DZ Akin’s

The lady serving wasn’t very happy with her job, split my juice on her way and gave the cup not full. Besides that the variety of bakery at front is pretty god

Great French dip sandwich. The meat was amazing. This place is a real deal deli. Reminds me of some of the kosher NY delis. Service was amazing and lightning fast. After our meal we stopped by the bakery and bought some delicious treats too. Def would go back!

Parking is whack here, but there is usually a space or three available on Alvarado Street, especially on the far side. Crossing the street back to DZ Akins can be an adventure, trust me.
But then again, DZ Akin’s is an adventure. The menu reads like a novel, several pages, fine print, huge format. There truly is something for everybody on those pages. I found myself in the mood for a corned beef sandwich.
Their massive sandwiches run from about $ 14-​$ 19, and are excellent. My corned beef sandwich ($ 15.95) came with several side options, but I chose onion rings, and like the sandwich itself, the rings were huge, tasty and perfect ! There is always a pot of kosher pickles on the table to nibble on, and complement your sandwich.
The sandwich was presented beautifully, the meat between the toasted slices of rye being the star. Of course, the cooks pile up the meat in the middle to make it look dramatic, but in reality, the thinly sliced meat was quite abundant and succulent.
DZ Akin’s features a deli/​bakery in the entrance, and a gift shop off to the right side as you enter.
I found the the service to exemplary. We were greeted and seated almost immediately, Our server (ID’d as «#2» on the receipt) was excellent.
Yes, it’s a bit pricey here, but it’s pretty darned authentic. I’m a fan.

I always love coming here. Great selection. Truly, the menu is out of control in a good way. Jewish deli favs, breakfast foods, burgers, sandwiches, soups, and desserts galore. Then there is the bakery with sweets and treats. Great food. Huge portions. Yummy pickles on the table. And outstanding service. Today I took a friend of mine there for the first time, a Jewish friend from New York. He loved this place too and that is saying something. Perhaps better than everything else was our service from veteran server Rico. He told us the history of the restaurant, his personal connection to it, and kept tabs on us all night. He never let us feel unattended. A home run hit tonight. Thanks DZA!

The people who work at the shop are so welcoming and nice. Ordering our food was really easy and making substitutions like bread or omitting a spread were no problem at all. There is limited seating inside but as a sandwich place you’re usually getting take out and orders to-​go. We actually sat at a table my first time and enjoyed our decker sandwiches inside. Pretty good experience so we will be back very soon.

We went with a group of friends for breakfast. I was leery when I first got there because we came for the chicken and waffles and it’s a Jewish establishment. To me, the two just don’t go together. Oh my gosh was I wrong. It was he BEST chicken and waffles I’ve ever had.
The chicken was fresh and hot and the waffles light and crispy! They even give you some hot buffalo type sauce (my mouth just watered) to put on your chicken and it was so tasty with the syrup. The portion size was perfect I wasn’t hungry when I finished but I didn’t want to lay down and die from being so full.
Let me get back to the beginning. We didn’t wait but 10 minutes to be seated on a Saturday mid afternoon. The waitresses are very attentive and I really enjoy the shirts they wear with Jewish sayings on them. It’s fun to read. Oh yes, the jar of delicious pickles on the table were amazing! I ate two and I could have eaten more if my breakfast wasn’t on its way.
There’s also a bakery there. I’m proud to say that my husband and I spent a small fortune there from fresh Challah bread to a variety of small delicious pastries.
Visit if you can. Definitely worth it.

Great menu. I get the brisket/​pastrami on onion roll. Meat was well cured and flavored. Bread tasted fresh. Pickles on the table was also a nice touch. Place appeared clean and well maintained. Good experience with friendly and responsive staff. Would give it 5 stars, but too pricey for a neighborhood sandwich restaurant.
Recommend to anyone who likes deli type offerings.

