A-1 Deli

I stop in here usually for a quick breakfast, sometimes for lunch. Breakfast is always fast and hot, eggs done just as you order. (I have ordered over easy and poached and am a stickler for the white to be cooked with a hot but runny yolk) And the coffee is good and hot. Lunches are great food, cooked fast, excellent portions and a very fair price. A family business, it is nice to sit in a place to eat and feel like you are back in your family kitchen as a kid.

Mag-​Nif-​Icent! In every way. Old school perfection! Completely succulent, tender, rare roast beef, served with excellent rice and corn as fresh as can be. seems freshly cut off the cob… Torn booths add to the charm. I am just so pleased with the lunch I just had. A treasure… wish we had this in Maine (or maybe not, as I’d eat here way too often and gain 40 lbs.) But dang,.its worth it… corned beef looked great… will try that next time. Love, love, love this place!

The A-​1 deli has long been one of the best restaurants in Haverhill. I know that’s not saying much, but the quality here of the food is always great. The majority of the restaurant is a sit in diner where you can go up to order and sit while a still sizeable part is more catered towards a formal night out.
Starting with the best part, you can take your pick from enormous sandiwches among which the grilled chicken and veal parm are the best. Home made soups, salads and desserts will start or finish you’re meal nicely. You’ll also find a huge selection of non traditional deli meals including steaks, burgers, stir frys fish and chicken dishes. The undeniable winner of these is there amazing pasta dishes that come in monstrous portion sizes, easily enough for 2 or 3 meals, even for someone with a large appetite. The chicken parm is by far the best, served on whatever type of pasta you like, and the
The prices here will make you double take, especially after seeing the portion sizes you get. Sandwiches are around 8 bucks and come with two sides. Most entrees come in between 12 and 15 bucks. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights they have a Dinner for Two special which includes two meals, a glass of wine of beer and soup or salad for 20 bucks. It’d be perfect for anyone wanting to try this great place and a makes for a great date night.
The service has always been friendly and the place itself is clean and in a great location. With so few decent places in Haverhill, this place stands out, but it would no matter where it was. You can’t go wrong with this great place and be sure to go in hungry.

My review is based on the A1 Café side of the place. The place is small, only about 10 or so tables and it can feel a bit cramped to be honest. The waitress seemed a little too odd for my liking, and I’m not the most normal person lol. She just seemed like she was trying too hard to be funny when she really wasn’t. She also was a tad bit slow in taking our orders and getting refills on our drinks. She also seemed to ask a ton of questions which kind of annoyed me at times. But in retrospect, I do give her a lot of credit for being really nice. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. The portion size was good and the sauce was tasty which I always like but the meatballs lacked luster for me. I just feel like they were missing something but I can’t place what it is. My grandmother got the fried haddock and halfway home started feeling sick and began throwing up. She thinks it could’ve been the food but isn’t too too sure but she can’t think of anything else it could be to make her start throwing up that quickly. All I know is no haddock from there for me. I don’t know if I’ll get the meatballs again, maybe I’ll skip them next time. Then again maybe I’ll just go to the regular A1 deli and restaurant side where I’m used to going.

This place is just awesome. The food is super dank, honest good American food.
Made by badasses.
Wicked awesome food.

The staff is so friendly and full of personality! Good basic food at a fair price. My only complaint is the cost of a cup of coffee and slice of cake… $ 7.00! I returned the cake to the cooler and just got the coffee because I felt guilty they had just put on a fresh pot for me. Now I know restaurants make their money on deserts but for $ 5.00 I want a good sized slice, not the tiny sliver that was on that plate. I thought maybe the cashier was joking. He wasn’t I love you guys but I’ll skip desert.

Place isn’t fancy inside, but excellent food. Omelets are huge! They will make custom omelets for you too which is nice. Prices are pretty reasonable too. Cafeteria style ordering then you can sit down where you want to. I’d recommend giving them a try. Great for lunch too.

Old school feel. Everything is fresh and just like a home cooked meal. I traveled out of my way for this deli just based on the reviews and it was so worth it! I went with the rueben! Awesome!

I don’t get some of the negative and bitter reviews here… my experience was they were friendly, quick, and attentive. The food was good, HUGE portions. It’s a deli people, not a 5-​star restaurant. And for a deli they have a HUGE selection! Tons of specials and freshly made, hot fries. Very affordable as well. They have been in business since 1980, I asked what I think was one of the owners. Can’t wait to go back and try more.

