TooJay’s

I have previously enjoyed decent food at Toojay’s in the past, although our service typically ranges from mediocre to slow. Today’s visit, however will be our last. After being seated for almost 40 minutes, our lunches finally arrived. My hot pastrami bagel was ice cold, and I was having a hard time finding any pastrami. Approximately 1.5 oz. of (fair) pastrami was hiding in about ¹⁄₃ of the sandwich. My wife’s stuffed cabbage was acceptable, but lukewarm. To top off this less than enjoyable experience, another waitress came along while we were eating and asked if we’d move our feet so she could sweep under our table… TWO times; first with a broom, then with an electric vacuum sweeper. SERIOUSLY?
Total time: 1:15…Last time.

Extremely mediocre hot pastrami sandwich served lukewarm on soggy bread. The people I was with liked their meals, however.

The food at TooJays was tasty and reasonably priced, especially with a half-​off second entrée coupon. Excellent home fries! Nice menu with lots of good choices. However, waiting 20 minutes for eggs to be served is absurd. Our server, Chastity, was friendly enough, but not very attentive. We also had to wait to get our check at the end of the meal. There are lots of good restaurants for breakfast and lunch in the Sarasota area, many with quicker and better service than what we experienced today at TooJays.

I was very disappointed in my sandwich. The bread was stale and the sandwich small. I have been at another TooJay’s location, which was much better.

Toojay’s has a wonderful, large menu. If you like deli, you like Toojay’s.
They have tasty chicken noodle soup, matzoh ball soup, Reuben’s, pastrami… You get the idea.
Even if you don’t like deli foods, there are plenty of other choices for you.
Kids and adults both, well enjoy Toojay’s.
But if you prefer something to take home to eat, they have plenty to choose from.
Be sure you try their fabulous desserts, even if you have to take it to go! From their black-​and-​white cookies to the rice pudding — it’s all so good.
Enjoy Toojay’s !

We don’t have many great deli’s in Florida and TooJay’s lived up to that let down. A large menu of super mediocre food. This is no deli.

The sandwiches are amazing and the amount is gracious. Piled high! New York style deli!
No wonder they have been in business since 1981.
Buffy our waitress was friendly, smiling all the time and attentive! Great place for brunch or any meal.
Quiet atmosphere. A must!

It’s been quite awhile since we were here last and the one thing my bf was craving, was no longer on the menu. He asked the server about it and she confirmed they don’t make it anymore. After walking away, she returned about a minute later and said they would make it just for him. I’d return to a restaurant with «decent» food and outstanding service, but luckily the food here is great too. We’ll definitely visit more frequently. And if we can, try to get in Elsa’s section :)

I’m from NY originally and I know good Kosher/​Kosher-​style Delis. Ben’s in LI, NY & east coast of FL… now that’s a good Deli. (Wish THEY’D come to Sarasota.)
Toojay’s pickles are NOT Kosher style Dill or Half Sour Pickles. Their PICKLES & PASTRAMI are AWFUL! (TONGUE is great!)
Good Rye bread, good Knishes, good Potato pancakes … but no Kishke (Stuffed Derma) … that’s a bummer!) The french fries are frozen potatoes, not fresh like a NY Deli has. The pastrami meat was changed from kosher-​style National Deli brand to some new gentile-​style brand. It’s smoked like ham!
If Toojay’s was once run by Jewish people, I don’t think they are anymore. Unfortunately. They are the best we have in the Sarasota area.

Far better than our experiences at other delis. Some have large portions of mediocre meats. Some have small portions of good lean corned beef, etc. TooJay’s give you both, plus folksy friendly service most of the time.
When we spit an entrée, which they are very helpful doing, we have a great dinner for two for about $ 12. And there is nothing ‘cheap’ about it. Pleasant ambience, clean, fresh food, etc. Perfect comfort food experience.

This is a place you should probably avoid. I never have a particularly bad experience, which makes this review that much worse (I think).
It’s not all that clean, the furniture, carpet and (to some extent) the employees feel «dingy». It caters to a much older crowd. Candidly most of their patrons can’t see too far in front of their faces. That’s probably how they’re surviving.
The sad part is that their servers apparently detest their work environment and the age of their customers. On a few occasions, I remember feeling out of place witnessing waiters roll their eyes, tap their feet, and generally give off an annoyed demeanor at their guests.
Bright side? No one that’s likely to eat here knows what a Unilocal is.
Anywhere else but buried in a corner of a for then mall and they would be out of business.

