Sarge's Deli & Restaurant

06/04/2008 Posted by sagredo

I'm reporting on breakfast only. The food was good, not great. The two people who had omelets liked them, but the blintzes that I had were only fair and served too cool. They tasted all right, but their texture and lack of any butter or fat on the plate made be think that that they had just been defrosted in a microwaved and not sauted, as I had expected them to be. The time between when we ordered and when we got our food was quite long---maybe 20 minutes, even though the place was rather empty. That may have been why the blintzes were cool. The waitress was friendly and attentive, but the grapefruit juice that we ordered turned out to be a Tropicana grapefruit juice DRINK---not juice---and came to the table in its original bottle. The worst thing about my experience, however, was paying for the meal. At Sarge's you pay at a checkout counter, not at the table. The person behind the table was probably an unemployable brother-in-law of an owner. When I arrived at the counter he not only didn't acknowledge my presence, but spent about five minutes putting blank pages in a looseleaf notebook, then another minute or two straightening up his counter. Finally he grudgingly accepted my check and credit card, never once looking at me, and muttering things like "I don't know what I'm doing here" to a fellow employee. (I have to say I agreed with him on that; he certainly wasn't providing service.) Only once before in my life have I ever encountered anyone as incompetent in a service position as him. In summary, I might go back to Sarge's, but if I do I'll make sure before I go in that he isn't the one at the checkout counter.

Pros: decent food, reasonable prices

Cons: service very spotty---nice waitress, terrible cashier

06/02/2008 Posted by huskyduck

Sarge's is not outstanding in any one area. It doesn't measure up to Katz's pastrami or Second Avenue's matzoh ball soup for example, but it does most things fairly well. Sarge's is kind of the like the New York jack of all trades of New York Delis. Sarge's is open 24/7 which is a huge asset for those who seek good quality deli styled food at all hours of the day. Sarge's would be a good choice for tourists who find themselves checking into their hotel at odd hours with a big appetite who want to start off their New York trip with a reasonably authentic Manhattan experience (i.e. not a chain restaurant). I went to Sarge's at 1 am and I found the service tolerable.

Pros: Open 24/7; the jack of all trades of New York Delis

Cons: Doesn't do one thing outstanding

04/13/2008 Posted by dmalkin

DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE.....they are completely incapable of taking an order from seamless web or over the phone. I am now still waiting almost 3 hours later for my meal. I have called three times and only found out the third time that they didn't have my order. Yet, they had confirmed twice that it was on its way out. Not only has this been ridiculous, but they showed no remorse or compensation. They obviously didn't give a sh*t about their customers because I used to be a loyal Sarge's order. IT'S NOT WORTH THE WAIT OR THE HASSLE AND THEIR SERVICE AND EMPLOYEES ARE RUDE AND INCAPABLE OF DELIVERING A SIMPLE ORDER....THEIR FOOD IS NOT EVEN WORTH A QUARTER OF THE HASSLE.

04/12/2008 Posted by Moober

I spent half my New York vacation eating here, the sandwiches were so good. We found it whilst wandering a few blocks from our hotel after a 9 hour flight and were really pleasantly surprised. It was being refurbished when we visited so it was a little untidy and as always, very busy. However the staff were really great, explaining all the menu items as we were obviously out-of-towners. I'd highly recommend the brisket sandwich with gravy...I almost miss it! They do a great rang of desserts aswell and for the atmosphere and service the price is more than reasonable. I'll definitely stop by the next time I'm in town.

Pros: Ambience, Price, Food

Cons: Menu needs explaining!

04/15/2007 Posted by abean

I've tried this place three times now. The portions are huge for sure. But i find the food rather bland. I miss the Second Avenue Deli. I ordered in once - it took over 90 minute to get my order. it was ridiculous.

Pros: Huge portions

Cons: bland, bland, bland

01/17/2007 Posted by smrobertson

Got into NYC late and hungry, citysearch found Sarge's a few blocks from my hotel. A little past midnight, but still with a decent number of people. Big menu, a lot to choose from ... so I went for my favorite: pastrami. Flavorful, moist, and stuffed ... little pricey but I've paid more for less. Cole slaw and pickles arrived first and they were great. Wish I was staying longer so I could try more of the menu. One thing I really liked was that this felt like a neighborhood place ... not one of those 'big name' places, but a good place that locals come to. Very comfortable.

Pros: 24 hrs, nice neighborhood feel

Cons: menu might be too big?

07/17/2006 Posted by michaeluae

Sarge's is an old school Midtown gem, a survivor from the days when such delis were common in almost every NYC neighborhood. The food is at least as good, if not better, than the "big name" delis the tourists flock to in droves, and while it would be nice for Sarge's to get the extra business, the fact that Sarge's is a bit of a secret means you're unlikely to be stuck behind some out of towner asking where Meg Ryan sat or what the difference is between pastrami and corned beef. This is the NY deli experience the way it was meant to be.

Pros: Good food, nice people, authentic deli atmosphere

Cons: No celebrity connection, for those this matters to

05/11/2006 Posted by icemancometh06

I love the tongue sandwiches, grilled hotdogs & potato latkes w/ apple sauce. But don't ever order bacon late at nite (either platter or in sandwiches, for that matter don't from any take out place) as it is from the morning frying & turns out hard almost like bacos, hurt my molars. otherwise, good stuff for late nite eats. black & white shakes came out good also. sandwiches tho pricey are over stuffed - can serve 2 persons easily thus cost effective!

Pros: 24/7, tongue sandwich, over stuffed

Cons: bacon late nite, pricey sandwiches

04/14/2006 Posted by mathmitch

The pastrami is really good and I love everything else.It is so good that I forgot what other food they had. I will definitely go back. We saw a actress named ruemchlahaman or something like that from the golden girls.The service ambience and everything else is excellent.

Pros: service is good, food was good, evrything else

Cons: nothing, nothing, nothing

10/16/2005 Posted by jonathanmerson

Truly, don't waste your time or money. They lie about how long the food will take to arrive, usually 1-2 hours i.e. cold and soggy, and then they are rude to downright hostile when you complain.

Pros: None

Cons: Terrible service