Sunday Lunch at Goldberg's

Goldberg's Deli

Let me start by saying that having weekends off from work is amazing because it allows me to sleep in and have late breakfast/early lunch with Evan on Saturdays or Sundays.  No, I don't mean brunch.  Brunch is a hybrid of breakfast trying to pass off as lunch food by putting an egg on a sandwich or calling ham, "Canadian bacon" and I'm not falling for it.  Late breakfast or early lunch is more like cheating.  It's when you get to eat an entire meal of one type outside its normal hours of distinction.  For example, McDonald's stops serving breakfast at 10:30am but at Sonic or Waffle House, you can order breakfast all day!  Even though the quality may be poor, there is something special about being able to eat something outside the A.M/P.M. comfort-zone.  Call me a rebel...

Goldberg's Dining Room

So on Sunday morning, Evan and I woke up craving an early lunch.  We didn't want breakfast but we didn't want to wait for the P.M. hours to eat.  And there are a limited number of places that offer a full, non-brunch menu on a Sunday morning.  But one place came up almost by chance.  I had eaten at Goldberg's once before on Evan's request (he is a self-proclaimed Reformed Jew, a very long story) and we really enjoyed the food but they are only open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. which means if you want to go after work, you better get off work early and if you want to go for breakfast, it's an option but you will have to get up super early and I am not a morning person.  Evan works a regular weekday schedule and my schedule cycles each month so when we get weekends off together, every weekend is jam packed with all the places that we never get to go when I am working.  And Sunday was a Goldberg's kind of day. 

Goldberg's Bagel Company & Deli has been around since 1972.  It has several locations but the one closest to us was the original location on Roswell Rd.  It's in a little shopping mall next to a Fresh Market and Abbadabba's shoes store.  The place seems small from the outside but once you step inside, it opens up to a full deli counter where they have a cooler for to-go orders and a sit-down restaurant that can accommodate at least at least 100 people.  The walls are decorated with the titles and characters from Broadway musical and the dining area is very cozy.  The wait staff is constantly on the move, which they have to be because the front door never seems to close.  There was a steady stream of people coming in and out; one line to be seated in the dining room, one line to pick up something to-go at the deli.  We arrived around 11 a.m. thinking it would be slow on a Sunday but the place was already packed to capacity with a line of about 12 people in front of us waiting for tables.  The host was one of the most overly friendly people I have ever had the pleasure of encountering and not in an obnoxious way but in a genuinely pleasant way.

My California Reuben

In keeping with my trying new things mantra, I was daring and tried a new dish on this fateful morning, a California Reuben.  Reubens are not too daring all by themselves but the sauerkraut was a daunting topping that I had never sampled before.  The idea of pickled cabbage on a hot dog or a sandwich may sound delicious to some people but it sounds borderline crazy to me.  However, I decided to go for it.  When the sandwiches came, Evan's brisket sandwich looked amazing and mine looked equally appetizing.  The first bite was an experience but I was delightfully surprised.  I wouldn't want to go too crazy on topping my sandwiches with sauerkraut from now on, but this particular sandwich was fantastic.  Hot pastrami, rye bread, sauerkraut and Russian dressing with a side of homemade potato salad and a sweet tea with lemon.  The food was stellar.  I ate until I couldn't possibly fit anymore food into my stomach and them looked longingly at the bit of sandwich that was left.  Not enough for a to-go box but too much for me to eat.  I wish I could have found enough stomach space to have eaten it because it was just that good, but alas, I had to leave it on the plate.  An excellent start to my Sunday morning.

Evan's Brisket Sandwich

The best thing about this whole excursion is that each entree was under $10 for a sit-down lunch.  I am always surprised to find food of this quality that cost so little.  If you go to Chick-Fil-A now, you will end up paying over $6 for the cheapest combo on their menu and that is a fast food restaurant!  This place has been around since the 70s and I know why there is a line of people wait to get in.  The people are friendly, you are treated like a guest, the quality of the food is exceptional, and the value cannot be beat.  That's what has kept the doors open all these years.  Most new restaurants don't make it past the first year of business.  Goldberg's will continue to thrive for many, many years.

And we will definitely be coming back, too.  I am already planning a return trip possibly as early as next weekend if Evan is up for it.  Next time I think I may have to go with the bagel with the lox and cheese cream, though.  I mean, it is what they are named for.  How could you go wrong?

Pickles!

By the way, they have pickles in a glass jar on the table.  Who doesn't love that?!


Goldberg's Bagel Company & Deli
4383 Roswell Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30342
404-252-1114
www.goldbergsdeli.net