Ben's Delicatessen

Ben's Delicatessen in Boca is a kosher utopia. If you are ever craving that great old New York style real kosher delicatessen food - put Ben's on your list. I've been there enough times to have tapped into my Ben's Friends Card. On my last visit I was accompanied by Sue and Dave, new Boca residents who just moved here from Davie.

It was a summer Friday night, before sunset, maybe 7pm when I arrived at Ben's. The line was already about 25 deep OUTSIDE the door. I couldn't see how many were waiting inside, but almost every new person who showed up assumed the line was for everyone but them because each one methodically skipped the line and headed directly through the door only to be instructed by the restaurant host to get in the back of the line. The "entitled ones" grumbled noncomprehensible expletives as they hung their heads on the way past "we the waiting."

I already knew what I was going to order before I even got in the car heading towards this West Boca location: a corned beef and pastrami sandwich on rye with mustard. We were cordially greeted and immediately seated. Our server was at the table immediately with pickles and cole slaw and took a drink order as we checked out the menu and read all the funny sayings covering the walls.

Our server delivered some pickles and cole slaw

Besides the sandwich, I was eyeing the spinach knish on the menu, so I added it to my order. When I asked about the soup our server suggested the Chicken a la Reine. He hit it right on. The soup was superb. I ate half and packed the rest to take home.

My corned beef and pastrami was extremely large. Half of it was pastrami and the other half was corned beef. Most places stack one on top of the other. When you get it here it's almost as if you're getting two sandwiches. I added the spicy brown table mustard then opened my mouth as wide as it would go and still couldn't get it all in. Both the corned beef and pastrami were the best I've had in ages. The meat was exactly spiced and cooked to perfection. The meat was soft and kind of "melted" in my mouth as I relished each bite.

It's like getting two sandwiches

The knish was a little disappointing. I expected a big flaky spinach filled ball. But what I received looked like half a green melon upside down on a plate.

Spinach knish

I was able to eat all of my sandwich but I left most of the knish. The service was excellent and the server didn't even get upset when I asked for ice cream for dessert; even though he knew that I knew that this kosher restaurant did not have any dairy foods at all.

Ben's is true kosher delicatessen food that is as good as it gets. It's like a throw back to the old days of New York and something everybody needs to experience.