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PJ Bernstein
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
68th St (6)
63rd St-Lexington Ave (F)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
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19 reviews for PJ Bernstein
Ok, went there today for the first time after stopping at the post office. Saw a sign in their window for three apple pancakes at $7.95. It was about 11 a.m. and the restaurant was not that crowded. I assume that most of the customers were regulars since the owners knew their names. The tables are quite small and when our orders came (on the 12" plates) there was barely room for our coffee.
However, those apple pancakes were super good. They were actually potato pancakes with sliced apples inside, made on the griddle and served with more sliced apples, kiwi, a couple of strawberries and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Three pancakes filled the entire plate. I had them with some sour cream, my hubby had them with syrup. He enjoyed them and he is not easy to please when it comes to food.
The pancakes and two coffees came to $21. I would go back for the pancakes, but the coffee was not good. Darn, still thinking about them now.
I only go there for their kosher hot dogs (I'm not Jewish but I try not to eat non kosher hot dogs) and knishes. You can get 2 hotdogs with mustart sauerkraut and a knish for less than 10 bucks, but everything else looks overpriced.
I normally get my food to go on my way home but I've never seen the restaurant area completel full.
This is the only kosher place I've been to where everyone behind the counter looks Indian!
I had to add another star because the hot borscht there is really good - great for a cold day and the portion is huge. I like to add a lot of sour cream. Also, I discovered their peirogi's. Get them fried and mixed (some are potato and some are shredded beef). They give you sour cream and thinly sliced fried onions that sweeten and caramalize every bite!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
7/20/2009
Okay - yes, I get that PJ's is pricey... but consider my favorite dish here... It's called The… Read more »
Insanely slow.... How long does it take to fry eggs!?! They're was a roach in the sugar packets... I'm sorry this place was pretty bad.
I went here for lunch the other day, since it was recommended by a co-worker.. and I wasn't all that impressed.
First of all, everything here is extremely overpriced. I know, we're on the Upper East Side, but come on. The sandwiches are quite expensive, and the homemade 'perogen' (AKA pierogies) I got were $10.50. $10.50!! There were about 6 pierogies on the plate, and they came with sauteed/slightly burnt onions and sour cream. I've had much better pierogies elsewhere - and for much cheaper!
The service was decent, but everyone around us got their food before us. I ordered the perogen and my coworker ordered a cheeseburger. I don't get what took so long, but I didn't complain.
As we left, I waited at the counter to pay the check, where the cashier rudely snapped "Can I help you?" as if I was standing there for no good reason. That's when I pointed out the check in front of me that I wanted to pay.. and then she lightened up, realizing she was getting an attitude for no good reason. I mean, I only wanted to pay for my overpriced meal!
So, not the best lunch experience, and you guessed it, I probably won't return here.
I couldn't order a simple turkey sandwich for less than $14 so I opted for the chicken salad sandwich, which I guess was a steal for about $9. Sandwich itself wasn't terrible but pretty flavorless overall... I asked for some russian dressing to flavor it up a bit, but when the waitress brought me a metal container with a plastic spoon that had what looked like years of dressing caked underneath the handle ridge, I decided it would be healthier to leave my chicken salad as is.
Dark & dingy looking, but not filthy. Gave it the extra star for the old guys who looked like regulars talking eachother up & giving the place some ambiance.
With so many great diners in NYC, avoid this one. On a slow Wed, my order took forever. Then they brought the soup and omellete out at the same time. Omellette was cold by the time I got to it. Coffee wasn't even included. All of this for only $19.51! What a rip-off. This place sucks. Stay away.
Although many autographed B and C list celebrity pictures adorn the walls of PJ Bernstein's, proclaiming the greatness of their fare, I'm going to have to disagree.
The seating is cramped, everything is a bit dingy, the food is overpriced for a deli/diner, and the quality isn't so great. The service, however, is wonderful.
My tomato and feta omelet had a small smattering of tomatoes and no feta to be noticed, save for a bite or two. The eggs were burned on top, and my tomatoes on the side were not too ripe. Very sad.
Coffee was decent, my hot chocolate was gigantic and delicious with a wealth of whipped cream piled on top. The challah bread french toast that I stole off my boyfriend's plate was pretty tasty, but nothing extraordinary. We asked for a side of fresh strawberries and we were told that they don't have that (what?!). But a few minutes later, another guy came over with some he had taken out of the fruit salad. Pretty sweet move!!! The friendly and eager-to-please service is definitely the only thing that sets this place apart in my mind.
*slight downgrade* Now 3 and 5/8 STARS which is slightly above 3 and 1/2 for the math challenged:)
MDS='s MacDaddyStyle....but not all foods. The below review stands but I was there 2 days ago and got a Brisket Sandwhich and it wasn't great:( The fact that they left the pickles out of my order doesn't account for anything but the brisket was not flavorful and a little tough. Also, I ordered a quart of Chicken Soup with the noodles on the side and instead got a qt of Consumme with noodles on the side which isn't the same! Thus a downgrade from 4 stars as this is Manhatten and there's plenty of Deli institutions to compete against.
