Gunther’s Restaurant & Catering

I don’t eat red meat, and the offerings are pretty sparse for lunch with that restriction. Still, I figured a turkey sandwich would fit the bill. Wow. It was bad, really, really bad. It was so dry that even though I was starving, I could only eat about half. I brought it up to the counter to let them know that there was something wrong with the turkey – didn’t ask for my money back or anything & specifically said I wasn’t asking for money back since I ate half – and both the manager and the woman who assembled the sandwiches said they didn’t eat turkey so they couldn’t verify the problem. Maybe that part of the issue.
Also, I ordered a side of mac salad that never came. They were nice about it and refunded my money for the mac salad that never arrived and the sandwich. The people here seem very nice (thus 2 stars), but the food here is not good. Most of the patrons during lunch on the day we visited were at least 25 years older than us (and we can see 50 from here) so the vibe is not exactly fresh. Gunther’s does what it does, but it’s way overdue for an update.

I’ve been saying I want to eat at Gunthers for like, the past 5 years & today I finally did! It was really good! Everything was fresh & the portions are huge! I have enough leftovers for dinner! They have such a great staff, everyone was really sweet & helpful & funny. I can’t wait to try everything on the menu!

I used to love this place. Everything used to be good like homemade comfort food. I had their meatloaf tonight and it tasted like cooked canned dog food! Like they cooked the Alpo in the can and sliced it up in round circles! Disgusting! I will never go back there again!!!

This place has phenomenon food. The Pastrami and corned beef philly toasted with cheese is out of this world. They fill up the sandwich with so much meat and its quality meat. Definitely would encourage people to try this place, you won’t be disappointed.

Great customer service. There was a misunderstanding because I paid at the counter and didn’t realize I was supposed to order first at another counter, so after about 20 minutes, I realized what had happened so they gave me my money back as well as the sandwich, which was excellent!

this is the only traditional deli in town that I know of… we were jonesing for deli food after we moved here. We come here for comfort food — pastrami, corned beef, eggs with matzo or lox, black and white cookies. I also like their baked chicken. the food is consistently delicious. The thing that sets Gunther’s apart are the staff. They are very friendly, attentive, and work together like a family. It’s just a comfortable, easy, homey place to grab a meal. They have tables outside as well for the dog.

On St. Patrick’s day my boss wanted me to see if I could get food catered. Last min? Was he nuts?
I had never been to Gunther’s before, when I called they were willing to place our order last min. They were friendly, when we picked up it was packed and they had everything ready for us and they even loaded it into our car. I can’t wait to go back with my family to try everything else on the menu.
Ps had to try the choc chip cookie and Omg so yummy. Ordering a few dozen for my sister in laws shower coming up.

Stopped by to see how this place measured up. Heard some good things so here goes:
Place was very clean. Breakfast is served from 7 to 11 where you set and are waited on. After that you place your order at the counter.
Eggs were done right and they gave me four slices of smoked thick cut bacon. The potatoes were fresh sliced and pan fried with onions. Pretty tasty.
We ordered dollar pancakes so we could try out other options. They were good and plenty of them, but not supper memorable. A little dry for my taste.
Extra butter was no problem when requested. Seemed like a half pound. They ask if you want your toast butter, and yes it was plenty. Yummy! Good sour dough bread.
Great go to spot for home cooked goodness for breakfast. Haven’t tried the rest of the menu yet.

Huge ass corned beef hash. Delicious, covered in swiss cheese, smokey meat, and delicious potatoes.
Oh yeah, the cookies are on point here.

Corn beef hash, or NY style deli hash, both with swiss on top might be best breakfast in San Jose.
Both are fresh meats, served with eggs, and toast. I put my eggs on top because I’m dirty like that. A little ketchup and pepper plant on the side make this dish untouchable to any other breakfast dish in San Jose.
Apple Strudel with cream, and the chocolate chip cookies for the sweet tooth will set you straight. Geez, writing this I’m getting hungry! Gotta head back soon.
For lunch I’ve had the Ruben, amazeballs!!!
Go now, you won’t regret it.

