Hymie's Deli: Simply the Best

When you grow up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, you take it for granted that a deli has a great corned beef special, killer pastrami and excellent soups made from scratch. I could find this in most delis that I frequented when I was younger. After several stints in cities like Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, I discovered that not all delis are created equal.

I can't even tell you the sadness I felt when I bit into an insipid corned beef sandwich, a bland piece of stuffed cabbage or overly sweet cheese blintz. After about a dozen unsuccessful attempts to find the delicious deli food I was used to, I just about gave up. I would only eat my favorite deli dishes when I was back home visiting my parents.

It was kind of a ritual. I would come home and pig out on deli sandwiches, hoagies, thin crust pizza and my mom's Korean food. Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles have their own specialities and highlights, but their delis are just not up to snuff.

Hymie's Deli is one of my favorite delis of all time. I say this quite seriously. I have never not loved a sandwich from Hymie's. Their soups are outstanding—and there's even a pickle bar.

While it goes without saying that they have my favorite corned beef special (sometimes when I'm trying to be healthier, I'll opt for turkey pastrami), there's more to this place than just the sandwiches. What I thought was a sign of the times was the availability of a version of the beloved special with only half the corned beef (the M.A.S. Schmucker). It's featured with the salads as it is indeed a healthier alternative. 

I went in for breakfast to try something different. I ordered the bagel with salty lox on a toasted sesame bagel. I know there is some debate about the best way to eat a bagel, and many New Yorkers are anti-toasting. But we're not in New York City. For starters, I ordered a cup of the cabbage soup.

The soup arrived brimming with slender slices of tender translucent cabbage, carrots and chunks of beef. The broth was thick, hearty and a perfect blend of savory and slightly sweet flavors. I inhaled the cup of soup in about thirty seconds. To my mind, there is no better version of this soup anywhere.

The bagel and lox plate was heavily loaded with plenty of vegetables (tomatoes, onions, peppers and olives) and two thick slices of cream cheese. I have a particular way of eating a bagel and lox, spreading the cream cheese evenly on both bagel halves, placing tomato slices on top, sprinkling some black pepper on top of the tomato, placing two onion rings on each slice of tomato, then distributing the lox equally on both piles. A little squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some more black pepper and it's ready to go. The lox was salty and wonderful. Sometimes lox is stringy or tough, but this was quite delicate, and delicious.

The decor is straight up diner, with booths and small tables throughout the dining space. There is always plenty of chatter so it always feels festive and exciting inside. I love to peruse the cake case while waiting for a table. Some of the cakes have as many as five layers.

The service is friendly and quick. Your table will be "watered" within a minute of your sitting down. Your food will come out quickly after ordering. The kitchen and staff at Hymie's is a well-oiled machine. 

I can't say enough about how much I love this place—the food, the people who work there and the wide variety of take-away items, including soups, baked goods, smoked fish and whatever else may strike your fancy.

Hymie's has been around for a long time,  and always seems busy—a testament to the quality of product that they have consistently been putting out over the years.