Five Stars is simply not enough stars for 51st Deli.
Occupying what used to be the space that Tacos 4 Life lived in (I cried when that closed), I wasn't sure what to expect from 51st Deli. I loved Tacos 4 Life and ate there every trip I made to Brentwood....so I sat on it and didn't visit for a while once they opened. I wasn't sure if I wanted to enter because I didn't want to be disappointed because it *wasn't* Tacos 4 Life.
Then I decided to visit.
As it turns out all that drama and anticipated disappointment was completely unfounded. Once I walked in the door and looked around I said (quite audibly) "Holy WOW!"
This is far more than a deli. I'm going to call it a Hyper Deli.
There are refrigerated cases with just about any soft drink or energy drink you can imagine, and some I'm sure you've never heard of. A LOT of them, all neatly arranged and front-facing. It's this kind of attention to detail that makes this place stand out.
There are just about as many varieties and bags of chips as there are soft drinks, all neatly arranged for ease of choice.
If Soup is what you're looking for, there are six soups offered daily.
And then there's the Deli case. This is a very impressive array of fresh produce, build-your-own-salad parts and pieces, deli meats and cheeses, side dishes, and individually packaged desserts, fresh fruits and veggies in portable snack containers.
The menu board boasts an impressive selection of basically everything. The Coffee Bar, the Juice Bar, Breakfast items, Signature sandwiches, Burgers, and Tacos & mas! Seriously, if you don't see something you like on this menu board, do you really need it? The items on the menu board aren't priced...we'll come back to that shortly.
51st Deli is an order at the counter place. You can pay cash, tap to pay, credit card. After you pay you can take a seat or you can stand around and be in someone's way while you wait for your food.
For my first visit I had to have tacos (yes, it was a Tuesday). One steak, one chicken, one chorizo...and, of course, a side of chips and salsa and a fountain drink.
About 10 minutes later they called my order. The first thing I noticed is that the chips and salsa weren't so much a side as they were basically another entree...not that I'm complaining. The salsa was really, REALLY good and the chips were made fresh in the store. There are a couple bottles of store-made salsa for adding a little heat and flavor to your meal, each with its own unique taste and comfortably spicy.
The tacos were all super tasty and served hot over corn tortillas (the way tacos should be served) with nothing but cilantro and onion. It made my tummy smile.
This delightful meal was actually pretty reasonable. Before tip it was about $20, which I think is a pretty fair price. With no prices on the menu board I didn't know what to expect and was ready to pay a King's Ransom, but in the end it was just tacos so Jim's wallet was happy.
I didn't expect to see 51st Deli merchandise, but *boom* there it was! Shirts, hats, koozies, bags. This surprised and impressed Jim.
My visits to Brentwood have also come to include a visit to 51st Deli for breakfast as well. They have Jalapeño bagels and store-made Jalapeño cream cheese, which is (according to science) the absolute best way to start my day. Well, that and an iced vanilla latte.
The staff here is always on the move cleaning and stocking. It's always clean, I've never seen trash overflowing, and tables are cleared soon after customers leave. This is definitely a restaurant -- excuse me, Hyper Deli -- that values the guest experience.
51st Deli should be everywhere, and it's a failure of mankind that it isn't. read more