The establishment in general deserves, at best, three stars. The owner seems to be confused about the balance between revenue and customer satisfaction. I have experienced the very awkward evolution for over a year. Â That aside...
If you want to meet an extraordinary young man, impeccably dressed, obviously NOT from the Northwest, but rather San Francisco, who apparently has been raised by decent, evolved parents, and will make any conscience woman pine for an artistic, beautiful, gracious young man...then have coffee...and ask for IAN. You will never forget the experience. This young man wore a shirt and pants that were perfectly pressed in the most stylish way, and the color of his shirt accentuated his eyes in a way only an artist would pull together. Ian immediately stands out from NW men.
Anyone out there looking for an awesome young artist? Ian is your man.
Anyone woman out there looking to enjoy what young men SHOULD be, sit in Ian's section. You will be inspired for the rest of your day.
Great modern take on the Jewish deli - such a pleasant departure from the others in Seattle. Â Odd location, yes, but easy to get to and great if you are on or near the Island. Bagels are excellent as is the house-made pastrami. Â Polished service in the restaurant and the deli, but it can be a tad leisurely on both fronts.
Review Source:We have enjoyed Stopsky's since day 1. Â Quality, innovation, but thought it a bit pricey at dinner. Â The current summer menu is fabulous. Â The offering of small plates is great. Â
I had the salad flight. Â $10. for a scoop of salmon salad, chicken salad, potato salad arugula salad, and 3 pieces of incredibly tasty toast. Â I will be going there every night it is too warm to cook. Â This is the best value for the money on the island. Â Or Seattle or Bellevue for that matter. Â
I also ordered the pickle juice martini. How odd is that ?  But it is good.  I will have it again  Gin (that I usually avoid) vermouth, pickle juice, and an elegant  cucumber slice .  Oddly good.  Always a surprise at Stopsky's.
I will be there again Thursday night with a friend.
I've had food from here twice. The first thing that I noticed about Stopsky's is the pricing...what they charge for what you get is pretty skewed. Basically, you can expect to pay quite a bit for a little food. The one category where I find the value to be more acceptable is their sandwiches--they don't skimp on the meat. Even then, paying $12 - $14 for a sandwich is rather high in my book.
I wasn't particularly impressed with the service either. We waited for about 15 minutes for the waiter to come back to take our order, by which time I'm pretty sure that I was making my dinner companion nervous because I was getting quite irritated. I normally wouldn't have minded so much, but I had a class to attend in an hour, and the fact that I had to wait so long just to order really made me want to just get up and walk out.
If this place didn't have the convenience factor going for it (I live a couple blocks from here), I probably wouldn't come back here again.
I've been hearing mixed reviews for weeks so decided it was about time for me to check this place out myself.
First impression: Slightly disappointed. I was hoping Seattle would get on the map for having a great Jewish deli - you know one that is at least 50% as good as what Manhattan, NY residents get to enjoy with the likes of Katz's or Carnegie. The place is really just another sandwich joint that kicks it up a notch by smoking its own meat. The décor is nice but a little too modern for my liking.
Second impression: WOW! These sandwich prices seem high. Â $13 for a Pastrami. Keeping my mind on previous experiences in NY, I caved in, plunked down my $14 (and change) and ordered a Pastrami sandwich with coleslaw to go. Â Within minutes a nice to go box was set on the counter - props for speedy service - and I was on my way back to the office. Of course the smell was so tempting that I couldn't wait so reached into the box and grabbed for a small piece of meat to sample. What came out was a thick huge piece of meat, not super tender but not overly tough, it was smoky and peppery, on its own very good but definitely not what I was expecting or hoping for.
Third impression: No napkin or fork included in to go box. Come on folks, I just spent $14 on a sandwich - how am I going to eat this scrumptious looking coleslaw side dish? And when I do, what will my colleagues think when they see either the stone ground mustard, bread crumbs or pastrami remnants on my face? Thankfully I had an extra napkin from another speedy sandwich provider in my desk drawer - might I add at 1/3 the price and just as good - it's simple logic when taking food to go it shouldn't it be assumed that basic accessories should be included?
In summary: If you're not on a quest to experience one of the best Pastrami sandwiches on the planet and you don't have issues with dollar to purchased goods value ratios and you're OK with eating coleslaw with your fingers then you might enjoy Stopsky's. Â No offense but I have experienced it and will pass on future opportunities.
I've never paid so much for something so disappointingly bland! We drove over here from Seattle in hopes of finding a good Jewish deli. We were immediately put off by the place when we saw their was no deli case, there was a liquor bar and the decor was stuffy. Not my idea of a deli, but we thought it might indicate high quality ingredients. Our server was very nice, so he gets the one star. I ordered the chopped liver and borscht, my bf ordered the white fish sandwich. Just like everyone else mentioned, the prices are just stupid, even more so given the quality.
