Finding The Perfect Sandwich: Irving's Deli

Since its opening a few years ago, Irving's Deli on West Mount Pleasant Avenue has garnered quite a large following in Livingston.  

It has the look and feel of a New York-style deli with Reuben sandwiches and sides like knishes, blintzes and matzoh ball soup on the menu.  Like in those spots, customers are promptly served a bowl of cole slaw and sour pickles upon seating.

It wouldn't be a true deli if there wasn't pastrami on the menu and Irving's certainly has it covered. For $12.95 you can order a sandwich with a mountainous stack of hand cut pastrami on good rye bread. For those who aren't up to the task of eating so much, all "Piled High" sandwiches can be ordered as a half-sized portion for the price of $7.95.  There are corned beef, roast beef, turkey, chopped liver and other kinds of sandwiches.

For those who prefer lighter sandwiches, there is a section on the menu dedicated to wraps, which are not as packed with meat. Among the various wrap options are the Chicken Caesar Salad wrap, the Club wrap and the Salad wrap. The deli also has an impressive menu of large salads, including the Waldroff salad, which is comprised of lettuce, apples, walnuts, raisins and vinaigrette dressing. This salad is a good alternative for vegetarians or those looking to watch what they eat.

Irving's serves various hamburgers named after sports teams in the New York area. For instance there is the "Mets Burger," which is a hamburger topped with ham, American cheese, lettuce and tomato.  There is also the "Favre Burger," which is a bit more on the spicy side with various spices, sautéed onions and Jack cheese.

Due to its close proximity to many businesses, Irving's has a special lunch menu, catered towards large groups of people (6 or more). These lunch packages include a cup of soup for each person, a large helping of fries, three side salads, sandwiches and a beverage at a price of $15.00 per person. On the surface this may appear to be a little more expensive than other lunch options, but the value is quite incredible.

There's New York-style cheesecake for dessert — of course! — and other options including Red Velvet, Cookies n' Cream and Chocolate Fudge cakes.

With so much to offer, my friend Alex and I took a trip to Irving's Deli recently to taste their sandwich offerings. It was the first visit to the popular deli for the both of us, so we weren't sure what to expect or to order!

What We Thought?

Phil:

Right off the bat, I really liked the atmosphere inside Irving's. It was as if the owners picked up an authentic New York City deli and brought it to Livingston. It has everything you could expect from a city deli, including the decorum — sort of like Katz's, I heard — and the inclusion of Dr. Brown's soda which is something that very few restaurants outside of delis carry.

I ordered the Turkey Club wrap off of the menu board. For the price of $9.95, I received a wrap that was packed full with freshly sliced turkey, bacon, lettuce tomato topped off with a bit of mayonnaise. I thought the wrap had a lot of flavor. Normally, for the price I would have expected a side of either a salad or fries, but the sandwich was filling enough on its own.

The turkey, which was sliced to order, was flavorful and plentiful. I liked the fact that the bacon was well-cooked and crunchy. The mayonnaise complimented the rest of the sandwich rather nicely and gave it a sweet taste.

I would have tried more, but I was was just too stuffed, a good sign.

Alex:

The tuna salad sandwich was fairly good. The tuna that was used was fresh and I liked the inclusion of the diced celery bits. The bread was toasted just perfectly where the bread was crisp but not burnt. I do wish that there could have been something else included on the sandwich, like lettuce and tomato, to compliment the tuna fish.

Overall:

Irving's Deli has a great deal of deli options.  Next time, we'll try the more classic options, which we hear are great and looked so, too.

Although it is a bit confusing at first, the ordering process is simple and the cooks will prepare your sandwich within minutes. I feel that while most of their prices are fair, some sandwiches, such as the tuna salad sandwich, would benefit if a few dollars were shaved off the price. Perhaps a $5 or $6 price tag would be more appropriate for what was only tuna salad on white toast.

Otherwise, I enjoyed my experience at Irving's. The staff was friendly and even though the restaurant was buzzing with the lunchtime crowd, I did not have to wait very long for my food to be made.

Next week we will visit longtime Livingston deli, Epps Essen, in search of more good sandwiches.

Irving's Delicatessen

Address: 575 West Mount Pleasant Avenue, Livingston

Phone: (973) 994-5100

Date Review: July 15, 2010

*This story has been updated.