Checking Out the Philly Region’s Newest Deli

It was just a couple weeks ago that I raved about my meal at South Philly’s Famous 4th Street Delicatessen after going there to ensure there was no drop-off in their food quality following its early January sale. At the bottom of that post, I pointed out that Russ Cowan – the now former owner of Famous, among other local delis over the years – is working on a new place in South Jersey and that I’d report on it as soon as possible after it opens. 

That happened a bit quicker that I expected, but I managed to make it to Radin’s in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, about a week after they started service. There was a lot of buzz for the opening and they were drawing a nice crowd, but my friend, Hank, and I arrived early enough to be seated without a wait. 

Radin’s, which is named after a 20th century deli owned by Cowan’s restaurateur forebears,  sits in a standard suburban shopping center, but its interior is absolutely classic. It’s pretty close to the vision that comes to mind when thinking of what a Jewish deli should look like. The decor screams mid-20th century. 

If there is any difference between the menus at Radin’s and Famous 4th Street, I couldn’t find it. Both the contents and prices are virtually identical. So I had a pretty good idea of what interested me without having to spend a lot of time figuring it out. Hank was kind enough to go along with my plan for splitting two different sandwiches – or three, as it turned out. 

Smoked fish on a bagel is always a temptation, but we decided to stick with lunch sandwiches – a basic pastrami on rye and the Dekalb & Broadway, which is a pair of hot brisket sandwiches with fried onions, mushrooms and a bit of gravy on onion rolls. We requested them without the mushrooms and with latkes on the side. I also ordered a Dr. Brown’s diet black cherry soda to wash everything down.

As is the case at Famous 4th Street, the sandwiches at Radin’s are extremely impressive to behold even before any bites are taken. 

The brisket was already moist, but the gravy and amply sized fried onions combined with it and the soft onion roll for a great overall flavor and texture. It had been a while since I’d had brisket and this really hit the spot. 

As I expected, the pastrami also tasted fantastic. They prepare their meats in-house and I would guess they use the same – or extremely similar – recipes to those at Famous. And as you can see, they pile it just as high between slices of rye bread.

Not surprisingly for a place that has only been open for a week, they are still working out some service-related kinks, but there weren’t any major problems. And the minor issues were greatly overshadowed by Radin’s wonderful atmosphere and excellent food. 

I prefer the layout and overall appearance of Radin’s to the more cramped space at Famous 4th Street. But it’s tough to pick a winner at this point in terms of the food. The fact that Famous is more convenient to where I live makes it likely that I’ll still be eating there more often moving forward. Nonetheless, Radin’s is a great addition to the Philly region’s growing Jewish deli scene.