Zaftigs Delicatessen

The atmosphere is fun and funky. If you go when it's not too crowded, it's nice to sit by the window and watch the hubbub of Coolidge Corner. I've had some very disappointing things here--all the soups, roast turkey sandwich, and some that are good (any breakfast items especially stuffed french toast and home fries). Coffee is weak. Huge servings. Good egg salad.

Pros: Chocolate french toast, fish and chips

Cons: All soups are disgustingly salty, service can be mixed

Posted 03/10/09

My fave is the racheal sandwich and potato(e) salad with a glass of red wine. Very good food!! I travel all over the eastern US and suggest this place for deli food without hesitation.

Pros: Service, food

Cons: sometimes a wait

Posted 08/01/08

I have never been disappointed! They have many different options on their menu, and they are all delicious. They are located right in the heart of Coolidge Corner. Good, quality, decently priced food.

Posted 06/30/08

I'm from the south, i miss my comfort foods until this place redefined comfort food for me. I love the matza ball soup and hollys heavenly salad and fish plates. i didn't care for the potpie or turkey/avocado/cranberry roll. I love their variety appetizer plate, rice pudding, and rootbeer floats.

Pros: food, fun atmosphere, nice artwork

Cons: sometimes a long wait, sometimes loud

Posted 06/26/08

Zaftigs is a wonderful place to go to for any type of food your in the mood for. Moderatly priced things are a big plus to this resturant. Zaftigs is a great place to take kids, and the wait staff is very friendly and knowledagable about the menu- try their potato pancakes or their matzo ball soup! The food is excelent, I don't know a person that doesnt like it!

Pros: The food and atmosphiere.

Cons: Long wait on weekends.

Posted 01/21/08

You can't go past the banana stuffed french toast here. It is a delicious breakfast option which is topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries, with maple syrup on the side. The coffee however was not the best, but this was made up by the excellent and friendly service. I have been here for dinner also, which was not quite as good. I ordered a hommous wrap, however was told that it was not on the menu (even though it was!) - this problem was rectified promptly and it ended up to be delicious. It is very, very busy and amazingly by 8.15am on Saturday morning, the delicatessen is full! A must try in Brookline!

Pros: Great food, great service

Cons: Very busy, bad coffee

Posted 10/13/07

Chocolate french toast and banana stuffed french toast are both awesome. Go later in the day, or on a weekday if you don't want to wait for an hour+, breakfast is served all the time. Great neighborhood, plenty to do while you wait for your table.

Pros: everything

Cons: Family-oriented so a little loud on weekends, can't call ahead for reservations

Posted 07/13/07

Zaftigs is indeed one of the most overrated restaurants in Boston. The food is unremarkable and the restaurant itself is often filthy. I've been there on multiple occasions, always thinking that just maybe I was there on a bad day. After four horrible meals I came to the realization that Zaftigs is just awful.

Cons: dirty

Posted 07/07/07

the pastrami here is OK. the brunch service is very good. great eggs and hash. expect a wait on the weekends.

Posted 02/10/07

went for dinner to skip the breakfast rush on tuesday and it was incredible. the matzo ball soup was good but a little firmer matzo would have been perfect. the stuffed cabbages were a favorite. my boyfriend ordered the lupo which he said was okay but my rahel was amazing! it was like a whole thanksgiving dinner on one plate. so good! no room for dessert but will definetely come back!!

Pros: price, food

Cons: service a little slow

Posted 11/08/06

Great Coffee! Great Food!

Love this place. Only wish it were closer. Breakfast / Lunch never had a bad meal here. My favorite is the Banana Stuffed French Toast. Everyone I bring here leaves happy. Service is always good and sometimes excellent.

Pros: most everything about this place.

Cons: bagels are just average.

Posted 08/21/06

I would have rated this higher had I not had to fight against fruit flies to see who would get my meal first. GROSS!! I know that it's summer, but c'mon! I've been out to eat at a lot of other places recently and haven't had to take in any extra protein during my meal. Take out the trash or do some extra cleaning! Just nasty.

