zaftigs
| Address: | 335 Harvard St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA |
| Phone: | +1 617-975-0075 |
| Site: | zaftigs.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–10PM 8AM–10PM 8AM–10PM 8AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 11
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Justin Levine
Basically this is a diner with a Jewish theme, complete with a large Jewish lady as a mascot (zaftig means refers to a woman being large and plump in Yiddish). Service was good and the place is decorated well. Problem is that a Jewish delicatessen is supposed to be about great food--not just large portions--above all else, and thats where they fall short. The bagel chips we were given were pretty good, and were probably the highlight of the meal. My reuben was alright but nothing special. They absolutely didnt skimp on the meat, but the grilled pumpernickel bread was the problem here. I ended up discarding it and just ate the rest of the sandwich; no clue why they wouldnt just use rye. The corned beef was decent but cant compare to the stuff youd get in a real Jewish deli. The potato pancakes were decent. A little thick, not crisp enough, and unremarkable otherwise. My companions eggs benedict was good though. For the price point this wasnt terrible, but it also wasnt anything special. I would never wait on line to come here, as I saw many people doing as I walked out.
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Rashid Kaviani
the waitress never checked on us after she gave us the food so we ran out of drinks and butter and just sat there not eating the rest of our food. then she came up to us and took the plates away without asking us if we were done. then she brought us the check and charged us extra for food we never ordered... needless to say her tip reflected this... the food was bland and didnt have much taste. the toast was cold by the time they got it to us and they gave us half a strawberry and 2 pieces of a tasteless cantaloupe. the only good part was the potatoes that came on the side which were well cooked on the inside and crispy on the outside. overall the place seemed to be a bit over crowded for the quality and also a bit expensive for what they gave us. wouldnt recommend it.
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Miro Kushvaliev
Having eaten at Zaftigs a number of times over the years, it just feels like the place has gone downhill. While 4 stars would have been a stretch even at the best of times, my last dinner there a few months back was unappetizing and disappointing. I had the Grandmas brisket and it was just bad. The meat had an unpleasant texture, was not fresh at all and it tasted dodgy. The Reuben was also not up to par, which was a bummer, as my wife was specifically craving for it (and they are known for it). In general the place feels very tired. What once was a charming local restaurant is in a desperate need to either regroup and reinvent itself or maybe call it quits.
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A Private User
Well, normally I dont write reviews but this time I feel I must. One of my worst experience in the restaurant lately. The food is bland and not tasty. We ordered combo starter plate and it had items that should be in the dessert menu. Meatloaf was salty, fat and tasted like reheated from the other day.Our starters arrived together with the main dishes !? The worst part stated when 5 min after 10pm they switched off air conditioner and told us they will not serve dessert or anything else as they are closed. It felt like they asked us to leave quickly. May be in 2003 it was named the best place but now they are close to get the worst place title.
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Nicholas Hammond
Had an excellent Sunday brunch here! The wait for a table was incredibly long (but that is to be expected at 11:30AM on a Sunday morning), but worth the wait! I was impressed that even though the restaurant was completely full, our server was quick to get to us and able to check on us multiple times for drink refills, etc. The chocolate chip pancakes were so sweet and delicious, the Raphel (basically thanksgiving dinner on a sandwich) was amazing, and everyone I was with also loved their food. Most plates were picked completely clean! I would definitely come back here, but probably try to come earlier before the brunch crowd.
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Chris Karl
Only real breakfast place in the area. I am not sure if the food quality justifies the one hour wait on the weekend. The food is ok but not exceptional. The food is more a 3.5 stars. The coffee quality 2 stars. Service and kid friendliness 4 stars. If it is Saturday or Sunday 11am and you are still waiting in line, I recommend checking out the brunch at Regal Beagel across the street (close to the stop light) or The Fireplace at Washington Square (two T-Stops) outbound from Coolidge corner T-Stop. Besides breakfast, they offer good lunch and dinner options. The sandwiches and portions in general are pretty big.
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Al D
Listen something bad is going on here and its really concerning me. Went today and the food was TERRIBLE. Got a Reuben - had been to Zaftigs for years and years for graduations, to show off to foreign family - but today, I got partially toasted rye bread and a spit of dressing...half our order was forgotten, same with the table across from us. I will give them another chance and the 3 star rating was so as not to totally screw their overall rating scheme. But something is going on in that kitchen and it needs to be corrected. If it means closing Natick, do it. Cool Corner is suffering.
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Joshua Berk
This Jewish-style (read: not kosher) deli is a favorite of everyone in the area -- mostly students and post-grad professionals. Get here early for brunch to avoid long waits (45 minutes on average) -- be sure to ask for extra bagel chips to start. If you order nothing else, get the banana-stuffed French toast -- its legendary. Otherwise, choices on the menu will satisfy even the harshest of critics, for certain. Highlights: Empire eggs, San Francisco Joe, Potato Pancakes, Blintzes, Rueben, Pastrami & Swiss sandwich, New Yorker, Caesar salad.
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Deeksha Juneja
I went on a weekday so there was no wait, rather plenty of seating was available. The menu had some great options and the ambience was nice. The art decor is fun to look at. The location is also very convenient. The price was justified by the quantities served. I would say it wasnt the best breakfast food I have had but it was decent. The poached eggs were over cooked but I know that the chef needs to be decently skilled to get them right. The house coffee is absolutely terrible and definitely very over-priced even for free refill.
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Nazary Nebeluk
What a delicious magical place. They have a great variety of traditional old world eastern-european/jewish foods as well as some modern tweaks. The soups are really good, be it the borscht (beet soup) or beef and barley. The banana stuffed french toast for breakfast cant be beat as well as the Empire eggs. They also have a nice chicken sausage to go along with breakfast. The staff is friendly and this is a great place to get any meal. On weekends the brunch lines can be over an hour so it may be best to avoid it then.
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A S
This review is for dinner. Food - I dont know, whatever our group ordered did not taste good. We had the lemon chicken and the Mac n Cheese. And we couldnt complete either dish. The loaded potato latkes as an appetizer tasted fine - again, not great. Service - Nobody seemed happy to be there, we didnt get a smile from the staff, no one checked on us to see if everything was going well. But this place has such good reviews, maybe it was just the wrong day. Who knows. But I wouldnt want to go back to try my luck.