The borscht tasted like the "broth" was water. I added straight horseradish and it still wasn't worth eating. The beet chunks were too big, also. At the end of the meal, I told the waiter and he kindly removed it from our bill.
The chopped liver was OK, but less quality than if I'd just gone to the grocery store, bought some paté, bagel chips and cornichons. We asked for extra mustard (ours came with a drop) in order to give it some flavor.
The whitefish sandwich was really disappointing. I don't even know how you make a sandwich of fish, capers, and pickled onions boring! The bread was pretty awful, too.
I think I might be more inclined to give 2 stars if not for the pompous message on the front of the menus. They said they were reinventing and modernizing the Jewish deli. Believe me, you guys have nothing to add that generations of Jewish people didn't already perfect.
I was excited to check out this place after reading its review from Seattle Met magazine's article on brunches. While the article raved about the eggs benedict, Yelpers suggested that the lox and eggs were the best, so that's what I ordered.
All in all, I found the lox extremely fishy. Yuck. Salmon lox shouldn't taste that strong. The portion was really small, even after adding a side of the steakon (the beef version of bacon, rhyming with same) AND fruit. And sorry but, I really think an establishment that charges that much should at least cut the green tops off the strawberries.
This was a disappointment and I don't see myself giving it another chance.
Reuben sandwich - very delicious. I'm a huge fan of sauerkraut and this was amazing. It was so satisfying that I didn't even finish the pickle that it came with because i had enough sour, which never happens!
Salami and eggs breakfast - eggs were soft as my pillows and very flavorful. It tasted like it came straight out of a mother hen.
Good service and no wait, so definitely a great brunch spot!
I stop by this deli about once a week for a weekday lunch or coffee and a business meeting. I would have given them 4 stars a couple months ago -- taking one star off because of highish prices and the lack (at that time) of gluten-free options.
However, I asked a couple different staffers about GF bread (because what fun is a breadless pastrami sandwich that you can't pick up and chomp into, no matter how tasty the pastrami is?!) The staffers were very polite and responsive; in general, their service is stellar. I was very impressed to be told a few weeks later that the staff had blind-taste-tested a bunch of GF breads and had chosen one to add to their regular bread order. So now I can get my pastrami as a real sandwich. In addition they have started carrying a few GF pastries (lemon cupcakes and brownies, mostly). That's how they got a 5th star from me.
It's really nice to have a place to go to on Mercer Island with high standards of quality and service but that's just as casual as a Starbucks if you want to just drop by. I first found out about Stopsky's because I have a group of friends from Seattle and the Eastside who use Stopsky's as their neutral territory for lunches since it's so easy to get to off of I-90.
Cute little spot right next to Island Books. Lovely for brunch and lunch, and they now serve dinner! They have great dishes, plus excellent coffee and pastries if you're on the go. The photos hanging inside are a testament to the local, family-owned nature of this updated-traditional Jewish deli.
Review Source:I went in for a lunch meeting with a long time friend who works in the area last summer. After hearing a lot of good things about this place, and  knowing the owner's story, we were excited to try their food. The wait was not too bad, for 15 minutes for a midweek lunch..the place is quiet packed. We ordered corned beef and pastrami ... OH MY!! I was thinking about getting another one to go for dinner as well! I wish I work or live closer so I can go often. But I am trying to be content to go whenever I can for now.
Review Source:Me and a lady friend stopped by here for brunch on Sunday, around 11am, fully expecting the normal wait that inevitably awaits such ventures in Seattle. Instead, we were immediately seated and given fantastic service. Instant points for Stopsky's!
But let's get right to the bad. Stopsky's is expensive. Pretty close to "are you kidding me?" pricey. We had a French press of coffee, the Cured Fish Plate (Ie.. bagels, lox, whitefish salad, cream cheese, etc..) and the Ricotta Blintzes. That came out to $34 before tax or tip. That wouldn't be too terrible except the portion sizes are tiny. The Blintzes come two to an order with a side of apple sauce. That's it. It's not enough for even a small child to have a proper breakfast. The fish plate wasn't quite as guilty, as you do get a full sized bagel and plenty of cream cheese; but you also get a very, very slim order of lox. The coffee was fairly priced at $8 for about 5 cups worth of very good coffee. You're going to want to order 3 breakfast entrees for 2 people and you still won't be as full as you would from an $8 diner's breakfast.
That said, this isn't diner food. Aside from the prices and skimptastic portions, they really nail everything else. Cute and cozy interior, fantastic service (special nod to our funny and just-attentive-enough server) and really good food.