Just got home from this restaurant and Have to say I have never wanted to leave a place so badly in my life. I saw someone say that you don’t see many places like this anymore and its true. There is a reason you don’t see many places like this and it is because when places like this, run the way A-​1 does, gets shut down by the health department. The smell was deplorable the service was worse than any where I have ever been and no one wears gloves. I had a burger because you really can’t screw up a burger… Or so I thought. Lettuce mayo and cheese… that’s it. No onion no pickle no seasoning on the frozen patty either. I am actually not feeling well now and I am expecting food poisoning to kick in at any moment. I noticed some serious health concerns that I have personally seen shut down restaurants. I actually have a certification in food safety management and if I saw any of my servers using A1’s methods I would fire them in a heart beat. Who wants a plate of food on top of their plate of food? Some of the most dirty surfaces in any restaurant are on the bottom of plates but yet that filth is being transferred now to your already questionable food. If someone orders sunny side up eggs deliver them to the table that way not with any broken yokes. Messed up getting them off the grill or out of the pan? Man that sucks fix it. Their eggs not a rocket. You can’t even order because the people taking your order don’t let you finish speaking. Half way through your order the interrupt you to ask something stupid that you were going to tell them anyway if they would have just shut the fuck up and listened. Poor girl in front of me had to repeat her order 6 times and the treated her like she was the asshole. She wasn’t happy I don’t blame her. They tried to interrupt my girlfriend and I told them to let her finish and not to interrupt her again. They have way to much food on the menu and they are run by a group of people who look like they came from «deliverance» or «the hills have eyes». In short these people look like the result of inbreeding. Next time I go to this place it will be with a wrecker to tear the shit hole down.

This place is so yummy. We’ve had dinner and breakfast there many times. You walk in, grab a tray and place your order and some of the food is right there for u to see/​select. The folks working there are great people and want to make sure you enjoy your meal. Breakfast was really good; omelette or pancakes were fantastic! We got home fries and toast too. Dinner: we’ve had chicken kabobs w rice (seasoned perfectly) and meatloaf, pork chops and homemade chicken fingers w fries-​all delicious. My husband loves the chowder (i think it’s only available on Friday’s). Family friendly and parking lot across the street. Enjoy!

They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. A true gem, A1 exists in a time-​warp, a place where your parents or even grandparents may have enjoyed a good meal. The décor may be dated, and it may be old school, but there’s a reason some things should never change. Seeing the daily specials behind the counter where a friendly face greets you by name and makes you feel like you’ve just come home when you don’t have time (or someone) to make a home cooked meal. Not to mention the best leg of lamb I’ve ever had. You could go to a fast-​food joint, a greasy Chinese buffet or one of those new-​fashioned gastropubs down the street, but why?

I have found everything I’ve ordered here to be extemely salty. Husband loves it because he heavily salts everthing he eats. The food would be much better without the chef’s heavy handiness woth tje salt. Not for me.

great place to stop in and get a quick breakfast. I have yet to try their dinner because my wife and I tend to go to more upscale restaurants for dinner time but breakfast is a B+

Service is great but the food is meh. I have given this place three tries but walked away all three times a little less than satisfied.

My boyfriend and I used to come here every Sunday after our early morning runs. Very cheap with large portions! The breakfast is very tasty and super fast… it comes out within minutes, or sometimes as your about to sit down.
It’s not the best breakfast I’ve ever had, but delicious enough for us to make it a Sunday tradition :)

My boyfriend and I stopped here for some comfort food after hiking nearby. We were greeted quite warmly and the food was delicious and tasted homemade. I had the stuffed chicken (so tender), corn (buttery and amazing) and mashed potatoes. The rice is also great and I love the fresh bread and pats of butter they give you. Love this place and will return!

