Jerry’s Famous Deli

I just heard this place closed and had to come here and gloat.
This dump was an insult to delicatessens. Terrible food, service and prices. I have given them a chance every few years since they opened and every time I was ripped off.
Good riddance.

I am sad to see all poor reviews for this place. This review is based on my visit to Jerry’s after my friend and I were HUNGRY after our half hour stay at Unilocal’s All Hopped Up event. I haven’t been to Jerry’s in a long time, but I remember the food being good.
First of all, we used Unilocal to find what was open near by, and Jerry’s came up. I believe the sign on the door said open until 10pm. It was 9pm when we walked in. They sat us, we saw someone else eating, so we thought it was ok. The waiter then told us they are about to close so all they could make was sandwiches and salads. We were totally okay with that. I mean, I get it. No one coming in, might as well close early. We weren’t in a picky mood, we were just hungry. The food was excellent. I got a tomato mozzarella panini with a matzo ball chicken soup. The soup they brought me was pretty much entrée size. For $ 8.95 or whatever it was, it was quite a deal, like 2 meals in one. It was a pretty darn good soup. The Panini came with a little salad, and a really yummy pesto sauce that I used for the salad and to dip my sandwich.
I know the staff was eager to go home, but they did not rush us.
The pickles are great too… the best!

WTF is going on with this place lately? The service is complete crap.
I’ve been there twice recently with my dad before hitting shows at the Segerstrom center.
The first time we let them know that we had a show to hit and they said that was fine and they would get us out of there. Then the waiter didn’t come over to take our order for 15 minutes. –_​– Then our food showed up another 20 minutes later, just as my dad got mad enough to just ask for the check so we could leave. We had ordered Reuben sandwiches, I don’t really see what the delay was.
The next time we decided to call in our order to go before the show. My dad goes in and they tell him it’s not ready. I walk over from Segerstrom to meet up with dad (I was picking up our tickets at will call), and he’s still waiting around. The lady behind the counter asks me if she can help, I explain were still waiting on our to order. She turns around and grabs the bag on the counter and hands it to me. It’s been there the whole time. The guy that had been there told my dad that wasn’t our order and had him waiting for like 15 minutes till I got there. What the hell?
The food is okay, but I can’t justify putting up with bad service for it. I’m on the hunt for a new Jewish style deli for dad.

This is a review for a visit back around Xmas.
My family and I were at the South Coast Plaza… since we saw this from the freeway and my father was craving corned beef, we ended up here for lunch.
Parking was odd… we parked across the street in a parking structure that said ‘restaurants validate’. So, a bit of a walk, but whatever. When walking in we saw a heated argument between a couple and the valet guys out front. The couple didn’t seem happy for having to pay 4 dollars to park when there was no basically one there and a lot of free spaces…
Anyways, we walked in. No one at the front to greet us. Place had a few people in it, but not many. Eventually a couple of people came up, sort of whispered to each other, and then nodded at us and walked to a table with menus… ok, I guess that means, ‘Welcome, party of 4?’ and ‘Right this way please!’.
I was feeling non sandwichy, so I got a hot dog in a pretzel roll instead. The menu said split and grilled, but I just got a standard boiled dog. The bun, while unnatural, should’ve been tasty, but it was bland and just bread that looked like a pretzel. The rest of the food was said to be OK. The corned beef was said to be tasty, but way over priced. The sauerkraut, after we were able to flag down a waiter, ask for it, hear the confusion amongst the waiters, and eventually get it, wasn’t too bad. Soda was horrible and refills almost non existent.
Service was horrible. A lot of the waiters seemed to be sitting around in booths talking, so they could never see if we needed anything such as a refill or a napkin. Our main waitress barely spoke English, so she couldn’t understand us very well and was very quiet while taking our order. Asking if I could get relish on my hot dog went completely ignored because she pointed at the pickles already on the table.
So, yeah, food was meh, overpriced, and the service appalling. This place is a joke. I had been to the one in Westwood several years ago and seem to remember it wasn’t too bad… but, with such crappy portions of overpriced ‘ok’ food, with absolutely atrocious service, it’s terrible. Also, too, I don’t want to say anything… but, Mexican food on the menu at a ‘famous’ Jewish deli???

