Taking Care of My Jewish Deli Craving

Jewish-style delis have always been among my favorite restaurant genres and I was way overdue for a stop at one heading into last week. Given that Famous 4th Street Delicatessen – Philadelphia’s most renowned deli – was awarded a prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand this past November, and I hadn’t been there for a couple years, I decided to make it my destination for lunch last Tuesday. Friends Brenda and Andy joined me.

Sitting at the corner of 4th and Bainbridge Streets, Famous is near the unofficial border between South Philadelphia and Center City. Given that I’ve long considered South Street to be the cut-off and Bainbridge is a block further south, we’ll say it’s in South Philly. And it has an extremely classic look – both outside and in.

While Famous can feel cramped when crowded, they weren’t very busy that afternoon and we were ushered to a table in their side dining room without delay upon arriving. 

Famous is over a century old, having first opened in 1923, and was previously owned by local Jewish deli guru, Russ Cowan, who sold it during January of 2024 in preparation for opening Radin’s Delicatessen in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The menus and food at the two delis are very similar, and I’ve posted on both places multiple times. If I’ve veered a bit toward eating at Radin’s since it opened, it’s because it’s bigger and less cramped while also having an old-school appearance. 

A full array of deli sandwiches, smoked fish, and classic appetizers and sides are available, but I knew what I’d be having before arriving after pre-arranging with Andy to split a couple different sandwiches. 

The following photos don’t include the entire menu, which can be viewed here. 

I had been craving a bagel with smoked fish for a while but also didn’t want to leave without having some deli. So the arrangement previously alluded to was for Andy and me to split both a corned beef on rye and a bagel with kippered salmon and cream cheese. Each came with a side from a list of offered options. Andy chose the cucumber and onion salad while I opted for potato pancakes and requested apple sauce with them. 

Brenda wasn’t interested in a sandwich or platter and instead ordered a bowl of matzo ball soup, a chopped liver appetizer and a piece of cheese kugel – a wonderful array of Jewish deli classics. 

Andy and I also went for cans of Dr. Brown’s soda, a brand that is closely associated with delis. 

Most portions at Famous 4th Street are comically large. Brenda’s soup was no exception. The matzo ball was close to a softball in size. The kugel was also extremely large, although the chopped liver scoop wasn’t. That was probably a blessing given how much soup and kugel she had to eat. 

I took a taste of the kugel and liked it so much that I’ll probably order it the next time I visit Famous or Radin’s. It was sweet and creamy and reminded me of the kugel my mother used to make. 

And speaking of large portions, both the corned beef and kippered salmon sandwiches were packed to a very healthy height.  

We ordered the smaller of the two corned beef options. Imagine what the larger size would look like given the size of what was presented to us. 

Andy and I grabbed our respective halves of each sandwich after I snapped the above photos and set about devouring them. I was surprised by how quickly we each polished off both halves.  

For those of you not familiar with kippered salmon, it’s hot smoked, as opposed to being cold smoked, like lox and what most people think of as smoked salmon. I’ve loved it since I was a young boy and generally eat it on a bagel with cream cheese. Tomato and red onion slices were also included on the sandwich. 

Man, was that good. I hadn’t had a bagel or kippered salmon in a long time and this hit my spot big-time. 

Although I post far more often about cheesesteaks, corned beef on rye has been my favorite sandwich since I was extremely young, and this one didn’t disappoint. It was moist with just the right amount of fat and had a nice, strong flavor. Once again, I was extremely satisfied. 

In addition to their deli and smoked fish, Famous 4th Street is known for cookies. There are stands that sell them in local farmer’s markets, including the Reading Terminal.* And each dine-in customer at the deli receives a small version of one of their chocolate chip cookies when the check is dropped off. Think of it as their version of the fortune cookie tradition at Chinese restaurants. 

As always, it was fantastic. I love chocolate chip cookies and these may be my favorites. 

I also snapped photos of some of their other desserts on the way out. The cake slices are – again – absurdly large. And their rugelach, while more reasonably sized, is sensational. 

Next week’s post will feature a revisit to a cheesesteak shop that is ranked in my top ten as well as my first stop at a highly rated pizzeria.

* The Famous 4th Street Cookie stands are independently owned but feature the same cookie recipes that were created and are still used at the deli.