First time here in about 8 years when my dad took me here as a kid. I don’t remember what I ordered back then, all I can remember was that the serving size was pretty big. 8 years later, the serving size was still big, but I can remember what I ordered. I ordered the corned beef hash and scrambled eggs with house potatoes. My cousin ordered the lunch special of the Reuben (corned beef) and potato fries.
I enjoyed my meal very much, especially the corned beef. The eggs were good as well, but there’s not really much to say about scrambled eggs. My cousin’s reuben, however, was really good. The only minus that I could say about it was that the bread was too hard. The one thing I can’t stand about food, and probably the only thing honestly, is when it is too hard to eat and cuts up the roof of my mouth. I could see her struggling to bite the sandwich, but she wouldn’t complain because it was so good.
I enjoy the old school feeling to the place, and even liked the pickles they have set on the side for you to pick out as you please. Great location, great service, classic place. Will definitely make more time to come here, instead of making it a once in 8 year time.

There’s something about an authentic deli that makes me feel good, and this one made me feel great! They have amazing, fresh, and delicious food. Their sandwiches are big in size and flavor and have everything from fried egg with salami to chopped liver and pastrami on them. Try everything on the menu because it’s all delicious. They also have a full sit down restaurant past the deli/​bakery. And now that I mentioned bakery, everything is made fresh and from scratch and they have some amazing looking baked goods. Try EVERYTHING! I can’t say that enough.

Well this had to have been one of the worst experience ever, as we were eating and mind you I have been there before but never with a first timer! And did I talk it up! Best sandwich meat!!! Best matzo soup ever, and starts crawling on my seat as we are eating a ROACH!!! On my seat by my purse!
I will never recommend this place to anyone!!! And me and my family that go there, won’t any more
You know it’s an old building and it’s been there forever, so let’s kill the ROAHES PLEASE
I give you 1 star but if 0 was available that’s what you really get!!!

Stopped by to get some food to go. Ordered the crème brûlée, matzo ball soup, pâté, tuna salad, cannoli, and assorted cookies. Everything was pretty good. The major disappointment I had and the reason why I gave 3 stars? They did NOT brulee my crème brûlée! Wtf? Do they think I have a hand torch to do it myself?

I was looking for a breakfast place in the La Mesa area to have an early morning business meeting, thought DZ Akins as I’ve driven by it so many times over the years. Sent a text to my colleague to meet at DZ Akins of which he responded «perfect that place is the best!» We arrived at 6:30 a.m. to discover they don’t open till 7:00 a.m. Hmm? Breakfast place, however don’t open till 7 a.m. ?? Oh well. Then about 6:45 a.m. the cars and the people started arriving and before you know it there is a pretty good line of people waiting to get in. Must be good! Saw a sign that it was created in 1980 by Zvika and Debbie Akin, the eatery expanded in increments from a 48-​seat deli to a 225-​seat restaurant, bakery, catering company and gift shop too. Ok cut them some slack for its breakfast, lunch, and dinner so 7 a.m. start is now ok with me. When you enter straight ahead is a massive pastry shop with large deli meets etc. too this in itself is big. To the right as you walk in a good sized gift shop of like all sorts of things which looked pretty cool. The restaurant seating area is for sure over 200 seats, with awesome décor. We came for breakfast, however the menu for lunch & dinner looked awesome. Our waitress was very nice, however no name badge so I thought perhaps a missed detail by the owners yet the other tables knew her name. It didn’t take long to realize pretty much all the people in the line to get in that morning are all repeat visitors dating back years. This is a gem of a restaurant experience an a must. Nothing fancy, however very very unique and special.

I really like this place, the whole vibe cracks me up actually, but I almost never sit and eat here. I just get stuff from the deli and bakery counters. I can make my own sandwich, dude. And, who knows who’s hand has been in that pickle jar. Eek!
The soups are always very satisfying, and you can get the matzo ball, kreplach, or a mish-​mash to go. A large is $ 10 I think, but it’s a lot of soup. The meat is very good, too. The smoked fish is excellent. But, I mainly go for the bakery items. An amazing assortment of classic cookies, great bread (French toast with Challah!, bagels!), AND one of the best cupcakes I have found. Try the sprinkle cupcake! Basic vanilla cupcake (or chocolate) with the classic chocolate frosting covered with sprinkles. Always so moist, and not overloaded with a mountain of über sweet buttercream. Very simple, and it’s only $ 2.75. I reward myself with one, or two maybe, after going to the Gyno. Hell yeah! I deserve it. ;)