I have fond memories of Jerry’s deli in LA. After a long night of getting drunk and making bad decisions, I would often retire to Jerry’s for a bingefest of deli and a fried extravaganza. I once had a boyfriend who my friends swear refused a french fry because it would go straight to his hips. I don’t recall this moment, as I would have certainly ended it right there, but my friends knew that was the beginning of the end. I realized this several months later.
As a proud Cat-​Jew (half Catholic/​half Jewish), I take great pride in deli. Good deli heals you, it fills the soul and the belly, and it is food that brings out conversation. This is not good deli. It is sort of super-​sized dripping with hormones deli. It really isn’t even a deli, although it has faux deli classics. This particular Jerry’s is particularly bad as it does not have the fun drunken celebrity sightings of the LA versions.
This is a perfectly acceptable place to order mozzarella sticks, curly fries and a stiff drink, it is not acceptable deli, in my book. The matzo ball soup, which is the litmus test of true deli delish, is not up to par with an overly doughy ball and stringy canned or packaged noodles. Limp noodle and a big ball … no thanks.
It is also very expensive, considering. In a pinch, it works for a fry-​fest or a dessert.

Dead on a Wednesday night … still had to pay $ 4 for valet!
Diverse menu, food was good. older, senior crowd didn’t match the intended vibe with all the bright lights and bar. Then again, not like I really know what the intended vibe is supposed to be! I guess the best way to describe the décor is Hollywood glitz and glamour from the old days, like way, way before I was born!
Glad I checked it out just to see what it was like. Wasn’t wowed by anything so nit eager to go back.

Parking is non existent, unless you want to pay to valet.
Service is okay at best. Deli counter, to-​go has females who can’t speak English! Everything in the deli case looks old and not fresh. Their pricing is thru the roof.
The only reason I’m giving it 3 stars is their chopped liver is very good, and when I’ve eaten there in the past, the pastrami and corned beef both were piled high and were lean.

Do you know what makes my Sunday morning breakfasts with my son wonderful besides having a full tea service? Perfect eggs. Jerry’s Deli delivered on both. I ordered their American breakfast plate… 2 eggs over easy, 2 pieces of bacon, sausage and a half of a waffle served with warm maple syrup. MMM. Variety like that I love without feeling totally overstuffed.
Decorated with colorful stage can lights on tracks that wind overhead throughout the dining area, old fake painted movie posters over the bar, and inviting wood booths with red pleather seating, the main dining area is quite cheery as well as entertaining.
And on a hot summer day parking in a parking structure where my car stays nice and cool was a definite plus. Those poor people who chose to use valet and pay $ 4 came back to burning hot seats because their cars were parked in the sun at the front of the restaurant.
Olivia, our waitress, was a sweetheart… Perfect service from her, too.

Had plans for shopping at South Coast with my friend. She asked me to pick a dinner place — I should have referred to my review from 2008 before suggesting this place.
This time we parked in the lot behind the restaurant and got the parking validated, so we didn’t need to pay for parking. It was DEAD in here. Dead when we arrived, dead when we left. The waitress was alright, not super friendly. Her service was average.
My friend ordered a cocktail and she didn’t like it. I stuck with iced tea and it was kind of watered down.
I ordered a small cup of Mushroom Lentil Soup and the French Dip. The soup came out and it was a massive portion, I didn’t even eat ¼/​It was pretty bland too, I had to add lots of salt and pepper.
My sandwich was not huge like it was back in 2008, I was able to finish it easily, but the price has gone up on it. Go figure. They gave me way too many onion rings to compensate for the shrinking sandwich.
My friend had grilled cheese with bacon and she liked it, but I could tell she was not wowed. I will not suggest coming here again. Too expensive and the food just isn’t all that!

We have eaten at Jerry’s Famous Deli twice now. I surmise what’s famous about Jerry’s is their HUGE portions. And when I say «HUGE,» I refer to any single dish covered with enough food to feed a small army.
To say their menu is overwhelming is an understatement. With such a wide array of food items to choose from, you have to allot yourself at least half an hour to read the menu in its entirety. My advice: either learn to speed read or come prepared by studying the menu on the Jerry’s website in advance (so as not to annoy the less-​than-​patient wait staff).
Favorite Jerry’s Dining Experience: I still have myself a good laugh over this memory: D ordered a «cup» of the Clam Chowder and the server proceeded to bring out a cup the size of a small kitchen sink. One can only wonder what a «bowl» of soup looks like. Ha!
Tasted And Approved: Split Pea Soup. Turkey Mediterranean Sandwich. Southwestern Wrap.
Notes: Hearty but expensive food. Service is mediocre. Décor is fun with old-​school Hollywood memorabilia adorning the walls.