I understand Yelp isn't everywhere and maybe only certain peeps know about this review site but.......A veggie burger:( ??? Salads and blintz and yet no friends-:(((((
PJ's has awesome soups, groovy chicken/turkey coldcuts and wonderful sandwhiches. My folks and myself order here and it's never a letdown. I went in a couple days ago and they know how to do it and it's not pricey. If this is pricey and bad, go to subway. They have soup and sands also!
(not a personal attack just ashame this 'Busy, classic, REAL' soulfood Deli doesn't get the stars it deserves. I'll always be back or order takeout. Very fast delivery too!
$12 for a sandwich? Really?! I don't get it. I mean I know that NYC deli's are known for being delish, but I just can't believe I paid that much for a sandwich. I guess I'm cheap.
What baffles me the most is that the menu listed the price of a .5lb of meat as $17. If I was staying longer, I would have just bought the meat and made my own sandwiches that could have lasted me a week. Like I said, I guess that I am cheap.
i've eaten here twice -- both times by delivery -- so i can't say much for what the place looks like, heck i don't even know where it is -- but i do know that they make a quality pastrami sandwich and have good creamy cole slaw.
the pastrami has tons of flavor, is really tender and moist -- and is very lean, which is really important.
as for the corned beef, it's good not great -- although it has good flavor and is also really tender and moist my main complaint is that both times i've eaten it there is tons of fat on it -- and that's just gross. which is why this place only got 3 stars instead of 4.
i also really appreciate the spicy brown mustard that they have because the wrong flavor mustard -- either too bland or too bold -- can really ruin a sandwich, and the mustard at this joint has literally the perfect mustard! as a tip, take a little of the mustard and mix it into the cole slaw -- you'll thank me later, it gives it a perfect kick.
so, my overall thoughts are if you're on the upper east side and looking for a really good pastrami sandwich go here and if you want corned beef just tell them extra lean (with an emphasis on the extra and lean) and i know you'll enjoy as well.
but i certainly wouldn't go out of my way to eat here -- although each time i have enjoyed it.
I was in the area for something else and we need to get something to eat, and fast (I mean like 20 minutes). So we stopped in here, told them our delima, they were more than happy to accommodate us, I was skeptical at first, but they disproved me fast.
We both ordered, I ordered a burger which she felt would take to long and suggested something else, a hot pastrami sandwich. I am never one to turn down a pastrami sandwich, so I obliged. Within minutes both our sandwiches were served, I was not expecting much, but the pastrami was very tender and flavorful. It really was a good sandwich.
There appeared to be a few regular eating there throughout our little encounter, so that is a good sign too.
The service was wonderful and we were seated, served and done in about 19 minutes. It was awesome.
It's pretty pricey...I say that because yes the sandwich was 12. But it was a real delicious pastrami sandwich which satisfied so much so that I wouldn't mind spending the extra cash.
This is one of my favorite places to eat, the pastrami is amazing and they give big portions...the soups are also very good especially the matzoh ball..the place is very comforting and they really do treat you well
Jamie B. clearly did not order the right thing at P.J Bernstein. I stopped in here for my lunch and had an amazing pastrami sandwich on rye. This Jewish deli is the place on the east side for a nice pastrami or corn beef sandwich .
Walking about from one of our offices to the other I stopped at the post office and then for the hundredth time, passed by PJ's. At this moment it wasn't very visible because of the scaffolding. But usually you can see their big PJ from afar. In i go looking forward for a nice sandwich or some such. They have always called my attention but today i felt patient enough to actually stop somewhere for lunch.
The place is nothing much to look at. A bit crowded or cramped as if they wanted to fit a lot into a small place. It was quite busy but the waitress was very helpful and quick with the order. Prices are on the higher end of the spectrum but the beef brisket sandwich i had was very nice. Their pickles were good too! i always check the pickles at this kind of places. My order was ready very quick for the amount of people there. It was pleasant but it could have been much better. It didn't feel much like a deli more like a bar for the fact that it was dark inside.
We get delivery from here quite often. Great pierogen (not as great as veselka but pretty good for the UES) and all of the soups are fantastic.
The service was friendly and pretty quick, though I was there for an early lunch (11 am) and the place was mostly empty. I had a veggie burger deluxe, which was fairly good although my stomach complained a little an hour later, which is never a good sign. It's not the kind of place I usually go into, but a friend asked to meet there. I would not go back for the food, but I'm a tough critic that way.
If you Want HORRIBLE food that you pay A LOT of money for then this is the place for you!!! We ordered a salad, matzoh ball soup, and blintzes. The salad was eh, the soup was salty, and the blintzes tasted frozen! $30 later we were still hungry. Needless to say we will NEVER eat there again and neither should you.