This restaurant has a regular following. Gunther is the owner and has his lovely family (daughters and grandson) working here. He is very friendly and passionate about the food he cooks. I had a late
Night at work and Randy decided to take Skye and I here for St Patrick’s day. Randy has the corned beef and cabbage and I had the irish lamb stew with rice. We both had iced tea and coke to drink.
The staff is always very friendly. They know Skye because she acts all cute. We also bought Gunthers special german chocolate cake… it is awesome and a brownie. The owners daughter gave Skye a shamrock cookie which Skye held
Close to her heart. The food is consistent. Always friendly staff. They make excellent pastrami hash with eggs for breakfast. Love you Gunthers. The waitresses are so sweet. They love Skye bear

I wish this place was open for breakfast on Sundays and dinner on Saturdays. I have been here 2x — Once for breakfast and once for lunch.
Free cookie with Unilocal check in — and I was a bit skeptical about the cookies — they don’t look all that good, but looks can be deceiving, they are pretty tasty. The first time I was there and tried to get my cookie they were out — but as we were leaving I re-​asked at the counter and got one fresh out of the oven!
Portions are plenty big! I would really like to try dinner, doubtful I will ever make it there though b/​c I am usually only I San Jose o Saturday nights.
Extra points for Dr. Brown’s soda!!!

I was so hoping Gunther’s would be offering NYC style pastrami a la Katz, Carnegie, etc. Or, like the offerings from the SoCal crew such as Canter’s and Langer’s. The Refuge does but they are a bit pricey.
Alas, it was not of the thick cut variety. It leaned more towards Togo’s! Nevertheless, it was pretty good. I also ordered a side of coleslaw to go with the sandwich. Alone, it was a bit on the sour side. But, paired with the pastrami, they married very well together.
There seems to be a lot of regulars that frequent the establishment. In fact, many of them know the man himself, Gunther. You order your food cafeteria style and they have a number of other dishes, regular and special of the day.
Again, I was seeking my «go to» pastrami sandwich. My search continues…
Oh, don’t forget to check in on Unilocal in order to get a free chocolate chip cookie! They looked delicious!

Gunther’s has very good food. They have great sandwiches and delicious entrees. While the sandwich prices not expensive, the entrees can be pricey.
Yesterday, on our most recent visit, we had lunch with some friends. My wife and I split one of their huge Ruben sandwiches. This is a classic Ruben, piled high (about 2 inches of meat!); when they say «piled high», they mean it! A half of a sandwich is very filling. It was delicious.
We also ordered some of their delicious chopped liver to go ($ 15 for the large size), which we had for lunch today.
The one drawback was the Matzah Ball Soup. The Matzah Balls were fluffy and tasty, but the broth was too salty.
Our friends had mixed results. The Wiener Schnitzel was a disappointment. It was dry and tough and could barely be cut with a knife. The beef tips were delicious and very tender.

Love love love this place. Never had German food, but now I can say I’m a fan. The workers are so nice and always smile at you when you walk in! Been here twice now and I regret I found out about this gem just recently!
The pricing is a little on the pricier end ($ 12 – 24) BUT the food is… beyond words and the portions are HUGE. I’ve definitely had to take to-​go my leftovers both times coming here. First time here I got a plate (1 meat/​main entrée + 2 sides) – two pieces of sirloin wrapped in pickled cabbage, and a side of rice and macaroni salad. The sirloin was super tender and moist (definitely melt-​in-​your-​mouth level here), and the slight sourness/​acidity from the cabbage matched the richness from the meat just perfectly. The sauce/​gravy really brought everything together (also slightly sour). It was very light and not too thick – I ended up mixing my rice with it. The macaroni salad was good not great, but I have no complaints. And saving the best for the end…*drumroll…DESSERT. If you check in on Unilocal,you get a free cookie! At first glance it might be fairly odd-​shapped (more like a ball versus a flat cookie), but it tastes like cookie dough that literally just crumbles in your mouth. Not too sweet and greasy!
Second time around I got the lamb shank plate with rice and pasta salad as sides. Again… blown away. Do I even have to explain myself? I’m drooling just recalling it and writing this review. The shank was HUGE (seriously bigger than my face) and super tender, rich, and flavorful. And again, had to end this beautiful symphony with the PERFECT cookie to put me in my restful food coma.
Coming back? Most definitely. Probably even tomorrow.

If your looking for a traditional and delicious place to have any meal throughout the day Gunthers is where it’s at!
My food was absolutely delicious and the service was amazing! It’s hard to find a traditional place around San Jose that’s affordable. I will definitely be returning to Gunthers.