Pros: Cool art, waitstaff t-shirts, bagel chips

Cons: fruit flies, noise

Posted 08/01/06

Good food and the the waitress was extremely friendly. Try some of the specialy dishes here. It's usually very crowded during their peak hours, so try and get there early.

Pros: Good food

Cons: Parking

Posted 07/14/06

I've enjoyed almost everything I've had there. The challah bread is great, their potato knishes are EXCELLENT, and the bagel chips appetizer is really good. I'm not a fan of their noodle kugel, but everything else I've had there is great. Good service, too!

Posted 02/05/06

I really like the food at Zaftigs. The service was excellent, the waitresses and waiters dont get the credit they deserve for waiting on such a high volume of people. The place is always busy, especially on the weekend mornings. The best time to go is between 4 and 6. Its a little hectic in there, but well worth the wait. Dont forget, these servers deserve the 20% standard for all the hard work they do.

Pros: service, food

Cons: wait lines

Posted 12/19/05

My boyfriend and I went to Zaftigs slightly early on a Friday night. We were able to beat the massive rush that they get almost everyday. If you go a bit earlier, to beat the long lines waiting to get inside, you will have a much better dining experience. I noticed better service and higher quality of food when they are not insanely busy. On a side note, their beagle chips are unbelievable and I recommending purchasing some to bring home as a snack.

Pros: Average service, Comfortable atmospher, Comfortable dining

Cons: Long lines

Posted 11/26/05

The food is good! We are regulars to Sunday brunch at this place for the last year or so and while the crowds sometimes lead us down the street to Coolidge Corner Clubhouse or Starbucks I have to say Zaftigs does have some great food. My personal recommendations are the banana nut bread (served with a delicious date butter) and the buttermilk pancakes - with blueberries!

Pros: food, value

Cons: crowded, long waits

Posted 11/25/05

went there for brunch today (sunday) with 2 other friends for the first time. the hostess was not friendly, harried, and confused. we waited for 1 hour thinking the food was going to be really good. i had the buttermilk pancakes--pale, dry (cornbread texture), unappetizing with "warm fruit compote" which turned out to be cooked canned fruit cocktail with some spices added. my friend had the potato pancakes which were deep fried and way too greasy. The waittress forgot about the corned beef hash i ordered and the sesame bagel my friend ordered--and she was unapologetic about it--it came at the end of the meal, after we finished eating everything else. the only thing that was decent was the hot pastrami sandwich my other friend ordered.

Posted 10/01/05

I was curious to try this place out since everytime I passed by, scores of people would wait in line which tempted me to check it out. I tried it and it wasn't that remarkable. It was just OK, nothing to rave about. The omelettes were good (but they only come with fries and who wants fries for breakfast?). Service was fine but I felt I was in a dinning hall at a Kibutz. This place is noisier than a club on Landsdowne street. Every little sound from the tables bounces off the walls in way that it forces you to raise your voice all the time. Kids screaming all over the place, servers running back and forth, the whole atmosphere makes you dizzy. You feel like everything and everyone is in a rush. Not totally worth it if the wait is more than 10 minutes.

Pros: Omelettes, Service

Cons: Noisy, Chaotic atmosphere, Value

Posted 09/09/05

If you go for brunch you have to try the stuffed French Toast. There are so many egg selections and everything was delicious! Went for a girls brunch w/my friends and the wait was a little long on a Saturday morning, but worst every minute. We each got something different so we could try a bit of everything!!!

Pros: large portions, great price, GREAT FOOD

Cons: parking, long waits, no reservations

Posted 08/14/05

I have to Zaftig's a few times and really like it there. Yes, it is a bit pricey just for breakfast, and portions are not huge. I've had the challah French toast, which was amazing. I also really like the fresh fruit plate with a side of lox, and the homefries aren't bad. My father loves their omelets and coffee. I'm also a fan of the mimosa. The service wasn't great though, not real friendly and didn't notice when we were out of water, though they noticed when we were out of coffee. I'll definately go back.

