal of seasonings. :)

Check in here (on Unilocal) and get a free draft beer!
The family was in NYC for a first time and wanted an «authentic NYC deli experience» and this was it. The menu is extensive and you will not be able to decide.
— Come really, very hungry
— Portions are huge
— All kinds of foods: burgers, salads and more traditional deli fare
— Great service
— The pickles served at the table and the banana bread are divine and meals in themselves.
This place is legit and I’d like to go again and again.

Sadly, I refuse to come here ever again!
As I mentioned in my last post, it seems like the waiter service here is the WORST I’ve ever had in NYC. Not only are they slow with the food, they are incompetent with providing us with the check, they have also managed to spill water all over me and my food and on my last visit, the waiter forgot to put in my food order all together. WHAT?!?
Also, they were out of brisket, turkey, and pastrami. How does a deli survive like this?

Menorah –Check
Dreidels — Check
Potato knish — Delish and Check
Matzo ball soup — Good until I realized it was made with chicken broth. Check
Jewish establishment thriving in the UWS — Check
Catching up with old friends — Priceless and check!
Mazel Tov to Lansky’s for doing good decent food with large portions — Check

Everyone on the UWS seems to have their shtick to try and get their slice of the weekend-​brunch pie, and Lansky’s definitely has two very attractive perks: bottomless cocktails and banana bread.
Feel free to douse yourself silly with as many mimosas, bellinis, bloody marys, and glasses of prosecco as you like before the clock even strikes noon. However, make sure you aren’t so tipsy that you can’t enjoy the entire loaf of warm, flaky banana bread that is served to you right up front. Granted, it is starting to get a bit tired to see ANOTHER UWS restaurant serve strawberry butter, but it is still delicious alongside the banana bread.
Otherwise, the food is pretty standard fare. The crab cake benedict dish is good, but don’t expect too much with the steak and eggs. It’s just brunch, and the steak was cooked way past the requested medium rare (as was my other companion’s overcooked burger), although both the steak and hamburger patty were generous portions, and still got the job done.
I don’t think finesse is what you come here for, but reasonable food that is guaranteed to satiate is certainly what you’ll find, as well as that bottomless fount of cocktails and a really great loaf of banana bread.

Came here for brunch with a girlfriend, it was terrific.
First and foremost: BOTTOMLESS brunch! Woohoo! Your choice of mimosa, prosecco, bellini, bloody mary, OJ, coffee or tea, and better yet, it is included with your brunch item!
Also included is complimentary banana bread with strawberry butter. YUM. The banana bread was warm and super fragrant, and it became amazing when smeared with some strawberry butter.
At my friend’s recommendation, I got the imperial eggs benedict, which is a crab cake benedict while she got a delicious looking cobb salad. Portions are generous. Food is hot and fresh.
Service was just so-​so, but I didn’t mind as we were too busy catching up and enjoying our food.
Definitely coming back for brunch and would love to try the matzoh ball soup!

— overall rating: 4.5
— very personable service
— would be my new go to brunch spot if it weren’t so far uptown
— bottomless brunch doesn’t end when you finish with your plate so sit back and drink away
— would go just for the complimentary banana bread w/​strawberry butter, I think we ended up asking for 3 because we just couldn’t help ourselves
— $ 18 per person, got us all tasty eggs benedict (though I didn’t particularly enjoy my homefries), and at least 6 large goblets of mimosa each

Dear Lansky’s,
Of all the Jewish Delis in NYC, you’re the best I’ve ever had. You had me at «Knishwich» (potato knish cut in half-​topped with corned beef, pastrami, muenster, slaw & russian). And your milkshake does bring all the boys/​girls to the yard.
And. no wait for a table of 4 on a Sunday evening?
You’re the best.
Love,
Pam

This place – where to begin.
The pickle plate they constantly refill: excellent!
The pizza knish: meh
The potato latke: terrible
The kreplech soup: great!
The pastrami sandwich: okay
The peanut butter cup shake: amazing!!!
And the service: very nice, very friendly. So. What does that add up to, in a star system? I don’t know. I’ll say 3 stars. But skip that latke, if you know what’s good for you.