Sam's Kosher Style Restaurant & Deli

I actually wish Sacramento had more places like this but maybe that's just because we don't have more places like this. And maybe the reason we don't is because for some reason we always seem to think that March 17th is the only day that we can ever brine beef. Well, enter Sam's Kosher Style Deli where you can find sandwiches like a corned beef Reuben, a pastrami Reuben or a pastrami and brisket on rye all year round. They also offer a prime rib french dip, a club special and even a Monte Christo, just to name a few, for those of you not feeling the brined and salted beef.

Pulling in I was really anticipating a pastrami on rye but after being swayed by the waitress I went with the Onion - a heaping portion of corned beef and pastrami packed thick in an onion roll with a side of thousand island to go with different deli mustard's provided on each table. The fries here aren't much to fantasize about but they were fresh and I certainly got a lot of them. The sandwich was good but of course, I couldn't stop thinking about that pastrami on rye and the onion roll could've been a bit fresher. The atmosphere is a somewhat "vintage", sitting in a high-back, dark brown leather booth by myself and it reminded me of the former iconic Golden Tee Restaurant and I loved that place. the service was friendly, but also short and rushed. She was extremely informative and did a great job offering her suggestions but it was also apparent that a long shift was coming to an end.

Certainly, I'll return to Sam's. I notice prices seem a bit high for others and they don't compare to Carnegie but in all fairness this isn't a deli in NY and their prices are no higher than other local sit-down lunches that serve the same caliber of food. The food here is definitely respectable and service is overall friendly so they'll certainly be seeing me again.

2.5 Stars BUT you can't actually give 2.5 on the rating system so I had to go with a 2 and it actually makes me a lil sad to do so.....

Meh I've had better......

Man this is a tough joint to review for me...

Dang! I really really wanted to like Sam's so much; only I did.......

It was their selections of meats; pastrami and corned beef in particular that drew me to try this location via a Groupon picked up a month ago......

As best I can describe it I'm settling on a "something is just off" about the entire experience sort of feeling.....

Here's why this is a toughie for me:

Service was excellent and our waitress was very attentive, friendly and more than accommodating for our bread-free requests of our order of hot pastrami sandwiches and salads........

The coleslaw was okay too, fresh cabbage in an average semi-sweet creamy sauce and the dinner salad with its super fresh iceburg leaves and various veggie toppings with also very fresh and tasty. Although they stuff the tiny sherbert sized bowl so full that it makes tossing it as you try to incorporate your salad dressing impossible.

I had a side of blue cheese & ranch so that I could taste test before drowning my greens in it and the ranch was gross which isn't so surprising for bulk salad dressing, but the blue cheese was more than average in tastiness.... Not the best I've ever had but by far not the worst either....

The restaurant itself was very clean as well. From the booths to the floors and all spaces in between that I could see.....With the exception of the overly-worn out vinyl that covered the area where I sat in our booth... That was cracked beyond belief and wasn't only uncomfortable as all get out but irritated my legs the entire seating as I wore shorts into the place due to the hot weather that day.....

However there was one and just one unbelievably mind blowing irritation that plagued us throughout the entire meal and that was a SINGLE fly that refused to be swatted and or shooed away! It was relentless and even had me and my man unable to focus and eat in peace with its constant dive bombing attacks....

Yes.... yes I know just one fly? And yes, just one... BUT one that was so obnoxious and hell bent on its mission it was a force to be reckoned with and persisted the entire meal......

Now I know flies are a reality and although I strongly disagree with entomologists theories that they serve a purpose in the balance of nature and the like as I am sticking to my guns on this one that flies are pathogenic disease and bacteria carriers and during that process I just know they are leaving their little 'poop packages' on everything they touch.... Gross!

The pastrami I found to be very moist and tender and actually melts in your mouth with minimal chewing necessary and the portion was damn good even without the bread with it BUT it lacked true pastrami flavor... It took us more than 30 minutes to pin down what was missing in it and that's what it was: Lacking in true pastrami flavor and tasted more like a tasty hot dog.... Again, it wasn't awful or gross just lacking...

Wish I had more to write but that about says it all.... Sorry Sam......

This is a good kosher 'style' restaurant. In case you are wondering why the single 'quotes'... I'm not sure how it can be called kosher, when there is ham and bacon on the menu.... that being said - I have NO problem with it being there. Good food! We have had no problem getting a table, and the waitress (Rose) that we have had twice is fantastic. Thank you Rose!

My wife had the French Dip sandwich. She was very happy with it, and after tasting it... I would have to agree. Well cooked, fresh, and a very tasty au jus. My son had the Grilled Cheese, and loved it. I tasted it. The bread was toasted perfectly, but is unfortunately made with American Cheese (aka 'Almost Cheese'). If it had been made with real cheese, it would have been fantastic. The fries are quite good; they are thick cut... about half way between shoe-string and steak cut.

I tried "The Bronx". This is a Pastrami and Brisket on Rye. This was a very good sandwich. Tasty pastrami and brisket, sliced paper thin, making it very tender and easy to bite through. The rye bread was super fresh. I would like to see the bread toasted a bit to allow it to hold up a bit better under the pressure of about 2 inches of sliced meat and sauce. Perhaps this is a no-no, but I'd certainly go for it!

Why only three stars you ask? There are just a few things that keep it from easily being four stars. 1) The sides (cole slaw and potato salad) are typically low in salt. Perhaps to accommodate some of the older crowd that comes in; easily remedied with a little shake from the salt shaker. 2) It would be great if they replaced the seat covers on all the booths, so that every booth is not patched with tape. 3) and certainly NOT least... The carpeting throughout absolutely MUST be replaced. I don't think it ever has, and it is pretty gross. Just don't look down, get in your seat and enjoy the tasty sandwiches!!