Will not be back — lettuce in my salad was brown and wilted, and the chicken was grey and flavorless. The complete lack of food quality was paired with equally poor service.

I had a terrible experience at TooJay’s this morning. I went back after I stopped going there two years ago for this very same thing. THE FOOD COMES OUT STONE COLD! Our waiter most likely let it sit. They were very bust, but still, seriously? We also asked for water which never came out. The food there is generally excellent, but it has been some time when I could give it a positive review. An inattentive server can absolutely ruin your dining experience. The manager made it right by giving me a gift card, but I had my hopes up for a great breakfast. What a shame!

Best CB in Sarasota. real deli style… and fab Matzo Ball soup… and excellent desserts… ask me I am Italian… we know food…

I came here to give this place a second chance because they are under new management. I must say it was very good. It’s not a quick place so I don’t recommend it for your lunch break. But if you have time on your hands. This is one good place to go.

The ONLY reason it didn’t get 5 stars is they serve Pepsi and the Dr. Brown soda’s are too sweet for my taste.
Had a stressful morning and was in the mood for some comfort food. Specifically, an indulgence to make up for the day so far. So sushi or…
TooJay’s Deli. Perfect! I had a hot pastrami on rye with pickle and coleslaw. SO had a Ruben with sweet potato fries. Closing my eyes, I took a huge bite and was rewarded with a taste of childhood. Hot, yummy and a bit of fat!
Forgot the waitress’ name from GA but she was pleasant and attentive.
No room for dessert but I was tempted.

This place is amazing. If I lived in Florida, I would be eating at this deli at least once a week if not once a day.
I got the new avocado melt, which I would recommend highly. The salads also looked great.
You will also want to get dessert, so save room if you can!

We went here for brunch on a Tuesday around 10:30AM. The restaurant was pretty much deserted so we were seated immediately. I felt like it took a long time to get our food (around 35 mins) considering there wasn’t anyone else in the restaurant, but everyone enjoyed the food. I had the cinnamon French toast which was delicious.

Wow, what a deli.
I’d give Toojay’s a 4 star review if it weren’t for the waitress we got. Sure, table of four is great for lunch and all, but when two of the people are already there, waiting for the others, things get hectic. Yes, we shouldn’t have been seated right away, but no one was there when we got there. We expected the people we were meeting, to arrive momentarily. All in the meantime, our waitress kept coming over to ask if the people are showing up. We were holding a good table in a somewhat empty restaurant. Almost 35 minutes later, they other two arrived (traffic delay). The second the party sits down, waitress comes over and barks out the «do y’all know what ya’ll want?» and the company said no, they just arrived. Fine, she leaves. We talk for a minute while we decide, and finally, order. Waitress was in such a rush for us to leave (it was now getting busy and they really wanted the table), that the second she brought our lunch, she arrived five minutes later with dessert (we had a coupon for a complimentary piece of chocolate cake. which was shared). Can we eat our sandwiches, please? Don’t rush us because you are upset the table was being held for so long. After all said and done, when it came to paying, one person used a credit card. Let’s just say our waitress REALLY wanted us out. To the point she ended up throwing the person’s card and receipt on the dirty plate that held the chocolate cake. Now the card had to be wiped clean of chococaramel sauce, and the receipt was a mess.
Overall, outside of the waitress trying to push us out, the meals were good. Sandwiches (Mediterranean Turkey on Ciabatta and Brisket on rye) were piled high. The cheese on the Mediterranean enclosed a portion of the turkey and the tabbouleh was a nice touch inside. The brisket looked like it was cooked perfect, and I didn’t catch any complaints about the taste. Salads (Garden Spinach with Grilled Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Salad) were enough for 2 people, not just the one person who ordered them. The seating was comfortable, the rest of the staff nice.
Would I go back if I were in the area? I don’t know, to be honest. As many choices as there are on the menu (with too many to try), I think it would depend on what’s going on that day.

We called ahead for a table for 12′ and while they didn’t take reservations, they were able to make it happen when we arrived at the promised time. 6 separate checks were no problem for our waiter who went out of his way to make sure we had what we needed.
The food was good. Accolades from 2 for the salmon cakes, the Reuben and sliders were great and we split. Dinner which also was good.
I wouldn’t hesitate to go to this chain again