Moishe’s Pippic

Went there today to see it being gutted for what looks like yet another generic overpriced foofoo craphole. So very sad, I didn’t make it down there often but I loved it every time I did. I want to bonk every damn overpaid yuppie in SF on the head and remind them that STUFF DOES NOT HAVE TO BE FANCY AND EXPENSIVE TO BE AWESOME.
Dammit, this was the only place west of the Mississippi I knew of to get a real Chicago red hot.

Sad to say it’s closed. Farewell, Moishe.
Too replace it, I’ve tried East-​West Deli on Polk, which is good. I’ve also tried Wise Sons and frankly was disappointed.

Latkes yum!

I’ve been looking for a proper Jewish deli since I moved to San Francisco from New York a few years ago. This is the place.
Best pastrami sandwich I’ve had in the city. And you can’t get a more authentic atmosphere — do yourself a favor and eat in instead of getting your food to go. Thrilled to have stumbled across Moishe’s while running errands in Hayes Valley.

Best pastrami on light rye I have had since NYC! Meat was so tasty and moist!
The chili cheese dog was also yummy!!!
Potato salad pretty good too!
I am going back for sure!

I’m constantly bemoaning the lack of a good deli sandwich in the bay area. I’ve tried a bunch of places which have been consistently underwhelming. Sure I like the Refuge’s take on pastrami, but it’s thick cut and can be a little rubbery. PLUS, it’s way too expensive!
Moishe’s Pippic is located in Hayes Valley which is a great little neighborhood sandwiched between the Tenderloin and that crappy stretch of Market. It’s about a mile away from the UN /​Civic Center BART which is completely doable despite the onslaught of weirdos you have to contend with on the way there. Anyway, it’s a cute place with lots of tables and a high ceiling which gives it a very airy, open feel so that you don’t feel claustrophobic or anything. You order at a deli counter at the front and then seat yourself while your sandwich is prepared by the two super nice owners.
I forget the name of the sandwich I got, but it was a half pastrami /​half corned beef on rye with spicy mustard and a side of coleslaw. The meat is cut extremely thin and it’s very tender and flavorful. Y’know, melt in your mouth style. I was only planning on eating half of the generously portioned sandwich, but it was so good I plowed through both. The slaw on the side was nice and crisp with a light, slightly vinegar-​y taste. I poured a ton of pepper on it and it was fantastic!
In case you didn’t catch it, the two owners who work the counter are both super nice guys who run a hell of a business. One of them came and asked us how our sandwiches were and then talked to us about delis in the bay area and different styles of pastrami. He’s really into the sandwiches he makes and you can tell. Yummy! I can’t wait to come back here again!

I’m a fan already. I’ve walked by this place many times, and every single time it was a Sunday and was closed.
I recently moved to a new office in the Civic Center. This is very close. I love Chicago-​style Hot Dogs and Reubens. I came on the first opportunity. It was a good Reuben — and the Rye bread was very good. I also enjoyed the Cole Slaw, which was definitely more than just a plain ‘olé filler.
I’ll be interested to see the specials, day to day. I’ll definitely be back to try a few of the Hot Dogs and Polish. Combo Special, perhaps.