We will definitely be back! Hopefully some of those changes will get done, and the rating can go up.

My latest visit to Sam's could have been better. I was really excited to once again have the best-ever Monte Cristo sammich i've ever had, so naturally that is what I ordered. Its been a good 5 years since I have been to Sam's and I really wish I could hold on to the original love of this sammich. This time around, much too greasy, inside and out. Did not taste very well.

My man had ordered the Downtown, corned-beef, kraut, and swiss on pumpernickel. Tasted great.

I will be back to Sam's to further try out the pricey menu, but I will steer clear of the Monte Cristo, as it was what I was expecting it to be.

Ive been coming to Sam's for years. While the interior did get a small update, it still feels dated and the booths are in horrible condition. But really, when you come to an old diner/kosher deli, who cares?

The service is quick and friendly, you never need to wait long for a drink refill, the menu is bigger than you might expect, and the food is always good. I usually stick with the tuna grill on sourdough, and my husband is a fan of the Reuben with corned beef. It comes with a pickle and potato salad or cole slaw (or add yummy fries for a bit extra). The Monte Cristo always catches my eye, but I've yet to order it.

If you're wanting good old fashioned sandwich-shaped comfort food, you really can't go wrong.

Sandwiches here are about $8-10 dollars. I wouldn't mind it if it was actually worth it but it wasn't. I had the Club Special.. a triple decker with turkey, bacon, mayo, lettuce and tomato. I don't know how bacon gets served in a kosher restaurant.. or even a "kosher style" restaurant.. but they serve it. And it was good but not collectively with everything else in the sandwich.

With the sandwich you get a choice of cole slaw or potato salad. I went for the potato salad.. and I didn't care for that either. It reminded me of when you brush your teeth and eat something afterward and it would taste funny and you figure oh yeah.. it's because I just brushed. It was like that.. but this funny taste was all in it's own.

Aside from the food, I don't like being rushed. Especially when it's not busy and more than half the restaurant was empty. It felt unwelcoming.

Of the "beasts of the earth" you may eat any animal that has cloven hooves and chews its cud if you're following the strict laws of kashrut. Lev. 11:3; Deut. 14:6. Any land mammal that does not have both of these qualities is forbidden. The Torah specifies that the camel, the rock badger, the hare and the pig are not kosher because each lacks one of these two qualifications. Sheep, cattle, goats, deer and bison are kosher.

Of the things that are in the waters, you may eat anything that has fins and scales. Lev. 11:9; Deut. 14:9. Thus, shellfish such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams and crabs are all forbidden. Fish like tuna, carp, salmon and herring are all permitted.

Got that?

Holy crap I'm glad I don't have to eat kosher! Sounds like a lot of work.

I'm not really a follower who can play or eat by the rules. Good thing Sam's is a kosher-STYLE deli. Otherwise, I'd be screwed. I like the comfy vinyl booths at Sam's. Whenever there are vinyl booths I know the food's gonna be good. Sam's has some damn good mashed potatoes and gravy! The gravy has the consistency of pudding. The roast beef is smothered with gravy. There's also white bread underneath for "sopping up" purposes.

My wife got the fish and chips which she thoroughly enjoyed. My mom ordered the same thing. Both seemed happy about it. My wife complained about how full her belly was after lunch. "Ohhhh...my belly..."

I'll never really understand elevating the simple act of eating into a religious ritual. I never mix religion with gravy. Besides, I'm an agnostic carnivore. A nice, friendly, large family that sat near us bowed their head and prayed before they ate their food... We just dug in! I know I know...that's not very kosher.

Contemplating on what to write for this review just made me feel old. OK, here it goes -- I have been enjoying my favorite sandwich (Sunrise Special) at Sam's since my earliest memories growing up in the 1970s. In case you were wondering, the Sunrise Special is hot pastrami or corned beef & Swiss on rye with thousand island. I take mines with pastrami. I totally love the pastrami, corned beef, rolled cabbage, knish, blintz, homemade soups, and pickles. The breakfast is great too. I am not a fan of prime rib but those who are tend to be in love with the prime rib sandwich.

I recently went to NYC and did a pastrami tour where I had a hot pastrami sandwich from all the famous delicatessens (Katz, Carnegie, Stage, Roxi, Ben Ash). Sam's really is as close as it gets to a NYC style delicatessen this far away from the Big Apple.

If none of the above suits yer fancy, grab a bag of bagels and cream cheese to go.

I've always been on the prowl for a good matzo ball soup and I tried so hard to like this place. I've tried this place after Yelping for a good corned beef on rye and you've let me down Yelp! You've let me down!

I walked in on a Sunday afternoon giving myself a full 45 minute block to order some takeout and get it back to work. The restaurant was busy thanks to what looked like a whole lot of Groupon users with their iPhone downloads but that didn't deter me from my goal and I sat myself at the counter...for 23 minutes. 23 minutes of watching 3 waitresses walk back and forth, talk to other patrons, ignore me when I raised a hand finally to grab someone's attention, and watching the owner pace back and forth. I even made eye contact with a few of the waitresses! What gives?!

I usually have a wealth of patience within me but how does a lone diner at a counter get ignored for so long? If the restaurant knew they were going to be busy because of a Groupon promotion, they could have bulked up on staff instead of spreading them thin and possibly pissing off people like me.

Ah, the key is Kosher Style.

This place has always been Sam's Deli to me and my familia.

We go there for the prime rib sandwich and I like the grilled chicken sandwich.

We keep meaning to buy the PF a tongue sandwich, but always forget.

It's good. It's not all Kosher. There are some Kosher foods on the menu, but you can definitely have meat and cheese on the same plate/same meal.