Mensch Jewish Delicatessen - Vancouver

Hot pastrami sandwich yearnings were fulfilled at Mensch today. Hand cut pastrami, 10 ounces worth, stacked on fresh-baked bread, kissed with mustard, and

Went to this new deli in their first week open and was thoroughly impressed! The food is absolutely outstanding and the Jewish individual that I accompanied

A friend of ours goes out for brunch every Sunday and invited us on a cold and wet Vancouver day. We had been wanting to go to Mensch forever so we excitedly said, yes! I am glad I did a little online reconnaissance ahead of time because their brunch menu was not up on the chalkboard. It was on a piece of paper at the cash. I got the Breakfast Reuben (which was half a sandwich) which came with pastrami, an over easy egg, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, Dijonese sauce on rye bread for $12. I also got a side Matzah ball soup for an additional $3.There is one very long communal table that runs down the length of the restaurant and the place was pretty packed with people. My soup was seasoned perfectly but I only had one piece of carrot in it. I ate my soup as I waited for them to call our number for our order. The Reuben was delicious but I wish I could have put a regular mustard on it because the Dijon was a bit lacking for all that amazing slow brined, smoked and hand-cut hot pastrami. I love having my sandwiches dripping with mustard!I wish I could say that I liked the coleslaw and the pickle which I normally adore. The coleslaw was so one note and the pickle just tasted of white vinegar. I LOVE Kosher pickles. This is the first time I met a pickle I did not like.This is a very casual dining experience of Jewish deli food. The brunch prices are very reasonable but I was hoping for more flavour for my foodie buck. Their new Gastown location is fantastic and worth the trek in the rain. Going with friends was a blast but it is not the kind of place you eat and talk for hours. I am glad I finally got to Mensch Jewish Delicatessen. Eating there was quite the experience and that meat was pretty damn phenomenal. I liked it, am glad I went but not sure I will go again.

I have dined at numerous top delis in cities like New York, Montreal, Toronto, LA, and London, but this deli experience was by far the worst. The chicken soup was lukewarm and bland, with matzo balls that were so hard they nearly broke the utensils. The pastrami was poorly cured, with only a hint of red around the edges, tasting more like unseasoned brisket and being too dry. The sandwich was terrible and almost impossible to eat. I will not be returning to this deli.

Not quite Schwartz's! But easily stands up to Montreal's best! You get what you pay for.. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!