The bagel was fantastic, as was the cream cheese, whitefish salad and lox. The blintzes were perfectly cooked and folded around very creamy, rich ricotta that is either housemade or sourced very well. The same goes for the apple sauce, which was a very nice texture and delightfully cinnamon-ey.
I want to give Stopsky's five stars. I really do. But as an industry professional I know they ripped me off on the prices, especially the blintzes (sorry Stopsky's, you're supposed to be aiming for a 20-25% food cost, not the 13% MAX you're hitting on those blintzes) , regardless of how tasty they are.
I would love to make this a regular brunch spot and really, all they need to do is one of two things;
A) Lower the prices and recommend to couples that they order three breakfast items to share or one each and sides. We definitely were ripe for the upselling and would have happily ordered another item had we been pre-warned the portions weren't very large.
or
B) Add a side to the dishes! Had they given me a half cup of yummy breakfast potatoes with each dish, I would have been entirely fine with the prices.
Super tasty pastrami! Turkey pastrami is outstanding, well-constructed. Love the unconventional twist. High quality pastrami on grilled multigrain, the fig mustard is one of the best condiments I've had anywhere. Mama's lil peppers cuts through the pastrami nicely, with arugula. Sandwich is quite large but stays together, doesn't fall apart.
Review Source:We recently hit up Stopsky's to get a sandwich to go before our hike at Discovery Park. Â We got the pastrami sandwich-- nice cuts of pastrami between two pieces of delicious rye bread. Â The sandwich is really easy to eat, not like some of those sandwiches that you bite into and all the innards come out at once.
The sandwich was good, but $13 (plus tax) is a little too much for a casual lunch.
Latkes Benedict w/ Lox - to die for. It may not seem like much on the plate but it sure is filling. Their Hollandaise is amazing with the right amount of acidity for the Lox. Every bite was so decadent.
The servers are great - funny, not too intrusive and friendly.
The place is homey w/ a mom and pop shop vibe.
The food was tasty, but very meager portions on the Pastrami sandwich. Â Had some recommendations to check this place out. I am from NYC and always in search of a good pastrami sandwich. So far the only truly great pastrami sandwich I have found in the Greater Seattle area is at Gilbert's Deli in Bellevue.
So on to Stopsky's Deli. Nice place, friendly staff. The Matzo Ball Soup and the Kreplach were very good. I also ordered an Egg Cream (which I haven't had in years) and it was quite good. The Pastrami sandwich was very delicious - good lean pastrami on nice thinly sliced rye bread, but the problem with the sandwich is there was barely any meat on it. For $13 I expect more than 3-4 slices of pastrami. Both of us ordered the pastrami and both were still hungry afterwards. I think if they would simply be more generous with their pastrami, it would be a very good sandwich.
Their Latkes Benedict with lox was amazing! The golden brown latkes had some heft and height to them and acted as the perfect vehicle for lox, poached egg, and light cream-coloured hollandaise sauce. My boyfriend who is not a eggs benny fan thought it was absolutely the best eggs benny he ever had.
We also shared Challah French Toast, which came with seasonal compote, candied walnut, and cinnamon whipped cream. I think it was either that there was not much whipped cream on the plate to begin with or my boyfriend ate most of it. I didn't get much whipped cream... However, I did get plenty of walnuts (as he didn't touch any).
Although everyone we interacted with was nice and friendly, the service was a little bit sporadic and distracted. The food was definitely priced on the higher side but decidedly delicious.
This is the kind of place that does great deli sandwiches and soups for lunch, and then tries to go slightly upscale for the dinner hours. Â They pretty much manage to pull it off with a nicely designed space and very friendly service. Â I sat at the counter by the window at dinner time and had the reuben sandwich, which was quite good. Â The coleslaw that came with it was swimming in a very creamy dressing... not the kind I would have expected at a more upscale place. Â I'd definitely come back for lunch, and check out the cool looking bookstore next door.
Review Source:We stopped at Stopsky's about a year ago for a quick lunch and enjoyed the food so when we came back up to the island to visit friends we decided to eat breakfast here.
Our first breakfast was Friday morning and our second was the Saturday brunch. We had pretty much the same thing both mornings eggs with meat and a bagel.
The eggs were cooked poached and over easy. Both were competently done.
We tried the beef bacon, chiorzo sausage and the salami. None of us cared for the chiorzo sausage or the beef bacon. The salami was in a scramble so we didn't get to taste it by itself but it was good in the scramble.
The bagels were toasted and had a nice crisp crust and chew. Far superior to the national bagel chain down the street. But the have a very limited selection.
I'm sorry, I know that this is a Jewish deli but the lack of real bacon keeps me from giving them a five star rating. Maybe if the could improve their bacon alternatives I'd add that last star.
Till then they are a good but not great place for breakfast, especially if you like to dip your bagel in a nice runny egg yolk.
