never ate there - never wanted to

   FREE 1999 - 05/29/2008

since the ONE time many years ago when i walked by and thought to go in...ALL of the staff were staring through the front window and giving dirty looks......i kept on walking by and never set foot in that place, EVER!!! i would hope the new ownership & staff are much friendlier, because it used to REEK of negative energy!!!!!!

Good stuff!

   victory773 - 02/15/2007

I don't know what it was like before the new ownership, however I've recently visited, and found the food to be very good! The waitstaff was very nice and friendly. As I am not very familiar with Jewish terms and food, he explained what everything meant, and answered any questions I had in a friendly manner. I plan on going again soon to introduce my friends to this place.

Make your own judgement

   joncall - 01/30/2007

After reading the previous reviews, I have to add this; I think that people are upset about the change of ownership. The food is OK, same as when the other guy owned it. I'm glad it's there, because it could've been another sneaker shop?

poor rating

   pk0312 - 01/03/2007

Large portions is not everything. Cheewy corned beef and extra fatty pastrami made our visit an unpleasant one. When asked the waiter about the cheewy corned beef, he told us that it was probably cut to thick... We did not bother to get a take out order for a friend...

Don't waste your money

   angelfairy308 - 12/30/2006

I recently ate here before going to see a play at the Walnut Street Theatre. The portions! Oh my! The amount of food they gave us was appalling, & it wasn't even very good. The sandwhiches were slightly messy, & my husband ordered some soup, I forget what it was. He made a comment to the waitress about the soup, something like its a little bland or a comment of that sort. She simply pretended she hadn't heard,even when he repeated it. Very dissapointed... The service isn't good, the food isn't good...generally, a word of advice, don't visit this deli!

This place is a dump....

   woodruffbr - 05/03/2006

This used to be a favorite place of mine. Ever since David sold the place and the new owners took over, I refuse to eat there. The food has gone down hill, the prices have sky rocketed, and now you walk in the place and instead of feeling like you are in a deli, you feel like you are in a hospital. I'll agree that David wasn't a stickler for cleanliness, but his food and exellent and he truly cared about his customers....not like the new morons who own it. I will tell ANYONE coming ot that area to AVOID the place.

Horrible Service

   joshbladr - 09/21/2005

I recently went to The Famous to have lunch. After waiting 20 plus mins for a server just to come to our table to take a drink order, we asked a staff member to find our server. He went looking but never came back with anyone. I finally told him that if no one was going to come and help us we were going to leave. His response "its fine with me if you leave, i dont care". So we got up and left. We told the woman at the front we were never coming back, her response "fine, we dont want you back". I have been going to the famous for almost 20 years, I will never go back again.

Famous For A Reason

   spursandsaddle - 06/14/2005

I had lunch here today and was very pleased. It's been spiffed up and the food held its own against any great deli I've eaten in in NYC. Friendly and helpful service, good prices, enormous portions, the expected and pleasing complimentary bowl of pickles and kraut at the beginning, and complimentary warm chocolate chip cookies at the end of the meal all put a big smile on our faces.

Don't miss the fantastic linzer cookies, black and whites and hamantash.

Dirty, dirty, dirty

   twbrick - 10/06/2004

I don't care how "famous" a place may be, or how good the food. This place is filthy - cracked lineolum, dirt in every corner. It looks like the place hasn't been cleaned in years and such filth does nothing to whet your appetite. I think the only thing they could do to improve the situation would be to burn the place down. I'd hate to take a look inside the kitchen! Get your corned beef elsewhere!