Bernie’s Delicatessen

Bernie’s Deli is the best! They not only have great food but their customer service is above and beyond. They took very good care of my daughter and me tonight. It has been a very stressful couple of months for my family and Bernie’s Deli went above and beyond when we wanted to order but wouldn’t be there until after they closed. Not many people take care of anyone like this anymore. You guys have no idea how that act of kindness goes so very far. You made an otherwise very sad family so very happy. Thank you again! I can’t wait to come back.

OK, first off this place is great! It’s a cozy little quaint diner with fantastic sandwiches and all kinds of great sodas and drinks. They have a wide variety of chips as well. I have had their crab cake sandwich, reuben, and meatball sandwich and they were all fantastic. I must confess to having the reuben on more than one occasion because it is so damn good. The people are as friendly as can be here as well, they always are very polite and greet you when you come in the door and leave. About the only thing that turned me off was the «Bernie Sanders for President» sticker they had on the wall but hey when it comes to politics to each their own. I guess the place is getting a remodel soon too, don’t know that it needs it I like it just the way it is. A few more positives, really large parking lot. I don’t know who’s complaining about the place being busy and not having a spot to eat your lunch during lunch hour, take it to your car. I clean my care regularly and they have some trash bins around the area. The location is great too being between GMU for the students and the professionals in the area.

Be prepared for the best sandwich of your life!
A long time ago, I asked my boyfriend to tell me about the best sandwich he ever had — a super weird question, I know. Only five seconds later he was describing this incredible sounding sandwich followed by, I’ll take you there it’s right in FFX.
The day finally came, when I was going to have the «best sandwich» of my life. Needless to say I was rather skeptical because how do you really know it’s the best sandwich you’ve ever had, you haven’t had ALL the sandwiches in the world.
I was between two sandys, but the man at the counter convinced me to get «That Turkey Thing». With it being the week of Thanksgiving this was their special Thanksgiving sandwich. That Turkey Thing came on a warm French Style Baguette with thick carved turkey, warm stuffing, mashed potatoes and topped with cranberry sauce and gravy. Needless to say, I was in heaven. What I am going to say next will shock you… I am not big into Thanksgiving food. I don’t really like turkey, but I was willing to give this a shot. Hearing the enthusiasm in the man who was taking my order, I knew this sandwich was bound to be something special, little did I know just how special it was going to be!
From the moment we walked into Bernie’s to the moment we left, I felt at home. I can understand why people are aggressive (in the tips) and give it a low rating solely based on how busy this place can be, but the wait is well worth it. Buck up! Stand in line. Lines mean something is good – didn’t you know that?
Line or no line, I absolutely will be pestering my boyfriend to take me back to Bernie’s; I can’t wait to try another sandwich!

I wish that I could rate this as 10 stars but Unilocal only allows for 5. Bernie is a master of the delicatessen Arts! I have not had a sandwich I didn’t love and I have not had a sweet I didn’t demolish in seconds. The place does not disappoint. For example I went to Bernies everyday this summer for lunch (I work at Mason) and pretty much had the same sandwich and never once grew bored of it. I actually had to intentionally take a break from the sandwiches in August since most of my money was going to Bernie’s haha. My favorite sandwich there to date is the London Broil on French with a cucumber mayonnaise (I have them heat it up and I add Bacon). I have also really enjoyed the steak and cheese, Crab Cake, and American cold cut. The favorite of my colleagues are the Meat loaf and Italian cold cut. No matter what you order you will enjoy, and if you are from New York and crave black and White cookies and Juniors cheesecake, he also has those and they are fresh. You should honestly stop reading this and put down your phone and go there now…
Thanks
Sean

A little expensive but their sandwiches are absolutely delicious. I will be trying their soups and sides next.