Stopsky's Deli has been on my list to try for some time now. The main barrier has been the price. It really isn't family friendly in the price department. Lunch costs well over $10/head, and dinner ratchets up. Supposedly the breakfasts are to-die-for, and I believe it.
My spouse has been in before. He had a peanut butter cookie that is absolutely amazing. We went in for lunch on a day we were both on the Island. We went about 12:30 in the middle of the week and it would have been a 15 minute wait. We ordered take out and took it home to eat. It definitely would have been pleasant to stay to eat. It's well lit and quiet. The staff was friendly and helpful.
We really enjoyed looking at the food in the cases (both deli and pastry) and taking a look at all the food and other items they had for sale.
They don't have a lot of vegan options on the take out menu, but a hummus wrap sans Tzatziki and giving the cole slaw side to my husband worked out. They made sure nothing was touching. It was quite tasty. My husband had the Klepach soup, which was an amazing soup. He also had a half sandwich of the day, probably one of the best sandwiches he's ever had.
They also have a Dine Around Seattle or Seattle Restaurant Week style 3 courses for $30 thing going on during the weekends. This gives you an idea of how pricey it is there. This is in line with many of the nicer restaurants in Seattle - not exactly what you expect from a deli.
We'll probably head back. I think it's worth trying the breakfast one of these mornings.
I'm a craver. I usually have cravings that I always have to satisfy.
At the moment, corned beef hash was on my mind.
Sunday nights are the toughest to find an open restaurant anywhere.
Seriously, people get hungry and lazy on Sundays, so we go out to look for food!
Mercer Island - of all places - I would never find a spot like this there.
Interior is like a New York kosher restaurant that came and settled down in a quiet neighborhood.
This place is way too cute.
Kosher everything; food, atmosphere and people. Not so much the prices though.
It's clean, like Mercer Island.
It's quiet, like Mercer Island.
It's kind of pricey, like Mercer Island.
It's Kosher, like Mercer Island.
It's mom and pop like, like Mercer Island.
Should I continue? Haha.
The music is PG. Caters to all crowds.
Definitely had a Sara Bareilles meets Sinatra tone.
It's all of the mainstream music- which leads me to think they use satellite radio.
The service was great! Dave has a great sense of humor and he's a local as well. From the island and knows the restaurant inside and out. So this is one guy I'd like to have again when I stop by for more delicious kosher food.
We ordered the pastrami sandwich and corned beef platter. OMG. Corned Beef platter had strips of the beef, the best roasted potatoes I've EVER HAD, and red cabbage. Everything on that plate was cleaned up. I couldn't believe how tasty the potatoes were! I loved everything on the plate. The corned beef, the potatoes, the cabbage, everything I ate in small bites and cleaned up. Corned beef was cooked to perfection- some places can dry it out but here, it was cooked perfectly! Pastrami sandwich comes with either coleslaw or potato salad- Dave is the man, he gave us both :P YUM!
I was kind of hesitant of stopping by here only because I see 3.5 stars overall. I try to have an open mind when I'm trying restaurants with 3-3.5 stars. But it could be because of the service or the pricing of their menu.
The biggest thing that turned me off here is the pricing. GOODNESS... what is NOT Kosher is the price tag for their menu. Oh BOY! The beef platter was $22- that's STEEP! But knowing me, if I hadn't cured my craving, I would be searching for a new place another day to tame that corned beef taste.
Next time I come here, it'll be for lunch because it's seems more reasonably priced. OR get the corned beef sandwich and get potatoes on the side and I'll be set.
So in conclusion:
Food: Pretty Darn Kosher
Price: NOT Kosher (or Tref for you Kosher folks out there)
This place looked so promising! It kind of has this modern-deli vibe going on, very clean and minimalist. Quite different from the strip mall it's located in.
I came here for lunch and ordered a bowl of matzo ball soup to-go. The soup itself was pretty good, with a strong broth and some nice pieces of chicken. But I was more than a little surprised when they handed it to me and I realized I had just paid $8.00 for a tiny cup that was mostly matzo ball (and I got the large). Really Stopsky's? One of my fav delis, Canter's in LA (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/canters-delicatessen-and-restaurant-los-angeles">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>), only charges $6.75 for about double the amount. I know this place doesn't have a lot of competition, but seriously, that's a rip-off. Â
Another red flag was raised when I asked if they had any black and white cookies. The cashier informed me that they had stopped making their baked goods in house, and now used some central distributor (hmm...not promising). He said they might have some black and whites in the back, but they would be a few days old. Thanks but no thanks!
