King David Brings "Fun" to Traditional Deli

With long distance delivery and shipping services, literally goes that extra mile to bring you Jewish deli favorites.

Managing partner Eli Klinkowitz, who has owned the restaurant with family friend Mark Rubin for more than five years, talked to Patch about what makes his place different than other kosher restaurants.

How did you get into this business?

I had been working in the food industry for 10 years, and I was in culinary school. I found the opportunity when I heard that King David was up for sale.

Why the Five Towns?

I used to come to this area a lot when I was younger. I live in Far Rockaway, and I always came to this restaurant years ago.

Have you made any changes since you took over?

When I first came in, I added different things to the menu that I considered fun items. I just recently redid the menu to make it more appealing and more organized. And I took out some items that weren’t selling.

When I first took over, I redecorated and painted, and we brought in paintings so the place wouldn’t look as sterile. We wanted a place that wasn’t too fancy for families, but at the same time, couples would feel that it’s a nice place to have a night out.

What are some of the restaurant's biggest selling items?

The pastrami sandwich and the chicken Caesar salad, which is unbelievable. And the sliced steak sandwich is great. Our signature sandwich is called the “King David Big Mouth,” which is roast beef, corned beef, turkey breast, pastrami, lettuce, tomato, onion and Russian dressing on club bread. It’s huge — meant for two. But I’ve seen people try to tackle it by themselves. Some people have, but most take the rest to go.

What kinds of customers do you get?

Sunday dinner is our busiest time. We get families, groups, couples. The lunch crowd is a mix of business workers and high school kids. Lunch specials range from $5.45 to $13.95. It’s a slightly smaller portion than at dinner time. Most come with a side dish and a soda.

What sets King David apart from other eateries?

There are a lot of other kosher restaurants in the area, but we have some interesting things you probably won’t find at the other places. There’s traditional items, like the corned beef, but we also have some fun items like the spicy crispy chicken sandwiches, steaks, Italian and Mexican. Our traditional items tend to attract a slightly older crowd, and some of the newer items tend to attract the younger crowd.

We also offer catering inside and outside the restaurant. We have a party room that can accommodate up to 65 people and has a big screen 51-inch TV. We even had a super bowl party last year.

What else is the deli known for?

We deliver anywhere, like way out on the island, Queens, Brooklyn. Some people are willing to pay a high delivery fee if they don’t have anything like King David near them.

We also have travel meals. When people go on vacation or a business trip, it may be to a place that doesn’t have kosher restaurants. When the customer gets it, the food is frozen solid. If they can’t pick it up, we’ll ship it for them. It’s the same thing for regular deliveries. If it’s too far to drive it over, we’ll ship it anywhere in the continental U.S.