I’ve had Bernie’s on my list for quite some time, so while the hubs and I were in the area and it was time for lunch, we decided to stop on by! :D The once co-​owners of Wagshal’s Delicatessen in DC, the Fairfax location opened up for a better commute for the family. A NY style deli, they offer breakfast, lunch, and a catering menu, as well as some desserts. I love the fact that they cook their own roast beef, corned beef, and roasted turkey breast on the premise, and the rest of the deli meats are shipped from NY. We tried the #25, which was the Roast Beef with slaw and Russian dressing on rye (the roast beef was thinly-​sliced and had a good ratio of the dressing; the slaw seemed to be on the minimal side, though); the #50, which was the Corned Beef with Roquefort spread on marble rye (I liked this one the best, as the corned beef was pretty flavorful, and the Roquefort cheese spread was interested); a special of the London Broil (which came on a Kaiser roll (the roll was dry) with lettuce and tomato), the macaroni and cheese (they can warm it up for you; I wasn’t a fan of this, as it didn’t taste cheesy as it looked, and it was more breadcrumbs-​focused), and a side of the Mom’s Potato Salad (this was okay, but very lightly dressed). I liked that they had Dr. Brown’s and some chips, and there was an ample amount of seating (both inside and some patio seating outside). Mr. Bernie himself was there, and he was the sweetest as can be and had a great sense of humor — very friendly and welcoming! When you step in, you can glance the menus; when you’re ready, you order the sandwiches/​subs and any of the sides at the counter; you’ll then get a receipt. Grab some of the chips, the drinks, and/​or the desserts, and bring all those to the cash register to pay the total (Ms. Victoria, who was working the register, was very sweet, too!) — when your order is ready, they’ll call it out and you just pick it up at the counter. Plenty of parking in their private lot, this can be a pretty okay spot for simple sandwiches for GMU students and those who live in the OT Fairfax area.
+corned beef
+ask for Mr. Bernie and Ms. Victoria: D
+plenty of free parking in private lot

Decent food, but way overpriced for a «deli». The only reason I come here is because I live across the street and it’s convenient. But if I had to drive here I don’t think I would be a frequent visitor. Don’t get me wrong, the food is not bad, but it’s also nothing to write home about. But yes, it’s terribly overpriced — $ 4 for an éclair, $ 16 for a sandwich chips and a drink… come on.
The place has a lot of potential, but needs some changes. In a competitive area food scene they are simply not delivering the value for the money.

I am still a fan of the food.
I am not a fan at all of these new Groupon offers. Buy Two $ 10 groupons which forces me to drive to this diner TWICE to take advantage of the full value of the groupons.
It’s just not worth spending the money for 2 people and figure out the crazy math, which these groupons force me to do.

Overpriced for what you get. I now understand why they are usually empty.

Never disappoints! Love every sandwich I’ve ever tried here with a special love for any/​all of their hot chicken breast sandwiches. They also have an interesting and unique array of bottled beverages.

I frequent Bernie’s a few times a week with co-​workers and we love the food and the service. The London Broil is beyond fantastic and I am also a giant fan of the make your own sandwich option. All of the people who work in this establishment are friendly and it feels like a very small town establishment. Lunch time is when the place tends to be packed so get there a little early.

Bernie’s was the GO TO DELI for me. Recently my level of frustration has increased. Yes the Corn Beef, Pastrami, and other fresh house-​made/​prepared meats (no cheap cold cuts here) are fantastic. There is not arguing that the quality of the meats surpasses that of ANY DELI anywhere in the Fairfax/​Oakton/​Annandale area. So that is still wonderful. The cookies get my baker mothers approval as well.
The price is not an issue. Quality and quantity of meat on the sandwiches definitely negates this argument for me. I don’t even bother with sandwiches at other places due to the cheap processed cold cuts they use.
My problem with Bernie’s repeats. The Super Double is my favorite. It remains a challenge for the staff. When the man of the house is working and taking orders it is perfect. EVERY OTHER PERSON seems to screw up my order.
Order: Super Double, combination meat, on a baguette.
Last week: Super double, combination meat, on the regular rye bread.
This week: Super double, CORNED BEEF ONLY!!!, on a baguette.
Two suggestions to the staff:
1) LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER. ASK and VERIFY. If you don’t understand, ASK FOR CLARIFICATION!!!
2) To the lady working there now for a number of months, SMILE and be pleasant. Your ruining my appetite.
An expensive sandwich, worth every penny, IF AND ONLY WHEN DONE TO MY ORDER!

Although quite pricey… I love this place!!! I’ve been back three times recently and feel heavenly each time. If you want your tongue to be happy, DON’T miss this deli.

Got this on a whim and ill definitely be back!
I got the ruben & homemade chili.
The ruben was phenomenal! One of the best rubens I have yet to try around here. The chili was good, i personally like spicy chili but I would get this again on a cold day.
Hubs got pastrami special ny style (extra meat) and the dill potato salad.
His sand which id say was lacking the double meat which wasn’t worth the $ 4 extra dollars.
The potato salad we will probably pass on next time.
The best part of this place was desserts!
The chocolate chip cookies and carrot cake were soo good! Althought pre wrapping the carrot cake took alot of moisture out of it.
Overall good food, really nice friendly people working there we will be back.