Why come on Fridays?
For this
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/​Moishe’s Pippic — Friday only hot beef brisket! \
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~it’s über juicy thinly sliced beef brisket baby!!! ~ ~
~~~ yes!!! yes!!! yes!!! give it, give it!!! give it!!! ~~
~~~ yes yes!!!~ oh lawd oh yes oh yes oh baby ~~~~
~~~fatty juicy savory utter deliciousness! yes!!~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~get it alllllll! baby!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~
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Get a side of slaw and a pickle (included with the sandwich)
and a bowl of matzoh ball chicken soup. Sweet and natural tasting.
Kicks the a$$ and obliterate$ M$G infused congee/​jook around town.
Da $hiznit.

What an awesome little spot smack dab in the middle of all that is gentrified and trendy in Hayes Valley these days. Among the fancy macaron shops and expensive boutiques, this place stands out in its simplicity and its authenticity!
The two guys who work there are beyond friendly and sweet and as they say, they cook their food with love — just like their mom used to make it! They told me that’s why the matzo ball soup I had was so incredibly delicious. I personally think it had just as much to do with the perfect firmness of the balls and the saltiness of the soup, but whatever it is, I’m liking it!
Heads up that they also have brisket Fridays, where you can get a huge brisket sandwich and salad for $ 10.95. They also have other Jewish deli favorites including knishes, pastrami, and latkes. Oh, and don’t forget to look on the other side of the menu, where they list all of their Chicago style hot dog selections!
If you can’t tell from all of the Chicago posters lining the walls, these guys love their hometown and their Midwestern friendliness shines through from the moment you walk in the door.
My only wish is that they would take credit cards, but there is an ATM there if you get desperate for cash. But the $ 3 ATM fee is really a small price to pay for such a heartwarming and belly-​filling experience!

Moishe’s Pippic is a short walk from my school in San Francisco. When I have weekend electives I usually walk over here for the lunch break. It’s a little bit pricey, but the quality is top notch.
I’m currently on a paleo diet, so sandwiches are out for me. That being said, I usually get a plate of various meats, most often ½lb of corned beef and ½lb of pastrami. I have never been unsatisfied.
The man behind the counter is extremely friendly and always stops at my table to make sure everything is to my liking. There isn’t a long wait for your food so if you’re in a hurry this is a great place to stop.
I recently tried the liverwurst and I have to say it is very good. I know many people are grossed out by the thought of liverwurst, but I really recommend just trying some the next time you’re in.
There’s no parking so if you drive you’ll have to find something on the street, but it’s well worth it.

I ordered the «New Yorker» which is corned beef on rye with Russian (thousand island) dressing and coleslaw (literally an element of the sandwich) with a large bowl of matzo ball soup (three matzo balls).
The matzo ball soup was just «ok.» It could have used more salt and more flavor overall. The matzo balls themselves were pretty good, but required a more pungent broth to optimize the soup. I’d have been happy to see bits of chicken to confirm that the broth was comprised of more than chicken bullion, carrots, and celery. Unfortunately, the taste confirmed the unlikelihood of this soup being made from scratch.
The corned beef left me with a similar impression to the soup. Maybe it was the cold bread/​cold coleslaw/​cold dressing, but the «hot» corned beef was lukewarm at best. It was very thinly sliced and lacked any strong flavor. Being a native New Yorker and a man who has eaten both Second Ave and Katz’s delicatessen corned beef sandwiches, I’ve never experienced corned beef sliced so thinly, and hope I never have to again. As the central element of a corned beef sandwich, to have such bland corned beef is devastating to the overall experience of the sandwich.
The rye was garden variety, which is very disappointing, as I feel that the flavor of the rye is such an important element of a true corned beef sandwich. I am not sure if the rye is from a local artisan bakery, but it wouldn’t have been that hard to increase the overall quality of this sandwich by using a flavorful artisan rye for this and any other Moishe’s Pippic’s sandwiches.
The cole slaw, wich was located adjacent to the corned beef layer of the sandwich, was sweet and too moist. The flavor complemented the sandwich well, but made the bread soggy and the sandwich overall unwieldy.
I don’t have much to say about the Russian dressing, as this was no better and no worse than any other thousand island dressing that I have had on any other corned beef sandwich. I do like that they called it «Russian dressing.»
The optional brown mustard that I ordered with the sandwich was the most flavorful part of the sandwich, but lacked any hint of horseradish, which is another huge whiff for this sandwich (I am not sure if a side of horseradish was an order-​able option, it was not offered to me). In all honesty, if this corned beef sandwich had any strong flavors without the inclusion of the brown mustard, adding this particular brown mustard to such a sandwich would provide no major flavor impact. The only reason why this particular brown mustard was acceptable for this sandwich was because the sandwich provided no strong flavors on its own. It was a mediocre brown mustard.
Overall, I wasn’t impressed. If I’m in the mood for a corned beef sandwich, this definitely was edible and enjoyable on the level of it qualifying as «a corned beef sandwich,» and I’d happily consume it again. But… if I’m seeking a corned beef sandwich that exemplifies the concept of the «Jewish Deli Culinary Masterpiece,» this absolutely isn’t it. There are fantastic corned beef sandwiches out there, but I have yet to consume one in San Francisco.