My cousin was visiting and I thought we'd cap off her last day in Seattle with a stop here for some challah french toast or latkes benedict on our way to the airport. Â Well, it was a Tuesday, so no luck there (I had forgotten the full breakfast menu is only offered for brunch on the weekends). Â However, their new weekday hot breakfast choices were delicious, even with our disappointment at not getting what we came for.
I had the Meditterean Breakfast (I think that's what it was called), which had scrambled eggs, a tomato and cucumber salad, yoghurt, pitas, and hummus. Â A little bit of an unexpected combination of foods, but I really enjoyed mixing all the flavors together - I would have never thought to try them together before. Â It was almost more than I could eat, though I managed to put it all away because it was so delicious. Â My cousin had the other option - something equivalent to a two egg breakfast with eggs of her choice, bread of her choice, and meat of her choice if I am remembering accurately. Â She also raved about the coffee - Stumptown. Â
All in all, while I prefer the variety and options of the weekend brunch menu, were I to stop in during the week for breakfast again, I would know I'd have some delicious hot options. Of course, the bakery is always full of yummy goodies as well. Â I've had the bialy with cheese, sun dried tomato, and herbs and it was amazing. Cold. I wish I had asked them to warm it up for me!
Drove 30 miles out of my way to go to here, a big 30 mile mistake!
Ordered a pastrami sandwich which was thickly sliced, not thinly sliced as I would have preferred, not only was it very salty, the sandwich was cold. The mustard seed dressing on the sandwich was too overpowering.
Ordered a beet salad for $11=NOT WORTH IT, poho money!
I came to try this cafe with a companion to have lunch on a weekday. Â As I walked in, the atmosphere looked very neat and clean, with mostly dark color furnishes. Â I see a waiter stand on the right, and behind it, is the dinning area. Â To mt left, I see a long bakery shelf of bagels, cookies, and espresso machine. That's definitely for take outs. Â Straight to the end of the cafe, is a big open kitchen. Â We were greeted and seated by a nice young lady as soon as we finished glancing.
We ordered a mocha, a big cookie and beef toughn sandwich. Yes, the sliced beef toughn caught our attention. Â And it was delicious! It was a cold sandwich served with homemade pickle and coleslaw. Â My coffee was yummy too!
We will be back to try more items next time!
Pretty good. Â My husband and I were cruising the neighborhoods of Mercer Island checking out homes and decided to check out this Jewish deli.
- We shared the Matzah ball soup
- I had the reuben, he had the pastrami sandwich
- coffee was delicious (stumptown)
- dessert was awesome (cookies and pastry goodies to go)
Would go back. Â :) Â I have been spoiled, growing up in New York and with many Jewish friends - at least I know where we can go when hungry on Mercer Island! Â
Very good friendly service.
Seattle is a Goyish town. You could fire a few cannons off before hitting a decent knish, or latke. There've been a few weak attempts at New York style delis but no decent  Jewish Delis(Goldbergs is like the PF Changs of Jewish food).
This place is fantastic. Just the counter looks right with piles of delicious pastries like rugelach, Hamentashen and bagels. The pastrami and corned beef are so beatiful they brought a tear to my eye.
The borscht which can be horrible if not made well is delicious. The matzo brie(Goys you can  think french toast with Matzo) is fluffier and better than any I've every made. And the latke benedict is genius.
My great grandfather Hyman settled from kiev to Seattle during the pogroms and eventually moved to San Francisco because he couldn't get any decent food here. He would have been been as happy as a pig in poo(I know that 's not Kosher). With a bowl of borscht and pastrami sandwich from Stopysky's.
I love this place! Â We found it by accident when we made a wrong turn (visiting from Los Angeles and didn't know the area). Â I had a "Shamwich" which was by far one of the best vegetarian sandwiches I have ever eaten in my life!!!
The reason I took a star away, is that I think after 3pm, they should still offer the same menu in the main dining room as they do at the cafe bar. Â Other than that, extremely friendly staff, DELICIOUS grub and this has given me yet another reason to return to my favorite city.
WOW. i really wanted to like this place. Â so close to my work, AND they serve Stumptown Coffee!
Honestly, i'm super bummed. i want my money back. except the tip.
The TWO STARS are for:
1.) for the service (really great service up front!)
2.) for the fact that they have sense enough to serve Stumptown. Â
everything else is sorely below mediocre.
when i stepped into the deli, i had high hopes. Â it's very minimal and cute inside. borderline fancy. Â the decor gives you the sense that they really care about quality and such.
when i stepped up to the counter, the counter girl was super sweet. so was the guy making the coffees. Â unfortunately, that's where the awesomeness ends.
i ordered a bagel and cream cheese with tomato and cucumber, and a small portion of their deli tabbouleh. Â oh, and a lemon bar.
1.) Â the bagel was burnt.
2.) Â the tomatoes were MUSHY and gross.