I enjoyed my one half corned beef on rye. The piled high meat was lean and tender and corn beefy. The bread was good quality too; comes with a long briny pickle. $ 6.95. The full sandwich is just $ 10.95, tip: two could share this big sandwich.
Also, ordered a side of red cabbage; about 8 ounces and comes the way it should: warm. Tasty. Slightly sweet vinaigrette flavor. $ 3.95. Tip: two could share this.
After they brought my food, they even gave me a free little chocolate chip cookie. It was still warm with gooey chocolate chips!
My friend said their tuna sandwich was very good.
Customer service: good and friendly.
Décor: ok, clean and comfy seating. Good lighting all over.
Bathrooms: clean.
Parking: ez
Will come back again and try their bratwurst, knockwurst or schnitzel.
Tip: the desserts look fabulous and they have daily specials posted on the glass counter.

Used to love this place but tonight was disappointing with both service with attitude and lackluster food. I got the chicken cordon bleu special ($ 15.95) which comes with two sides. I got a cup of matzo ball soup as one side and paid $ 2 extra to substitute two potato pancakes for the second side. The soup was just broth and matzo ball, and it was very salty. The chicken was oddly dry and there wasn’t much cheese flavor sadly. The potato pancakes here are unique with a very finely chopped potato and I’m guessing some flour as a binder, so they’re more like regular pancakes than the typical shredded potato style elsewhere. My dinner was not worth the $ 18 by any means. My husband’s ½ pastrami ½ corned beef sandwich was ok — portion didn’t feel too generous once the huge pile of lettuce was removed. We couldn’t taste a difference in the meats — if we did have pastrami, it wasn’t very seasoned. Got the free chocolate chip cookie for checking in on Unilocal and it was delicious.
We ordered at the counter and got the soup before sitting down. The rest of the food took a very long time (and we were initially given someone else’s entrée). A table near us was getting a lot of attention from the staff — I think they were doing a wedding tasting? Might’ve explained part of the delay in getting our food, but seriously, the sandwich should’ve taken just a couple of minutes. No apology or comment when our food did come out.
The blonde woman behind the counter did check in with us later but didn’t care when I said this wasn’t our best experience here. When I paid for our meal I did comment that my dish was not worth the $ 18, she said the prices were posted and I ate the whole thing and should’ve complained earlier. Uhm, our food took so long and I needed to feed my son so I didn’t want to wait another long time for something else. A simple sincere «sorry we let you down this time, is there anything we can do?» would have been gracious. I wasn’t seeking to have my meal comped, but some gesture might’ve been nice (another cookie, take off the $ 2 surcharge, some token like that). Instead, we left the restaurant very irritated and my husband commented that next time he wants pastrami, he will go to Togos (and a part of me cried inside!).

The hubs and I hit up Gunther’s a few weeks ago for a late lunch. He claims he took me here many moons ago for breakfast but I honestly can’t remember. I was craving a French Dip and saw that Gunther’s had one on their menu so off we went.
As we walked inside we noticed the air was cranked up and it was freezing in the restaurant! We almost turned around and left but we were hungry and already there do we decided to suck it up and embrace our goosebumps.
We decided to order the French dip and the pastrami sandwiches and split them. After we ordered, we grabbed a booth and almost before we even sat down, we were brought our order. Wow! Weirdly fast service. The cook heard that were were splitting the order so when it arrived we had to bowls of Aju and the sandwiches were perfectly cut making it easy to share. The funny thing is that these sandwiches were so huge that we really only needed one!
I like the French dip much better. It had better flavor and anything that you can dunk wins in my book. The pastrami was okay. I think it needed mustard or something but it was okay. We ended up taking most of that home and the hubs ate it later that evening.
Gunther’s is a neighborhood staple. They have sandwiches but also plenty of made from scratch hot items. Their Mac-​n-​cheese looked yummy. I think I’ll have to remember Gunther’s on those «I’m to tired to cook» nights. And I need to try one if their cookies too!

So I have mixed feelings about this place.
To start, we have placed our order over the phone and they said it would be ready in 20 – 25 minutes. So when we got there, 30 minutes later, it still wasn’t ready. We ended up waiting another 15 minutes for our food. It would have taken that long if we had just ordered there instead of calling ahead. We had to wait over 45 minutes collectively for our food, needless to say we were very hangry by the time we ate.
Thank goodness the food was amazing. It was so good, and big and filling! At first I thought the price was a little steep but then after having their food, it’s well worth the price.
They just need to get more organized with their phone orders and getting them finished on time.