Little bit of East coast deli swagger in the heart of mission valley. Dauntingly huge menu (you should think about what you want before you get here.)You know what, if you recognize it, maybe just this once you should take a pass. Dont worry, whatever you get will be great but move out of your comfort zone try something ethnic! Ive had so many enjoyable experiences off the menu ill just highlight my favs. Romanian skirt steak! marinated steak in wine mushroom gravey, with mashed spuds? awesome.- save room for every unmaginable yummy you can imagine, at your table or to go. Parking sucks so plan accordingly. Do not park at marie
Callenders a couple of scumbag tow companies patrol the area. All your High holiday meals available. Full service deli &bakery .Breafast, lunch&dinner daily specials and make sure you check the white board.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmcom lll
Commllllllmmmmmllllllll
ZZZ I steak, llllllllllcomplllll

Still my favorite place to come and eat chicken noodle soup, or as they call it here, «Jewish Penicillin.»
I’ve been coming here since my 20’s and I’ll continue coming here into my 100’s!

Ok, I have eaten here many times before. The food is just ok, but there are a lot of choices. However, my visit tonight has made me a non customer due to extreme unprofessionalism during my check out.
I brought my grand daughter there because I thought it would be fun to look at the cakes and stuff… which it was. However, we ordered a children’s hotdog for 9 bucks that was supposed to come with milk… which we never received. We needed to leave because I felt my grand daughter was starting to do what kids do and get restless. At the check out we realized we never got the milk with the order so we mentioned it to the young and, in my opinion, immature cashier, and an older women that appeared to be the shift manager. She said the milk comes with the meal and they couldn’t take it off the bill… at this point the cashier got very snippy with that fake politeness people do when they are annoyed… excuse me for not wanting to pay for something I didn’t consume… the older lady also got that attitude like I was just being a pain, come on people have a little respect will ya; Totally inappropriate behavior from adults – more childlike than adult like.(We even wiped the table down so the waitress could quickly turn the table around for other customers.) Did we do something wrong… no…but it felt like it. Life offers many choices and DZ Akin’s is no longer on my list of places to spend my hard earned money. I will not bother DZ Akin’s anymore with my business since apparently it is not wanted. If this kind of thing continues and the prices continue to rise like they have I will not be surprised to read soon that they are out of business. My family and I are done.
Gramps
P. s. Never got the milk to go and never got a credit on the bill. I hope $ 1.50 glass of kids milk was worth the loss of a good paying customer. Horrible business practice.
My waitress was good, she just forgot the milk and that is no big deal… people get busy but why pay for something I never receive… seems fair to me, how bout you?. I tipped her 20 percent cause she works hard.
The other two ladies were just rude and bitter. I don’t expect to be treated coarsely when I dine out, especially when I am there with my grandkids cause I thought that would be a fun choice. I will miss the pickles.

Pretty good. Way overpriced. Nice staff, good deli and bakery! We live nearby but rarely come to this restaurant because of the prices. The food is good enough but not worth the money. I sometimes stop in for the bakery items. They have these almond brittle things filled with crème. I’m not sure what they’re called but they are absolutely delicious! Cookies and cupcakes are always great too. Sometimes we go to the deli for meat to make corned beef hash. Super yummy. Sliiiightly more reasonably priced than their restaurant food.

Having lived a majority of my life on the other side of town, my alliance laid with another Jewish deli that sadly is no more.
Over the last year and a half my Wife and I have come to love DZ Akin’s.
Weather we are sick, or hung over, or tired, or … well any excuse we can come up with we tend to make our way here.
With a menu so dense I sadly usually go for the same soup and sandwich combo.
Well the soup I keep the same, can’t get enough of the Mish Mash soup. The sandwich I tend to change up. The classic pastrami on rye is amazing, with sour kraut and don’t forget to use some of that deli mustard sitting at the end of your table.
On this adventure I had the Chicken Salad and Bacon sandwich with cottage cheese on the side. It really hit the spot especially after a weekend of debauchery.
Im already looking forward to our next visit … the Honey battered Fried Chicken and Waffles caught my eye!