3.) Â it was all slopped together like someone was pissed that they were going to be five minutes late going on their break.
4.) TABBOULEH WAS MUSHY. how long has it been sitting there? :( i should have asked for a sample first.
5.) Â since when does one have to eat a lemon bar with a fork? was this the "no bake" variety??? so disappointed with that one... again, MUSHY.
they should change their name to "not what you'd expect deli"
honestly, even in a pinch, i'd never eat here again. but i will go back for coffee...
This is my favorite breakfast place so far in the Seattle area. If weren't for the long wait, the price, and some hit or miss dishes, it would probably get 5 stars. My tip for coming here is to put your name on the wait list right away.
I had the Latke Benedict with lox. You can choose the meat that you want to go with your eggs benefit. The hollandaise sauce here is superb. The latke was so nicely made that I wish I could fry them this well. But I think lox and latke were a bit too salty together. The whole time I was having the dish, I wish I had picked pastrami instead because I can imagine how well the flavors would go together. They should consider removing lox as one of the choices since it really didn't add to the dish. I also had the kreplach soup which was a true heart-melting delight.
My friend had the matzoh balls soup and the ricotta blintzes. She didn't particularly enjoy the cohabitation of ricotta blintzes served with apple sauce and sour cream. But I thought the flavors were daring. If there could just be more apple sauce then the dish would really be awesome. Once you run out of apple sauce, the dish really falls flat. The waiter did warn us that this is is an "either you like it or you don't" comfort food dish, so can't complaint.
Props for Stopsky's for trying to update the traditional dishes. Any time you are trying to change a traditional dish, there will be resistance. But perseverance produces character, so I have great hope for the character dishes that are to come if Stopsky's continue to improve its cooking.
Just had one of those "Oh crap! I've got a Groupon (Bloomspot, Yelp deal, Google deal, Amazon deal, Rue Lala) and it expires TOMORROW!" moments. And now I'm kicking myself for not coming here sooner! I can tell the reviews are evening out and trending toward 4- and 5 stars compared to when this place first opened last year. I'm glad they're getting into their groove.
So, with a $50 coupon in hand, we managed to sample quite a few things off the menu: fried kreplach, house-made pickle assortment (half dills and half pickled cauliflower), turkey pastrami sandwich, regular pastrami sandwich, and a dessert special of bread pudding studded with tart cherries and raisins, and finished with a bourbon custard sauce. OH YEAHHHHH!
Our waiter (Dave?) was amazing. Super friendly and helpful, and very accomodating given that we'd shown up at happy hour to use our "dinner only" certificate (oops!) - we got the happy hour price on one of our sandwiches, and he stopped by frequently (but not TOO frequently) to see how we were doing.
This place is a pickle paradise - their dill pickles have a snappy crunch, which I love. Maybe I have never had a decent dill pickle before, but I've never experienced such a perfect pickle crunch. The cauliflower tasted great, and both went really well with the kreplach.
We asked what came on the pastrami sandwich when ordering. Simple answer? MUSTARD. Yes! Perfect. The pastrami was slightly spicy (like hot!) which made it more interesting than what most places serve. And with yet another pickle on the side! Yay. The fries that came with were pretty boring, standard shoestring fries, but I'm not sure why you'd come to this place and have fries anyway - why not coleslaw (it was great - slightly creamy but not too dressing-y) or potato salad, which are offered with all their sandwiches? Or better yet, just the pickle :-D
Ok, so we've established that I like pickles. But also, I like mustard. And the fig mustard served on the turkey pastrami sandwich was perfect. With some mama lil's pickled peppers (hey, pickles again!), it really hit the spot. And it had A LOT OF TURKEY on it, so it's filling - you'll have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, unless you're really famished.
Not sure if it will be available anytime soon, since it was a daily special, but the bread pudding was great. Not dry AT ALL, filled with plump raisins (regular and golden) and tart cherries, and served in a pool of bourbon custard sauce. WAY too much for one person, but good for sharing, which we did. And they serve Stumptown coffee, which complements it nicely.
They've got a store side as well as a dining room side, so you can go and buy their pickles (done!) and bagels and things. Pickles are $12 a jar, and I know it's steep, but they're just that good.
I'm coming back for brunch, and I'll tell you why: LATKES BENEDICT!
We'll certainly go back to Stopsky's!
The atmosphere was pleasant, food was prepared well, the staff very friendly and smiley. Â The place was packed and the wait was about 30 minutes - not something we normally do, but we read the recommend in the Seattle Mag(breakfast places review) and wanted to try the deli for ourselves.
Ordered the Lox & Eggs with potato latke and the whole grain toast. Â Maybe I was starving by the time we got our food, so it tasted especially yummy....hard to say, but I did enjoy it. My husband ordered the benedict - said it was delish!