The closest thing you’ll find to an East Coast deli you will find in SF. Exceptional food and great service. I’ve been coming here for years and have never had a bad experience. Parking can be tricky but it’s well worth the effort (note that the meters do accept credit cards so you need not worry about quarters!
Moishe is himself a pleasant image of a deli owner from times gone by. He is always willing to chat with customers, exceptionally helpful, and in the ‘old style’ you don’t pay until you have finished eating. A very causual and relaxing place to enjoy a meal or share one with a friend (his sandwitches are that BIG)!

The first place we’ve found a reasonable facsimile of Chicago dogs in SF. Cheap & yummy with all the right fixings, including the hallowed fluorescent green relish! Can’t go wrong for under $ 6.
Only drawback is that they only take cash. Happy they are open all day Saturday now, or we’d never have been able to try it!

This is why I moved here. (Yes, another example.) Pastrami on Rye. That’s it. Meat. Bread. Kosher. I steer clear of extreme, rigid dietary rules, but if there were one I’d stick with, it’s Kosher (but you know… the kind where it’s «oh, yeah, I eat pork from time to time).
A shop like this — deftly managed on the front line by the Man Of The House — is what I love about coastal/​major cities. I turn the corner after picking up coffee — and lo! Moishe’s that I’ve been meaning to go for years. Yes, years. Pastrami on Rye with coffee is my go to mid-​morning early lunch, late night at office meal. This guy nails it. A stack of pastrami that isn’t obscenely tall makes me happy in fact. Sure you could give me 3 pounds of pastrami for $ 10 and knock me out afterward, but really that’s not sustainable. This guy serves just the right amount. He didn’t balk at my odd choice of going plain with pickle on the side, and I hope to be such a regular to be named Just Plain.
Note: Theodore O – Pastrami King of SF — is correct. This place & Miller’s. That’s it.

First off, the service was exceptional. 5 stars!
The food I found to be fine, but it did not blow me out of the water. I found my roast beef sandwich to be rather bland (i had to add salt and pepper).
The reason I only give 3 stars is because of the high prices. I do believe them to be high (around 12.50 a sandwich) and hence my expectations were also high.

I am in LOVE with Moishe. I can’t believe it took me so long to try this House of Fluffy Perfect Matzoh Balls! The soup was excellent. I wish I knew his secret to this perfection.
I paired it with an amazing pastrami sandwich on fresh rye bread. Added the perfect compliment of cream soda.
I was surprised that the pastrami was so lean and delicious. Huge pile of meat.
I love this neighborhood deli. Worth the drive from anywhere!

good

I have driven past this place numerous times and always loved seeing the Yiddish marquee name, so when I was schlepping around the City a couple of weeks ago I finally decided to stop in.
The first thing I noticed about this place was that it was kind of dark and seemed pretty dingy. Something I didn’t expect for the neighborhood this place is housed in. There was only one other customer and I knew I wanted to try one thing-​a hot dog. Something I rarely have, but for some reason, it was what I wanted. The man working the counter (maybe owner) was nice and that might have been the best thing about this place.
I ordered a polish dog with mustard, sauerkraut and a pickle. It was served on a soft poppyseed bun (which I love). This is all I orded and it cost $ 6.25! I swallowed hard, and looked for other Giants fans or my favorite rock band or for what time my movie was going to start. Nope, none of this going on-​I have never paid this kind of money for a hot dog-​especially not one that was not served with something else, wrapped to go and to be honest, not worth more than a couple of bites.
Oh Moishe’s how I wanted to love your pippic (belly button) and how you stole my money and left me dissatisfied. I have had better Polish Dogs from Costco (back when they had Hebrew National) and won’t bother visiting you again.

I never knew Hayes Valley aka the haven for haute couture would have such a legit Chicago style Jewish deli right in it’s hood.
Order at the counter, have a seat in their cozy dining area, and prepare to be kosher’ized. Tons of Chi-​town eye candy memorabilia. (
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Ordered their Corned Beef sandwich, it came on a really crusty rye (so crusty, I didn’t eat the crusts) with a dash of mustard. High quality meat, really simple, pretty juicy, really tasty.
For 10 bucks it was a cool Chi-​town/​deli experience with the authentic, look, feel and taste even the owner had a little accent and snark… everything Chicago short of a R Kelly doo doo butter show. (
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I wouldn’t mind trying their Chicago hot dog next time I’m in the area.

Chicago style Jewish deli. What a mouthful.
Not exactly sure what Chicago style is. Nor what a Jewish deli is supposed to offer. All I know is this is some good stuff.
Passed by this place plenty of times and never bothered to even glance in. Came here one day and finally realized what I’ve been missing out on.
A friendly deli with ample seating. Chicago newspaper clippings plastered on one side of the wall. Definitely interesting to look at, especially all the Michael Jordan and Bulls ones.
Ordered the State and Lake Sandwich. Wowee. I’ve been to enough shops around the city, but never had a sandwich with corned beef and hot pastrami piled up this high. A bit of hot mustard between the rye bread. Juice dripping all over the place. What a mouthful.
Side of macaroni salad and dill pickle. Yum!