The food is great and the menu is huge. Waits can get long and I agree that it's not the kind of place that merits an hour wait-- it's a neighborhood diner. The challah french toast is out of this world. I also like their lighter options like chicken matzo ball soup and kabob dinner. Make sure you ask for the bagel chips if they forget, they're delicious! Friendly staff and attentive service.
Fare is good, staff are friendly, but the place is very busy for brunch on weekends (too much for me)
We ate at zaftig's delicatessen this morning for breakfast. I had a Nova lox bagel with all the fixings (pictured). My girlfriend had avocado toast which also had some smoked salmon on top and a poached egg. Both meals were absolutely excellent, the service was very good, the coffee was also excellent. Highly recommended.
I don't understand why this place is so popular, the service isn't great at all and the food is kind of bad. Waiting 45min for this is really not worth it!
Great food, friendly staff. Great roast beef and knish! Reasonably priced
Massive disappointment. After many years of hearing the hype about this place I finally went and probably won't be going back based on this experience. The menu is a little on the pricey side, and when my blueberry pancakes came to the table plain the waitress didn't even apologize, just gave me a blank stare and didn't even apologize or offer to get the order right, just asked if I wanted to throw some blueberries on top.
The MOST delicious breakfast. Good prices for what you are getting. Our server was attentive and accommodating even though the place was jam packed. Definitely recommend.
Great ambiance, extremely homey, and great service. The food is also divine! The dishes definitely have the homemade taste to them!
It s a classic Jewish deli with all the proper selections. I always get the pastrami and some matzo soup and you should too.
I dream of zaftigs. I dream of their sandwiches, different variety of potatoes, and their pickles. The food is always amazing and the service has been great. It's a cozy spot!
I went on a weekday so there was no wait, rather plenty of seating was available. The menu had some great options and the ambience was nice. The art decor is fun to look at. The location is also very convenient. The price was justified by the quantities served. I would say it wasn't the best breakfast food I have had but it was decent. The poached eggs were over cooked but I know that the chef needs to be decently skilled to get them right. The house coffee is absolutely terrible and definitely very over-priced even for free refill.
Comfort food potatoe pancakes ,broccoli cheese kenish
Excellent food and service. Going to go this morning.
Great food! First time visitor. This place is packed at dinnertime on a week night.
Got in by going solo to the bar on a busy Saturday afternoon. Had a giant Pastrami sandwich on rye with Swiss cheese and one of their store-branded Strawberry sodas. The sandwich came with good slaw and a selection of pickles. Everything was great. But be prepared to wait in line to get in, especially on a weekend.
Not disappointed. Tables are very crowded. Now how to get it right.
I read and heard good things about this place, but I wasn't super impressed. The food was good, not great. The service was attentive and friendly.
Always dependable. Dina is an exceptional wait person. Remembers preferences and makes me feel welcome. The space could use a sprucing up.
Waiting 30 minutes to get a table was worthy everything here is delicious
Nothing we ordered here disappoint
Nice friendly crowd while I was there.
But i would definitely avoid peak hours
This place has gone down considerably! I live in the neighborhood of the Brookline store. Since they started taking take out orders with Uber and other service company, the service at the bar sucks! No obe pays attention. I waited for over 10 min for french toasts!! The front staff barely has time to say hello and take order. Not worth it anymore!
The New Yorker with its pickle plate and the chopped liver were unreal delicious. Dont leave without ordering cold borscht!!
Only real breakfast place in the area. I am not sure if the food quality justifies the one hour wait on the weekend. The food is ok but not exceptional. The food is more a 3.5 stars. The coffee quality 2 stars. Service and kid friendliness 4 stars. If it is Saturday or Sunday 11am and you are still waiting in line, I recommend checking out the brunch at Regal Beagel across the street (close to the stop light) or The Fireplace at Washington Square (two T-Stops) outbound from Coolidge corner T-Stop.
Besides breakfast, they offer good lunch and dinner options. The sandwiches and portions in general are pretty big.
Updated..9/28/2017 .I'll update this to 3 stars from 5. Quality of food and service have declined as others have also noted. Typically steak and eggs are great but now meat is fattier and has grissle and they are adding more seasoning to mask quality. They served burnt toast which I have never seen a restaurant do, even bad ones. I also noticed grubhub people hanging about more, maybe this is increasing orders and lowering quality...it'll be awhile before I return.
