Miller's East Coast West Delicatessen in San Francisco is probably one of the closest thing you can get to a New York deli on this side of the coast. Having just been to NYC, I thought it would be fun to do a deli showdown! Are you ready to rumble?!?!?!?! East vs. West! Who makes the best bagels? The best pastrami sandwich? Matzo soup? Who will prevail? Read on and you will find out.
If you ask me, I will always root for the West coast cause I'm a California girl, but in this case East Coast wins hands down all the way because Miller's deli IS an east coast deli! The peppery, herby pastrami they have was flown in from the Bronx, and the bagels were partially boiled and baked in New York City before there were shipped to California to be finished off in Miller's oven. You can't get any more authentic than this short of flying across the country and eat it at the source like we did.
We have been to Miller's deli 3 times now and enjoyed the food each and every time. I know some of you guys who are the real deal New Yorkers might go there and think that it sucks, but to my west coast taste buds, this place is a great substitute. Beggars can't be choosers, right?
Left: Millers Right: Ess-a-Bagel
"Tender and fluffy on the inside and has a nice crispy texture on the outside" was what I read and expected from a NYC bagel but sadly did not receive during my New York trip, (read about it
here) however, that line describes the bagels at Miller's exactly to the tee.
I took the photo after I took a bite out of the bagel so you can see the texture of it. It is so soft, so airy, and had a nice crunch to it. If this was the kind of bagel I got when I was in New York, I, too, would've became a believer right there and then. Miller's bagels surely redeemed NYC bagels in my eyes; now I just need to find out where they got them!
Bagel round goes to......... Miller's!
Left: Miller's Right: Katz's Both of the hot pastrami sandwiches were great! I think it just depends on what kind of pastrami mood you're in that particular day. Miller's pastrami were thinly sliced and has a more robust pepper and herb flavor. Katz's meat are a little milder on taste, but they are thick, juicy and a little fattier.
What my boyfriend liked about Miller's is that you can choose what kind of bread you want for your sandwich, as opposed to Katz's where they only serve it on rye, which is probably the more authentic route.
Hot Pastrami round is a tie!
Left: Miller's Right: Katz's
Miller's popped both of our cherry for matzo ball soup. I didn't really know what to expect when I ordered the Chicken noodle soup with matzo ball, and when the soup came I kind of had doubts that it would taste good. Well, if you don't know what I mean, just look at it! The soup looks so clear and kind of bland. How was I suppose to know that it was full of flavor and a joy to eat? Even my boyfriend who is a super soup snob liked it, he liked it so much that I had to spoon fight him so I can get another taste.
As for the matzo ball soup at Katz's, it was decent, but not as flavorful, plus I like it that Miller's had a lot of chicken and noodles in their soup.
Matzo ball soup round goes to.......Miller's!
Miller's has a very extensive menu and serves up soup, sandwiches, salads, burgers, hot plate meals, and more. I especially like their beer battered onion rings; they are sweet and seasoned with a little bit of salt, and as you can see from the picture on the right, there is actually an onion ring inside the batter! (unlike the fast food ones)
And lastly, I just have to mention the new favorite sandwich of all time: The day after. It is roast turkey, stuffing, melted Swiss cheese, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy on toasted rye bread. This sandwich is so good! You can't be afraid to get your hands dirty if you want to eat this sandwich cause the bottom of the bread is a little wet with the sauce and gravy. Plus, you have to try and eat everything in one bite, or two if you have to, because it's the contrast of the savory and sweet, crunchy and soft that makes this sandwich so brilliant and wonderful.
As for the service, it is a little inconsistent; we always seem to arrive at the deli after their rush and it kind of puzzles me how service can be very slow when there are only 5 tables to take care of. The empty cup was sitting at our table for 20 minutes before it got refilled. However, when the deli started to fill up a little at our last trip, we actually got very decent service, hmm... shouldn't it be the other way around? Oh, our server also remembered us from our first visit and what we ordered, which was very nice.
It seems like Miller's came out on top of my comparison test, but I'm sort of partial to it, too, since I only need to drive 60 miles north to get to it, and not have to fly across the country. If and when you can, eat at the source, but if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and you feel homesick, go try out Miller's east coast west deli and it just might make you feel a little better.
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