This is a solid 4-​star house of fine local flavor that you often want to give 5-​stars in the heat of the moment… namely, in the first hot bites of food after reeling from a vintage shopping binge at the neighboring Salvation Army Store and antique shops and find one of the city’s many famous, clearly delineated, free 2-​hour parking spots right out front.
Like several of the folks who have reviewed good old A-​1, I hadn’t been back in a while, but there it was. Same place, same old school décor, and same staff, whose accents and dialogues are enough to make you feel like you’re in a movie even if you’re FROM the area, and therefore wouldn’t remark out loud about how quaint and amazing the accents are.
Here’s an example:
Deli Server: «_​_​_​_​_​_​_​! How are ya!»
Customer: «Good — how you doin’?»
Deli Server: «Well, I’m still employed. Got this job, so life’s good.»
Or an example of my order:
Other Deli Server: «Hi, sweetheart, what can I get ya?»
Me: «Ummm…» [10-​minute interlude of hemming and hawing over a whiteboard of specials, a menu board of mix-​and-​match sandwich standards, and the fresh mounds of roast and corned beef under glass] «Well, I’m thinking about the steak and cheese or the patty melt — «
Other Deli Server: « – tell ya what; I make a good Reuben — that’s this corned beef right heah on rye with swiss and saurkraut.»
Me: «Yeah! Yes, please, I’d like that, plus fries.»
Other Deli Server: «All right, dear –«
Me: « – And that slice of lemon pie in there!» [pointing to a glass case of pre-​sliced pie on Saran-​wrapped plates]
Other Deli Server: «You can just reach right in theyah and help yaself, but don’t go eatin’ it first and spoiling ya dinnah! And pick up a tray; just like school lunch. Now what does your sister want?»
Me: «That’s my [63-​year-​old] MOM!!!»
Other Deli Server: «Aw come AWWWN!»
My mother’s chicken and rice soup and chicken salad sandwich special came out pretty much the instant she ordered it, and my Reuben and fries followed about two minutes later, while I was poking my fork under the plastic wrap to get at the pie.
«AH! I knew you were gonna eat that pie!!!», boomed the server as he cheerfully set down my meal and I, startled, recoiled in slight shame at having been caught red-​handed with dessert.
The man wasn’t kidding; the Reuben rivaled that at Katz’s, and delivered that teary feeling of relief that happens at the sudden intake of really great food. In fact, the meat was less salty and compressed, leading to a more complex, kitchen-​cooked favor. Slightly warmer than room temperature and toasted yet yielding, the rye bread was certainly better than the cold slabs the bookend the pounds of beef at the NYC eatery. And the heap of steak-​cut fries was no joke. Being that weirdo seeking malt vinegar in the absence of fried fish, I found only A-​1 sauce. Shrugging, I picked it up.
«‘Cause they’re STEAK fries!» the server hollered. He read my mind! Grabbing a well-​filled bottle of Frank’s Wing Sauce as well (because why not), I returned to the booth to join my mother.
She was eye-​deep in her soup, served in one of those wide, flat bowls that can hold an ocean of broth while seeming shallow as a saucer. It wasn’t the most artisinal soup that can be found, but it was hot; whadya want. As far as chicken salad sandwiches go, this one was a beaut; not too heavy on the mayo and a formidable portion of chicken integrated into the salad by diligent mincing.
The pie tasted like lemon, jello, and tap water. That’s not necessarily a bad thing… and speaking of tap water, we enjoyed two tall cups of it, with ice.
After normally enjoying the booths at brunch and lunchtime, I appreciated the ample, supportive, and cushy seating anew as I glanced around at a 5 o’clock crowd of senior citizens and local workers, and decided that I still prefer this well-​windowed space to the darker waitress-​serviced dining annex even after dark.
Having paid only $ 20.76 for the whole affair, I thought I’d do my part and gather up our plates and bring the trays to the front. The reception at the counter was confused, if thankful.
«There’s a lady doin’ that,» one man muttered, looking around lest said lady was slacking off. Woops.
It was great to find A-​1 still trucking; still providing the greasiest food you can have without feeling dirty, and the most colorful, regional service you can find without venturing into the deliberately theatrical. Down home, through and through. Here’s to many more years — no jinxing!

I actually am a huge huge fan of this place. I have eaten here for all meal times. Breakfast is the best.
They have a huge selection of regulars and also daily specials for all mealtimes. They are quick and cheap and the guy makes it right in front of you.
It can get a little confusing. like what you should do next, but just ask a local.
Please try this place! they deserve the business. truly a gem.

A-​1 Deli has great thing going. Located in downtown Haverhill, this order at the counter, grab plastic tray, and silverware, pay at register place has great basic food at reasonable prices.
Very large portions here. We stopped in for breakfast (breakfast and lunch, served anytime) and we stood in line at the counter.
When we get to the counter, we get our tray, silverware, and coffee, tell the cook what we want and he shouts it out too Cookie, who quickly serves it up.
Today we got 2 omlettes. They have real corned beef here! I ordered just corned beef, onion, and cheese and Dennis got corned beef hash and cheese.
When it is ready, the boss brings it out to the table. Quick service.
Many locals come here.
It appears that they have some sort of a café adjutant to the restaurant which was not open. Not sure what this is.
The menu and special are posted daily on a big board over the grill. Traditional menu items are served here: sandwiches, burgers, breakfast, hot open faced sandwiches, hot dogs, etc.
Booth seating. The restaurant is very clean.
Park on Merrimack St or the parking garage across the street.