Love this place! Always get the steak and eggs, I know I know, but other food is good too and just have to go when I am in Boston. Never had a bad experience.
It was an OK eating place with too many customers. Not sure... for what reason? Four people had to spend 75$ with no fancy food except fruit bowls and regular omelets. Tea water was cold to even make a fresh cup of tea. Sorry, I can't give more than two stars. Finding parking spot was another problem, which tells me not to go there for second time.
Great deli! Have gone for lunch or dinner, sandwiches are excellent. They will grill any sandwich if you ask. I have gotten different sandwiches everytime I've gone and loved all of them. Can't order wrong here!
Service is so slow. Corned beef full of grissel and dry. Ate mine because I hadn't eaten all day. Placed order and waiting 15 minutes before they said they were out. Husband couldn't eat his sandwich to dry. Pickles horrid. Worst Rueben sandwich I have ever had.
Not super vegetarian friendly for lunch. Food was ok. Had the spinach salad, the vinaigrette was very sweet.
Food is good, price are fair, personal could be nicer!! Worth to wait no more than 20 min!!
The food and amount of food was enough for 2 meals! The food was delicious and everyone was very friendly!
The chopped liver is too sweet. This place isn't worth the wait or the price.
The food was delicious, I love the potato pancakes and the very well cooked - not burned - scrambled eggs. There was a little wait before finding a table and we could crawl in inside to avoid the cold wind. That allowed me to try their PB&J bar and it was amazing.
My wife was 9mo pregnant and she literally started her contractions when we arrived. Despite the place was super full and crowded, they quickly find her a waiting chair and some water with ice.
After getting a fine table to seat and before finishing our brunch meal, we had to jump in to the hospital to have our lovely baby. They quickly answered wrapping our food to go.
This is certainly the most remarkable brunch I'll ever had and we will have this day at Zaftigs as a lovely experience.
I like the place and food is good. You won't regret trying it but it isn't the best restaurant so u give 4 stars.
Half of the food was good and half was not good (and very salty). Service was ok
Great brunch, jewish lunch. This place definitely satisfies my jewish food cravings as well as reminds me of great New Jersey Diners. Loved the poached egg and smoked salmon dishes here. The wait was long and the place was crowded but worth it. Pure Comfort Food.
One of the best brunch I had in Boston. Try their french toast! It was awesome!
Took long with food an was not tentative had me waiting 25min for soup was ridicules...
Great place for diner food. Bloody Mary is meh. The potatoes/hash for breakfast is good. The bagel chips are wonderful. The restaurant is very crowded during late breakfast and lunch hours. The tables don't offer privacy in most of the restaurant, which offers opportunity to talk to strangers; some may not like the interruption potential.
Decent greasy food but not particularly special. I don't like the slow service and the high prices.
Average diner with a large enough menu. It was pretty busy on a Tuesday afternoon.
I had the corn beef hash and eggs. The corn beef is homemade which was a nice change, but has small pieces of onions and peppers which I don't like, unfortunately. The toast was super dry and overcooked. The home fries were large cubed potatoes and pretty tasty.
The other person in our party had the veggie wrap. He said it was good, but the veggies were barely chopped up and left quite large which made the wrap fall apart.
My son had the kid's pancakes. He said they were ok, but didn't like that they had powdered sugar on them.
Overall, average diner. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit again, but it's ok if you're in the area.
I love the breakfast, very generous servings and the staff is friendly and helpful.
banana stuffed french toast. is da bomb. everything is good too. very busy, can accommodate groups but.. good luck
The food wasn't great but it was fine. Also price is reasonable. Also clerks were kind.
This place is a neighborhood favorite. Have gone here for years. Despite two bad experiences with undercooked chicken... I have returned numerous time but have stuck to breakfast items. Challah french toast is to die for!
Accommodated our party of ten within the estimated waiting time in the middle of the day on a Saturday!
The food was delicious. I had the potato pancakes with salmon and dill sour cream. I enjoyed every single bite! I wish I had a second order to have for supper.
I have to say, the drinks were also delicious and fresh! Several people at my table got cocktails and, not only did they look pretty, they tasted amazing too.