Good food, decent portion sizes, but agree that it’s overpriced. Paid $ 55 total for the following for lunch today. All was yummy… except for the valet guy… didn’t take a bite outta him :)
Tuna salad panini with chicken noodle soup
Reuben with fries
Two iced teas
Two cannolis
Large black and white cookie
Macaroon
Valet parking
Tip for lunch and parking
Server and bussers were great. The place was packed, but we got our food pretty quickly, incl drink refills.
If they dropped their prices a bit and got rid if the valet parking, they’d get and keep more customers.

I would classify this place as a high end deli with valet and high prices. you can park on the sides or in the structure if you don’t want to have to valet, but it still doesn’t take away with high prices. On average, everything is about 12 – 13 bucks, and this is for the real generic sandwich, hamburgers and breakfast meals. I admit the portions are pretty hefty, but so are the prices. I just never feel good about having to pay 15 bucks for a gosh darn salad.
The place is absolutely huge, but hardly ever full. I would assume that’s why they charge so much for their food. It would be better if they downsized the place a bit, and give it more of a cozy feel. Every time i walk in, I can hear myself echo. It’s just THAT big. I’m sure it gives the workers a work out, but it seems this also keeps them away for more than half the meal. they get tired. i get it. but i still need my refill. ya know?
All in all, when all else fails, and we can’t decide on anything, we go here cause they pretty much have everything. matzo ball soup, omelettes, steaks, tacos, salads etc. i’ve tried the taco salad which is HUGE, the beef, mushroom, spinach scramble which is OK, and the fried chicken salad which is OK. it’s pretty much just ok…

I actually liked this place!!! Maybe it was because I was still a little out of it and tired from the OC 5K I ran at the OC Fairgrounds. Maybe it was because I was hungry as heck. Or maybe it was because it was 9am and just the beginning of the day and there was hardly anyone here yet. Either way, I had a pleasant experience here this morning.
My party of 7 and I came here (3 of us ran the 5k, plus our «support team»). We were all sleepy and in desperate need of grub. After looking at their HUGE menu, I figured I’d want something as unhealthy as possible, so I ordered their Mini Banana Pancakes. They sounded different, but were oh so tasty!!! They were made just right and came out nice and warm! Wonderful. I also ordered some champagne… I mean, we came here to celebrate, who cares if it was 9am and we were having alcohol. :) On the way out, I also grabbed two pastries that they had up front. I love pastries, and they were calling my name, how could I skip them?!
Service was great. Food was good. Prices were a little on the hide side. Bathroom was clean. Only MAJOR con is that they gip you on parking. Considering we got there so early, we didn’t have to pay. But, it looks like for most of the day parking is ~$ 4 to park in front of the restaurant. What!!!
All in all, I loved this place from the atmosphere, to the company, to my food. Jerry’s Famous Deli really doesn’t deserve such low ratings, in my opinion. Come in and try them out!!!

The waitress was practically invisible. Hello?
They didn’t have any Splenda. They ran out.
The pastrami sandwich my brother ordered was lacking. He wanted to order the Russian Dressing but the waitress… well she was never around.
I ordered the Red Velvet Cake (slice) and was disappointed that it was made with icing instead of cream cheese. Gross.
The décor was too busy. It was giving me a headache. They could have made this space really nice but it just looks like a buncha crap put together. A hodgepodge of sorts.
This place’s only saving grace is their coffee. It would have been better with Splenda. I’m just sayin’.
Oh and forget parking valet. Just go around the corner and park in the parking structure. Valet… are they kidding me?

Went to get dessert and coffee with Jayne L. after dinner and I strongly recommended their red velvet cake. I’ve never been to the Costa Mesa location but went to the one in Westwood and LA a handful of times during my college years. I remembered being a big fan of their red velvet cake and decided to order it today.
I was craving a sweet cake with coffee so naturally this cake hit the spot. However, Jayne thought the cake was a bit dry and the outer frosting was hard. She took maybe 4 bites and gave up on the cake.
The waiter was nice enough to refill our coffee every 10 minutes and by the end of our night, we drank close to 6 cups of coffee. It wasn’t very strong and the taste was very mild and smooth. Good coffee.
I also remember they had decent food here and would try their dinner menu next time. This location is very empty compared to the ones in LA. I’m sure weekend gets a lot busier. Very extensive menu from breakfast to dinner to dessert.