My New Favorite Seattle Deli
I ate at Stopsky's 4 times over 5 days (March 16-20, 2012) because it was just that darn good (my girlfriend came along for 3 of those outings). Â Here is what we ordered and how I would rate each dish on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being best:
Mr. Paul's Matzoh Balls soup (SCORE: 9) - I've been to most of the major delis in New York, and a number of good ones in L.A. including Jerry's Famous Deli, whose matzoh ball soup has always been my gold standard. Looks like Stopsky's raised the bar and there's a new standard. Â While nothing compares to Jerry's portion size (matzoh balls as big as your fist), Stopsky's does have them beat for flavor and denseness. Â The best I've ever had.
Whitefish Sandwich (SCORE: 8) - Excellent smoky flavor, but my one gripe is that the bun they used was too thick relative to the amount of whitefish.
Reuben Sandwich (SCORE: 9) - "Divine" is the word my girlfriend used to describe this sandwich, and it really was though next time I'm going to ask them to go easier on the hot mustard & sauerkraut.
Pastrami Sandwich (SCORE: 9) - Superb! Â Stopsky's corned beef has an amazing smoky flavor to it that makes its flavor very distinctive.
Falafel Bowl (SCORE: 8) - Just last month, we were talking about how hard it is to find good falafels around this part of town. Â Well, not anymore. Â Stopsky's falafels are crispy, yet light and are accompanied by an excellent, airy hummus. Â The best part of this dish though might just be the smoked Castelvetrano green olives. Â Outstanding!
Fried Kreplach (SCORE: 6) - I've never had my kreplach fried crispy. Â I liked theirs, though they were a bit dry.
Cabbage Rolls (SCORE: 3) - This was a huge disappointment, especially because we love stuffed cabbage so much we'll sometimes make them ourselves. Â I'm not sure why but Stopsky's doesn't seem to season the beef inside the cabbage, leaving it tasting very bland. Â The seasoning they do use on the cabbage exterior just doesn't work, at least as far as I'm concerned. Â About the only thing I liked about this dish was their use of napa (or savoy) cabbage, which added a nice texture to the rolls.
Shaksuka with Chicken Chorizo (SCORE: 7) - An interesting item that had a unique flavor, though it should've been served with a spoon instead of a fork, and they should have left the pita untoasted so you could sop up the sauce with the bread. Â Speaking of that sauce, they should really pair it with their cabbage rolls. Â It would seriously improve that dish!
Knish (SCORE: 10) - Hands down the best knish I've ever had, specifically the one with corned beef. Â The vegetarian one was also excellent, but the corned beef version was a masterpiece. Â Presented like an overstuffed open-topped doughy rose, this creation was the absolute star of our multiple visits. Â I also got one for takeout and microwaved it at home later. Â It was fantastic. Â Stopsky's should seriously consider spinning off this dish into a pre-packaged business. Â The rest of the world NEEDS this in the frozen foods section of their local grocery.
Latke Benedict (SCORE: 9) - We had ours with their outstanding pastrami. Â Overall a crispy, slightly greasy delight. Â A great plate to share between two people.
Lox & Bagels (SCORE: 7) - Our waiter recommended their onion bagel, which we enjoyed. Â They're generous on the cream cheese but a bit stingy on the lox.
Peanut Butter Cookie (SCORE: 8) - Sweet & chewy. Very good!
Lemon Bar (SCORE: 9) - We make our own lemon bars and consider them to be pretty good, but Stopsky's are definitely better. Â Their crust is a little softer and crumblier than ours, and their lemon filling is a little creamier. Â Lemony goodness from start to finish!
Challahstock (SCORE: 5) - This would've been a lot better if it wasn't so dry.
Hamentaschen (SCORE: 8) - Both the poppy & apricot were very good.
Sticky Toffee Pudding (SCORE: 7) - Basically a very dense pound cake with nuts, vanilla ice cream, toffee drizzle (I think) and a strawberry compote underneath. Â Tasty, but I still prefer their lemon bar & hamentaschen.
We're thrilled there's FINALLY a serious nearby alternative to Goldberg's in Factoria & plan on coming here regularly. Â Stopsky's doesn't have a lot of seating and it fills up quickly, so if you go for Sunday brunch, be sure to get there by 9am.
CAVEAT : Do NOT expect this place to be The Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery. Â
YOU ARE ON THE WRONG COAST. Â
Please go to NYC if you want to be in a legitimately NYC-style deli.
--
Anyway, this is a really nice place, although hidden and somewhat hard to find, if you are not from The Island. Â
Plenty of room for a swanky kosher date.