Pros: Food

Cons: Service, Price

Posted 07/25/05

This place has one of the best breakfasts in Boston. The pancakes are light and fluffy and there is ton of variety. Also try the egg dishes which aren't bad.
Only problem are the long lines so go early.

Posted 03/17/05

Sunday mornings are a little crazy but well worth the wait! I had the stuffed french toast with tons of berries and my husband had macintosh apple cheddar omelette it was amazing! Service was pretty quick for a Sunday morning. Very happy!

Posted 05/06/04

Good food, and if by "gourmet" the citysearch reviewer meant "overpriced," I'd have to agree. Unlike a real NY deli, Zaftig's portions are totally average, so instead of a huge pastrami sandwhich for $8, you get a medium sized one for the same price. This key difference doesn't seem to have occured to the chef or the pricing people at Zaftigs. I'll get my blintzes elsewhere.

Pros: , Good food

Cons: , Waiting in line

Posted 04/20/04

Not just for breakfast Zaftigs is also great for dinner with great dinner meals and sandwiches. But its fantastic for breakfast although it doesn't do as good an Egg's Benedict as Baker's Best in Newton Highlands. The only downside is the wait can be over an hour if you arrive after 10.30am on Saturday or Sunday

Pros: food, service

Cons: wait, parking

Posted 02/10/03

People rave about Zaftigs brunch. Tried that many times, its good, but not worth the 1 hour + wait. People talk about their great sandwhiches, tried them for lunch and dinner, nothing remarkable.

Cons: Always overrated, Expect long waits

Posted 01/09/03

Sunday morning may have been a bad time to go, we had to wait over an hour. The wait was worth it. I had a NOVA (nova-scotia salmon) on a bagle w/ all the trimmings $8.95, well worth it.

Pros: great deli food, great service

Cons: long wait for seat

Posted 12/07/02

If this is the best boston has to offer, we are indeed in sad shape. Lousy service and way too overpriced. Food,...just adequate. Try eating breakfast in chicago or new york. to get an idea of what a real good breakfast at a decent price is all about.

Pros: good quality

Cons: poor service, lack of value, lousy homefries

Posted 11/26/02

The service is excellent. The food is great. Good, free parking. Fun to hang out.

Posted 11/03/02

The Banana Stuffed French Toast is scrumptious! Breakfast is served all day!

Posted 10/23/02

Bob Shulman does a great job! He has taken a difficult location and made it successful. The food is fresh and good. The place is clean and comfortable. It's great for take out.

Pros: Reliable

Posted 09/20/02

Zaftigs offers authentic jewish food... authentic to my very own grandmother's cooking... limp, overcooked and flavorless. The latke's are mushy and oily. The matzo-ball soup is greasy. The briskit is limp and flavorless, covered by gravy that tastes like it's from a jar but has been burnt enough to make it seem home-made. I've never had a good experience here.

Pros: Well Located

Cons: Bad, Over-rated, Weak

Posted 08/25/02

THe best fries and sandwiches! The fries are always just a little salty and greasy, and are always crispy! If you try them once, you will always be craving

Posted 07/25/02

The matzoh ball soup is good, not as good as Aunt Elaine's, but good. It is hard to find get seated here because everyone knows that Zaftigs is excellent. The ambience is really nice, as is the waitstaff.

Posted 06/15/02

If you've ever been down Harvard Ave. on a Saturday or a Sunday morning, you've surely seen the crowds waiting patiently outside of Zaftigs. Waiting an hour is not unheard of, but the wait is oh-so-worth it. Tip: send one member of your party to get your name on the list, then he or she can browse the nearby shops and you can all meet outside when the table is ready. I've never been disappointed by my breakfast, but my favorites are the Macintosh apple and sharp cheddar cheese omelet and then the banana stuffed French toast.

Posted 05/14/02