Meh. This place is just okay. Overpriced sandwiches and just okay staff. Not sure if we’ll be back any time soon…
On another note, the cherry cokes are good.

What makes, and why is it that Jerry’s is so famous?
I can’t figure it out. The food didn’t help me solve the problem. The service? Forget about it. Let me bust out my trusty Texas Instruments scientific calculator. Nope can’t formulate a solution on it.
Luckily I don’t even need a Casio solar powered calculator to come up with 2 stars. So allow me to indulge and 2 star this b*tch. Yep, 2 stars. Right here. Right f*ckin’ now.
The $ 10 corned beef on rye was more of the $ 4 kind. The egg salad sandwich was ok. But c’mon, it’s pretty f*ckin’ difficult to mess that up. Unless you use eggs of the Chinese 1,000 year old variety. Even then, I’m sure some of these so-​called food aficionados would like them.
I’m a pretty patient guy. There are 2 situations right off the top of my cranium that I can think of when I’m not. First, traffic. Hate it. Second, kids. Not a fan of them. Other than those two situations, I’m laid back. Almost comatose. When I get impatient with the service somewhere, it must be pretty f*ckin’ terrible. Our server who had a leviathan of a mole on her neck that was hissin’ at me wasn’t as bad as some of the ones described in some of the reviews I’ve read. Still, bottom tier as far as servers I’ve come across.
I don’t know what her deal was. The place was practically empty. Not busy at all. We had to ask for refills on our drink several times. And get this, we had to ask for our bill 3 times. Was she in a hurry to go to the kitchen and flirt with Sergio? You could hear her keep saying his name. Let me give you some advice, Sergio, don’t dip your pen in company ink. Especially if the ink has the great sea monster, leviathon on her neck.
Oh, yeah and parking is a complete inconvenience. That’s unless, of course, you valet.

Yes this place is expensive. Yes it has inconvenient parking. Yes it’s more kitsch than the Breakfast Club (not that I actually know who/​what that is). But hey, I got 5 words for you: freakin big monte cristo sandwich.
Now, I know monte cristo’s are a hate it or love it sorta thing. Some people are just like «eww…french toast with meat in it ewww…» while others of us are thinking «egg battered bread+fried+meat=brain activate salivation.» So for those of us in the latter camp, this place is a must visit in my opinion. Their MC is pretty darn big. One of the biggest two bread-​slice sandwiches I ever had to be honest. Not only is it big though, it’s eat your pains away good. Seriously, if I ever am having the gloomiest day of my life, I will come here, get one of these and consume it like morphine. Ham+Turkey+Bacon+Swiss Cheese. Do I need to say more? I’m fiending for another one now.
But don’t think that this is all my man Jerry got to offer though. If you’re in the mood for pretty much anything not-​Asian, their menu will probably have something for you. It’s huge! And so are their portions, which I LOVE. Their tuna melt is particularly good, and it comes with an equally well prepared side of fries and cole slaw. Also, while you wait for your food, they give you a dish of pickles. I personally hate pickles, but my friend loves Jerry’s pickle (harhar) so eat away if you like em.
Service here can definitely be a little odd. It’s not inattentive per se, just a little loose. They’re all friendly, but maybe the large space makes it a little hard to feel like they’re really around to help you should you need them. As for the parking, you’re supposed to park in the structure behind the building, but that means you gotta drive around Metro and then walk around again, and you need to validate lest you like paying for parking. Kind of annoying but it’s whatevs since I don’t come here that much. I’d still say for the rare occasion I choose to visit, I’m more than happy to be a little inconvenienced to see Jerry and his delicious monte cristo sandwich.

$ 8.95 for a «double-​decker» grilled cheese and no you won’t let me sub out the obnoxious sides for some soup?
Just like Jimmie Moore inspired Julia Sullivan to hire a DJ you Jerry’s Deli have inspired me to make Benjies Deli my one and only.
So thank you.
(Fast forward to 4:06, or don’t and enjoy)

I had Jerry’s Famous Deli in Marina del Rey and I think that location is better than this one. We ordered a few items I’d had before but it didn’t taste quite the same.
The young man had a pizza, hubby and I shared the mushroom barley soup, the corned beef on rye and the stuffed cabbage. Yes it’s very expensive for what you’re getting — I totally agree with what the other reviewers said. I’m not sure I’d return to this one.
I just thought everything was just really ‘meh’.