Kahn’s Deli

FYI — This place is closed and I’ve put in a closed request to Unilocal…
Use to be a great place when Mike and his dad Alfred owned it. Once it changed hands, from 1^st, to 2^nd owners and then from 2^nd to 3^rd owners, it’s gone downhill quick.

I never write reviews but feel so upset about my experience! First the guy taking orders was so annoyed that I didn’t know what I wanted. Before I ordered he rattled off so much food that they didn’t even have. I ordered the Reuben for myself on wheat and pb&j for my kids. When we got the food both my kids said mommy we don’t want to eat this the bread is so hard. When I touched it they were right. I tried to get them to eat it but it was a no go which I don’t blame them. My Ruben bread wasn’t hard because it was toasted. I decided to go let the guy know I wanted to order something different for my kids. I expected to have him swap it. He again was so rude I asked him what the problem was after I even said I would pay for something different. He then said you are expecting to give you something for free. I then said to him I want to talk to the manager. He said he was the manager. I then asked to speak to the owner and he said he was the owner! I thought to myself wow I can’t believe an owner of a restaurant would be so rude! I then said forget about it I won’t even spend one more penny at your restaurant. I wonder if he really is the owner. He was a very heavy guy with a beard. I am visiting from out of town but my sister and her husband live here and WERE frequent customers. My sister said she would never go back! I still can’t believe an owner would treat a customer like that especially for complaining about stale old hard bread!

If u want to be treated rudely then this is the place. It’s a shame, I grew up eating here but the current employees are rude and just mean. Sad to say it but I’m just going to eat elsewhere.

Not good

I used to come here a lot and loved it, but today’s visit was terrible. The guy at the counter was so rude and they were out of cole slaw, the iced tea machine was broken and there were no apologies. He acted like it was our fault for not knowing this. The food wasn’t great, the prices are high and I’m definitely not coming back. Too many other good places in Houston to eat to waste time and money on this one. If I could post this with zero stars, I would…

Not very pleased with the false advertising that is happening here… My husband went here to buy the New Yorker Sandwich and the menu inside the store has it priced at $ 10… But it rang up $ 12… When he asked about the price discrepancy, who ever was ringing him up said that it’s the new price. I get it when business increase prices… However, get it together and fix your prices that are advertised in the restaurant…

Sorry, Kahn’s, but you don’t get more than 1 star from me.
I’ve had sandwiches from Kahn’s several times because they were free. If they weren’t, I would not spend my money here. First of all, 10 dollars for a mediocre sandwich is way too pricey. The sandwiches are overly greasy; so greasy in fact, that even though they toast their bread, the grease cuts through and makes the bread super soggy. The sandwiches are basically meat and bread. I had once asked if they had any kind of healthy, vegetarian option and they said their only vegetable they serve is lettuce. Really?
Occasionally, their oven would also malfunction, causing their whole store to shut down. Also occasionally, they run out of their only vegetable (how do you run out of lettuce?), or they run out of chicken (how do you run out of chicken??). It’s really kind of sad. They are also staffed by what it seems by… one person.
I don’t know how this place stays in business as 10 dollars can get you a lot more at neighboring restaurants in the area. The parking is also terrible. Who would want to come here? The answer is, not many people. I remember walking in around 12:30 on a weekday and the place was absolutely empty (even though the whole Rice Village was packed).
Sorry, but this place is a Kahn-​plete disappointment.

I really like Kahn’s. I go every now and then when I want a good quality sandwich in a comfortable place. You can feel the history of the place and they honor the past with pictures of Alfred and his business on the wall.
I see a lot of reviews complaining that it isn’t Alfred’s anymore and that it has changed… well, I never went to Alfred’s and I still think Kahn’s is one of the best delis in Houston.
Also, they can’t help the parking situation created by the busy shopping center. They want to stay in the location they have been in for 50+ years and that’s just the way it is.
I just wish more people knew about Kahn’s…it never seems as busy as it should be. Amazing when you consider how busy a Subway is usually.
They have great sandwiches with local flare. Ones named after famed Houston athletes and associations with Rice Univerisity.
Try the Judy, the Hoot, or any Reuben. You won’t go wrong.

I have been to Kahn’s a few times. The first time it was a good quality sandwich and this past time it was absolutely awful.
I went with some friends and I ordered first (buffalo chicken sandwich), paid, and was waiting when after a few minutes they tell me «we’re out of chicken». Ok so they made it with Turkey, I get home and there’s no buffalo sauce on it, it’s soggy, and does not taste fresh at all.
My friend ordered the Reuben after she ordered chicken salad and was told they were out of chicken salad too because the day before everyone had ordered it. I’m guessing it’s not made fresh every day? Anyway, they Reuben wasn’t toasted, didn’t even have real meat that should be on a Reuben, the only edible thing on the sandwich was the sauerkraut.
Our other friend ordered the Judy along with chips. Well, turns out the chips had been open and were stale, and the sandwich was nothing to write home about.
Overall, for a $ 30 lunch it was not good.

Great small business, the food is delicious the staff is attentive and it’s pretty reasonably priced, it’s quick so it’s great for lunch. But everyone that has been to rice village knows that traffic and parking suck. Great little place to eat though.

Great independently owned deli in Rice Village. Great customer service, fresh food, beer, a hidden gem. Support local small business owners and visit this great local spot!