Great place, worth the wait!
Two people in the party and we both had the same reaction. So called pumpernickel bread could best be discribed as soggy whole wheat. Even the toasted ruben was soggy. Not a lot of flavor to the pastrami or corned beef and the quantity was not impressive. The original order was for turkey, but they were sold out?? Pickels and fries were good. A rather disapointing meal.
Food was delicious! Great menu! Service, not so good. We sat at the counter, staff was very busy with carry out orders.
Prepair to wait for one of the best restaurants in town. The cheese blintz we're on point the first time I dined here, service was above average, food quality was excellent and both my guests and I had a fantastic meal here. The open face sandwiches should be eaten with a fork, you've been warned. This Jewish delicatessen is excellent and I highly recommend it.
Great place, good vibes, food was good, French fries were amazing. I suggest getting the new Yorker
Delicious food, but the wait is usually really long.
The food was great! We ordered egg Benedict which was awesome and San Francisco Joe s special which was good but a little dry.
If you are going there in weekends, add 40 minutes wait time to your schedule.
Great local place for breakfast. Be ready to wait on the weekends unless you get there early.
Great atmosphere and excellent food! The potato pancakes were incredible!
This Jewish delicatessen is an absolute gem. Your meal is started with bagel chips and homemade cream cheese. From breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, this place is a place to imprrss your visiting friends and family. Just good, simple food. One of my favorites!
Great food & staff are real fast worker what ever you need get it you
OMG the Corned Beef Sandwich mustard on the side with pickle would feed a k horse Of course it is k style Purim was so much fun today in Brookline as costumes candy and general high spirits greeted one another Happy Purim! Don't miss the Holidays in Brookline so much fun!
The sandwiches, potato pancakes, eggs and blintzes are all fantastic here. Service was friendly and quick even during a busy morning.
Excellent service and food. I really liked the latkes
Huge sandwiches, very authentic food and a super nice staff!!
Fantastic Sandwiches and traditionally Jewish food. They always serve toasted bagel chips with cream cheese which is a unique spin on the bread bowl.
My favorite dish is the Lupo which is a very generous serving of beef brisket served on potato latkes. Its so tasty.
Great food,deli,breakfasts and dinners. Staff great,very clean lots of food
I really enjoyed my food here. It was well made, and I think everyone I was with was satisfied. The only thing I'll say is that the wait was a little long, but otherwise it was quite good.
Pros: Sour pickle was very good. French fries are crisp and tasty. Mustard at the table was good quality. Knishes were ok.
Cons: Very slow service. Took 20 minutes to get food, 15 minutes to get the check. Rice is dry, unsalted and tastes like cardboard. Fried fish tasted off and was tough. Steak tips were inconsistently cooked and flavorless. New Yorker sandwich was very dry and lacked salt and flavor. Carrots looked dehydrated.
Known for brunch/breakfast. Been here a couple times for brunch and crazy long waits. More like 40 to 60 minutes.
Nothing fantastic here. It tastes good but just about everyone makes breakfast good. I don't think it's worth the 40 minute wait and price.
The wait staff seem nice but the crowd that goes there may not be.
Absolutely stellar one of the best in Boston. Not only great for ethnic comfort food...but also a great introduction. Super reasonable pricing. Fantastic staff. Comfortable cozy decor. Wonderfully upscale casual.
Vestige of a largely bygone era. Brings back memories of the old Lower East Side. I usually get scrambled eggs with lox or a whitefish platter for breakfast, chopped liver (or pastrami, or tongue) for lunch, or when I just gotta have a deli sandwich. This is comfort food so comforting (to me) that I always keep coming back, even though my orders frequently come to the table wrong. I eat the mistake and leave a nice tip cuz I just can t help but love the place.
Food is standard for brunch. Definitely a long wait for this place.
The food was Great! Loved the apple and cheese omelet with challah bread. The service was good and the atmosphere was charming!
Haven't figured out what the rage is about this place ordered a rubin and the top looked great but I couldn't pick the sandwich up the bottom slice of bread was soaking wet yes I will try it again but I won't go out of my way
Friendly staff, good food. Service this Friday night was confused and slow.
I like Brookline Zaftigs. But Jewish deli is a weakness I confess to. For others, there are plenty of other choices.
zaftigs.com