I have been planning on visiting for upwards of six months, according to my email calendar. Â Not disappointed. Â Friendly service, nice atmosphere, good beers... No complaints. Â I am an incredible tightwad (as in I would rather sell my mother's left eye than pay for Matzoh soup, which I can make in my sleep on my death bed drunk), but didn't feel as though I had wasted a penny on the knishes (roughly $6 per) purchased last night for a fast, satisfying dinner. Â Beats the hell out of making them from scratch at 7pm at night!
Perfect meaty knishes. Â Hamantash was a little heavy on the lemon, but intrigued by the 'savory hamantash' on the menu. Â Will definitely be back for that, and a Reuben.
Will be back for pickled treats, sammies and the possible aforementioned date.
I am an experienced Jew eating food snob transplanted from Los Angeles.
I know what good food tastes like and this was not it!!!
What a huge disappointment this place was!
I had their Reuben and I found it to be extremely greasy, very dry and an overall bad tasting. I added coleslaw which tasted only of cabbage. The bagel and cream cheese was good not great, certainly not worth coming here for.
I will never ever ever go back to this place!
I feel like I should rewrite my Goldberg's review because I now appreciate their food so much more after eating this garbage!
I made my first visit to Stopsky's Delicatessen this week and it definitely won't be my last.
As I entered, I noticed three distinct sections to the deli - a dining area, a diner-style counter area, and a take-out/café area. I think the way the areas are arranged within the space is ideal; partitioning-off the diners and allowing enough room for a flow in the take-out/café area.
The young woman receptionist behind the podium greeted me with a great smile and I told her it was my first time at Stopsky's and that I was looking for a take-out lunch. She literally walked me over to the menu on the wall and walked me through it (most restaurants would just hand you a printed menu), then she walked me through the items in the refrigerated case; standing next to me and helping me until I made my selection - Salami Sandwich on Rye and Matzah Ball Soup.
The order was completed within a reasonable time, but there was a problem. The computer system at Stopsky's went down and they couldn't ring us up! A group of four customers all waited about 10 minutes, after which the manager let us all take home our selections for free!
Although I've only been to Stopsky's once thus far, I had a terrific experience. The customer service was near-perfect - the food delicious. I would, however, like to see them open longer on Sunday, but I understand.
Stopsky's is a (fairly) recently opened Jewish deli and bakery on Mercer Island. I am on the Island fairly frequently and have found it to be a bit of a sleepy, low-key place.
In terms of restaurant options on the Island, there is a fairly good amount of eateries, but none that really has made their mark on the Seattle foodie radar. Stopsky's puts Mercer Island on the map. It has received a lot of press recently, good and bad. Particularly the scathing oy vey Seattle Weekly review. The concept of a Jewish/New York deli is something that Seattleites are particular about it seems.
Despite the mixed reviews, I decided to give Stopsky's a try. Honestly, it seemed like dine-in service was the primary issue in the critic reviews. I drove to the Island for a weekday lunch and the parking lot was packed to my surprise. Inside, the restaurant was packed with diners as well. Rather than wait, I decided to get a takeout order to go.
The space is a bit on the small side. I found the waiting area to be crowded. There were people waiting for a table in the same area that you would get an order to go. The interior though is quite nice given the strip mall locale. Though a different feel than Goldbergs in Bellevue, which is the closest in comparison to Stopsky's in the area. It comes off being a little more sophisticated, while Goldbergs is a little more casual.
Decided to go with the lunch special which is a half sandwich with your choice of soup or salad. I decided to get the pastrami and a cup of kreplach ($8.50). Since they do offer baked goods, I decided to pick a few to try as well. I got a slice of babka ($2.75) and one each of the seeded and onion bagels ($1.10 each).
Had the kreplach first. I found it be good and very welcomed on a blustery, rainy day. Kreplach is essentially chicken soup with dumpling. In this case, it was filled with chicken. The dumplings resemble Italian ravioli and Chinese wonton. All in all, pretty decent and warms you up.
The sandwich seemed to be quite small. I know it is a half sandwich, but I found the quanity of rye bread to be quite lacking. The actual filling was reasonably generous and the pastrami was good. The sandwich tasted good, but is quite pricey for what you get.
As for the baked goods, I liked them all. The babka is a sweet bread with chocolate. It was yummy, but not overtly sweet which was good. A bit more restrained.
As for the bagels, I found them to be interesting and much different than the ones you would find at Noah's down the road. First off, these are not the kind of bagels you can make a breakfast sandwich out of. Â Way too small. It is closer to the ones you would find at Eltana that you would spread a shmear over. That said, they are really wonderfully chewy. The flavor of the bagels are also a bit more humble than the puffed up bagels you find elsewhere.
In closing, I found the food at Stopsky's to be good, but a bit pricey. This would be a four star review, if not for that.
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