I haven’t been there in many years and both the look and ownership are changed. The current owner seems enthusiastic. Too bad the pastrami tasted bland and like it was purchased from some corporate meat processor. Potato salad got one taste and was put aside as well. At least Dr Brown’s Black Cherry soda never disappoints! I won’t be going back…

It is very annoying to get parking for this strip and store. Due to the limited amount of parking spaces, get ready to walk far. I had to pretend I was buying a mattress and park at the Mattress Giant (SORRY) and walk over to Kahn’s. The day was cold and I was looking forward to some soup but they said they didn’t have any. I ordered the turkey bacon sandwich. It was actually good, especially with the chipotle mayo. I could only eat half so I asked for a to go box. They handed me a piece of foil. LOL. It’s funny but quite odd. Their chips were good BUT they are fried in peanut oil so look out peanut weaklings!

This place was alright I guess. I’m not that big on sandwiches and Kahns doesn’t make me any more thrilled about them.
AMBIANCE:
Typical deli looking spot. Nothing to complain about. Casual environment where you select your sandwich and chips from a menu and place your order to be served within about 15 mins. PARKING SUCKS. This isn’t Kahn’s fault per se but it didn’t help either.
FOOD:
The sandwhich was ok I got some variation of a turkey sandwich (knight something)– I forgot the name of it. The bread was on the sandwich was fairly neutral with respect to taste or quality. In fact, thats probably a good way to describe the entire sandwich— neutral. Until of course you bite into the ridiculous amount of powerful onions they put on it which kind of spoiled it for me.
I wanted some soup since the winter breeze has gotten the best of my immune system. And they were completely out of soup. Like WTH. They have about 3 soups on their menu and they had none there to serve.
PRICE:
This place is not expensive. Sandwich Chips and Drink will run you about 10 big ones.
I think I’d rather make a sandwich at home.

Talk about parking hell. This place is right in the middle of a very bust strip so it’s almost impossible to find a spot remotely clear without breaking some kind of parking restrictions. Once inside, it is order at the counter. I got the reuben. It was very blah. The corned beef was some of the worst I’ve had and the sauerkraut was just not good. Their chips however were amazing. They have a brand called «dirty»? it’s similar to Zapps. I devoured my cracked black pepper and sea salt chips. That was the best part of my lunch experience.

Wow this was a houston treasure. Now, it breaks my heart to see it falter. Went yesterday with a friend, and what a disappointment. 15 dollars for a famous pastrami sandwhich chips/​drink, and it was so tiny, bland, and just not much better than a kroger deli sandwhich. The pickle was weird tasting, and no tea in the place to be had. It looks better on the inside, but the place definitely looks more modern, but it lost its heart and soul with this new team/​ownership. Doubt I will ever return.

I have heard several recommendations to eat here for lunch from other purveyors in the area. I was expecting it to be busy. but there wasn’t a single customer in the entire place! At 1pm on a Tuesday!
I ordered the original Reuben because its my first time here and why wouldn’t I order a rueben? First off: my bread isn’t toasted enough. But that aside, it’s obvious they use real Russian dressing and not 1000 Island (that’s why it’s pink).
The sandwich was so so and the service meh. I imagine this being a great place to hang at night, as a university student, while drinking craft beer.

Sad to watch a beloved neighborhood institution updated into a generic experience devoid of its former charm. I really miss Mike & his crew of quirky friendly faces.
:(
The Reubens are still good but lack the «love» of yore. Things change but sometimes progress leaves much to be desired.
I have never cared about the price premium but my last visit shattered the nostalgia I once felt for this once familiar deli. It feels more like a bland spacious sports bar than the quaint Jewish deli it was for so many decades.

I had been past this deli many, many times. I never ever went in, so I finally did yesterday.
I’m really glad I did. If you are a Reuben fan or you just like corned beef, this is a must stop by.
I tried the «Hoot» yesterday, and while it was interesting and well crafted, I’m not a huge fan of mayo.
My dinner date had their original Reuben, which I should have ordered, and he really loved it!!! He also loved my «Hoot.» I could only eat about half of it!
This place has wifi!!! The most wonderful thing about this place is that it has plenty of tables perfect for working, and almost every table has a plug!!!
There are three big screens at Kahn’s. Yesterday, one was tuned to ESPN, and the other two to Shark Week. It was really a treat to sit at the old fashioned counter and learn all about sharks and deep water sea exploration.

More than $ 10 for a third pound rueben with only half a pickle and no side? Yeah, I think not. The sandwich builder went a little crazy on the Russian dressing, and it looked like I had an abortion on my finger after taking a bite. Everything tasted fine, but I didn’t find it particularly spectacular.
Food took quite awhile in coming out even though no one ordered before us. There were a scatter of people sitting around, none that were still eating.
The interior is kind of interesting with some graffiti art on the main wall and an ultra high ceiling. They also have some fresh baked cookies and giant fluffy brownies for dessert, and they have Mellow Yellow in the can. But even those cannot sway me to come back. Paying so much for some bread and deli meat isn’t going to fly with me. I understand that they are in Rice Village, and stores run a bit pricier there, but that sandwich just left me sad and still hungry. A lot of their sandwiches looked like good combinations, and the place shows a lot of promise, but I am not coming back for an expensive dinky sandwich.