$ 16 for a turkey sandwich, a medium fountain drink, and a bag of chips. This is kind of getting out of hand here, Bernies.
I ordered a special, the «turkey thing» that came with turkey, stuffing, gravy (waaayyyyy too much gravy) and cranberry on french bread. The combo (?) was supposed to include a medium drink for $ 10.95 but I’m pretty sure I saw the cashier ring up a sandwich, a drink, and a bag of chips that totaled $ 16. Not sure if she was oblivious to the specials of the day or if the computer printed it out wrong or??? Nonetheless I didn’t get what I paid for.
Anyway, onto the turkey thing. The bread, per usual, was outstanding. The turkey was juicy but on the drier side of that. There was waaayyyyy too much gravy on the sandwich and not enough cranberry. I only ate half and was not interested in bringing the other half home.
I will say this place gets 5 stars for the chicken salad on croissant but that’s the only thing.

The only thing I really liked about this place was the ambience and the girl at the counter rocking fuchsia lipstick and a granny-​chic (yes, it’s a thing) cardigan. The rest of the experience was a total bust. The salads in the deli case (egg, macaroni, potato, etc) looked really sad and old. The dessert case was almost impressive, but it does take more than a slice of defrosted Junior’s to turn me on. However, a good Napoleon is one of my favorite desserts, so I clapped onto it immediately and happily forked over my $ 4 expecting heaven. Alas, it was an absolute aberration! No, just no
I also ordered one of their «signature» sandwiches on marbled rye. It was the #175, corned beef, slaw and Russian dressing for a little over $ 8. While not totally revolting, I also didn’t make it past the first half (and it was the smaller half) of the sandwich. Oh, and it doesn’t come with anything other than a skinny dill pickle spear. Strike two, Bernie’s! You can’t be a NY style deli and screw up corned beef and napoleons. Oh, and I waited three times as long for the salad I ordered for a colleague as I did for my sandwich. Upon seeing that it was a pre-​made and pre-​packaged sort of deal, I just sorta threw up my hands.
Apart from having wanted to try this place for some time, and I’m glad I did just to satisfy my curiosity, I’ll not be returning. Yes, Chutzpah, I’m coming home, baby. I should never have doubted your superiority in the overpriced NY Style Deli department for Fairfax county.

Unilocal has mislead again…
Bernie’s is a completely average deli with well, WELL above average prices. $ 23 for a Reuben and a turkey sub with one drink is preposterous, especially since there was NOTHING special about either sandwich. The pickle that we got was larger than my Reuben!
Not. Worth. It.

If you follow my posts, you know I love prosciutto and the prosciutto sub at Bernie’s was just like heaven! The meat and bread are so fresh and it was piled so high I could barely take a bite.
The staff is super friendly, the subs are huge, and the price is right. My only regret is that I didn’t leave room for one of the tempting baked goods.

This is a hidden gem thats tucked away near George Mason University. I found out about this place from Livingsocial and decided to give it a try. Who doesn’t love a good ol’ sub? When you walk in, there’s two lines. The one furthest from the door is where you order but then you move up closer to the door and thats where you pay. Don’t get it confused or you’ll be standing in the wrong line the whole time. My dad and I walked in here around 12:30 and it wasn’t crowded but BOOM…10 minutes later, there’s a crowd of people and not enough seats. Theres probably about 15 tables, and all of them were taken. Got there in the nick of time!
In the back of the store, they sell wine, olive oil, drinks and some meats. I am offically obsessed with a drink there called Mash with ripe mangos and blood orange. It’s a low calorie sparkling water that tastes amazing. They have alot of drinks I have never seen before too.
There menu is extensive and tons of options. You can even make your own sandwich or pick one with an option to double your meat. I actually ordered the Super BLT without tomatoes. Of course, it was good, its like 3 inches of bacon! My dad wanted roast beef but they ran out! How?! It was only noon! So he just decided on the hot pastrami which he said was pretty good. The sandwiches are generous sizes but pricing is high especially for subs. But everything had fresh ingredients with high quality meats. So I think its worth it. Will be back soon to try some of their other subs.

A month later I dined at Bernie’s to try the infamous corn beef sandwich. The corn beef lived up to expectations as it was juicy and the associated components match up perfectly (melted cheese and sauerkraut). I also noticed they did not over due the sandwich with mustard. For a side dish, I selected the egg salad which tasted average. Next time I’ll probably skip the side dishes and just order desert ! Bernie’s bakes a wide variety of pastries in house all of which look amazing !
This time around, I felt like a pro ordering at the correct counter, grabbing my drink, and then presenting my ticket order, groupon, and cash to pay. If I can do it, you can do it too at Bernie’s. Enjoy!