I first heard about Ben’s Best Deli in Rego Park, Queens while watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I don’t find that the show frequently features restaurants from the NYC area. The classic New York Kosher deli has been disappearing making it harder and harder to find a good pastrami sandwich. When I saw Ben’s on DDD, I had to go check it out since it was so close to home and I love deli!
Ben’s Best Deli has been around over 60 years and is owned and ran by the original owner’s son Jay (a third generation deli owner). The deli features many classics like pastrami, corned beef, matzo ball soup, knishes, potato pancakes and many other items.
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| Fried Kreplach |
There were lots of tasty items on the menu so we ordered a bunch of things and took home some leftovers.
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On the DDD segment, Guy Fieri tried the Fried Kreplach so I decided to order it to see what it was like. Kreplach is like a meat dumpling or what a customer in the DDD segment calls a Jewish egg roll. I’ve had kreplach years ago but only in chicken soup and I believe they were steamed not fried.
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The kreplach were crunchy, meaty and tasty but a bit too greasy for my liking. They were served with onions on top and duck sauce on the side.
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| Matzo Ball Soup |
The matzo ball soup was very good and I would definitely recommend it. It came with one huge ball. There was also noodles, carrots and some chicken in the soup. This soup was a great appetizer for a cold day or for when you are not feeling well.
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| Am I pastrami or corned beef? |
I just about always order a pastrami sandwich when visiting a deli. I am pretty sure that I did at Ben’s but the waitress brought out a sandwich that looked like corned beef. The lack of dark, black seasoning on the edges gave it away. I decided to keep the sandwich and really enjoyed it. The meat had great flavor and was warm and juicy. Another winner here but I’d definitely be sure to go with pastrami next time.
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| Potato Pancakes |
My favorite item was the potato pancakes. Again another greasy item but potato pancakes are meant to be! They were very crunchy and full of a great potato flavor. Apple sauce comes on the side and goes really well with the pancakes. I also like them with ketchup.
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If you happen to be close to the Rego Park area of Queens, I would definitely recommend having a meal at Ben’s Best Deli!
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| Guy was here poster |
Find out more about Ben’s and check out the full menu HERE.