This review will center around 1 item and 1 item only… my one and only all time favorite dessert item, the ever famous giant slice of homemade traditional style carrot cake!
Where better to scout out a contender for my top 5 SD’s best carrot cake then a mainstay delicatessen like DZ?!
I got mine for take out so gobble up later on after a good long hard workout session and where I could fully review every aspect of the cake.
My thoughts… this thing was huge! As it should be. Any carrot cake worth its emmense weight should have some size, 2 – 3 layers at least, thats what makes it carrot cake, creamy layer of frosting with moist spiced layers of cake and all the other goodness.
This one as the picture shows was two thick slabs of most carrot cake with a creamy but almost somewhat gummy frosting. This may be due to having it my fridge for 6 – 7 hours before eating as well so who knows. Still very good. Lacked a little bit of tartness I expect in carrot cake cream cheese frosting.
Generous use of walnuts and raisin, small bits of shredded carrot and a few small raisins were found in there but not many. The cake was very moist (dry carrot cake is a deal break in my book!) and had a nice depth of spices. No pineapple taste I could detect in this version but I dont feel that took anything away from it either.
For just under $ 7 and a slice so big the box could not fully close I would say this carrot cake from DZ was worth trying out no question asked. More raisins and a slightly more tart/​creamy frosting would have made this a perfect slice but its pretty darn close as is!

This was really a cute little different and old spot. I was taken here to breakfast by my love and surprised at how LOCAL this place felt. If you know me, you know I hate franchises and big breakfast restaurants with all my heart (ie: ihop).
We were immediately seated. Upon walking in, you see a cute and large bakery with a little shop for small goods. Everything seemed very fresh. We were there at about 10:30 AM on a Friday. It was pretty busy, and there were elderly people everywhere. Not a problem, just something I noted. The hostess and all the servers were great and friendly. You can definitely see that this is a local community favorite & a lot of the people there have been coming there for years.
The menu ranges (breakfast) from about $ 11.95-$ 17.00. Kind of more on a pricey side for an older *BUT FRESH!*, but that being said you get a loooooooooooot of food.
I order the Avocado, Mushroom, & Jack Cheese 3 Egg omelette. Let me just say… this was HUGE! It came with a full order of potatoes and a huge blueberry muffin.
I will definitely be returning! It won my heart. Next time, I may just come back for dessert because I heard this was huge and delicious! :)

I’ve eaten at DZA for decades, and almost always have a pastrami sandwich. I recognize that if the Carnegie Deli is a 10 then the closest approximation is no better than 6, but today’s DZA pastrami was so bad I sent it back. To make it worse (if that’s possible), the rye bread was mostly holes, and definitely not fresh.
Fries and pickles were good.
Since my expectations were never high, this is the first time I was disappointed.

I’ve been a few times but experienced nothing like today. I was by myself and feeling under the weather. I was seated in Shirley’s area close to the area where they make drinks. It was a win win spot, not only did I have the entertainment of the drink making but I also had sensational service!
I was a girl on a mission to get some feel better soup and that I did. I ordered tea with lemon and honey, chicken noodle soup and a turkey, bacon and swiss samidge. Shirley made sure to wait on the samidge and have it wrapped to go as I told her it’d be lunch because I was staying in bed all day after getting home.
The soup was just what I needed and the bread and butter that came with it was perfect. My water never stayed empty longer than 10 seconds. …it could have been a perk of being by the water station but honestly it was all Shirley she is awesome! DZ Akins has some good feel better soup but the attentiveness on a very busy day and the little things that Shirley did made it the best experience that I’ve had and makes me want to go back very soon. I’m a very happy but sick cheesy girl :-)

Just spent $ 38 on two number fives. The service was pretty bad. The cashier was SO rude and offered no basic pleasantries. I’m not sure what her name was, but she had dark hair that was pinned back and she was 40ish I’d guess. The sandwiches had great bread and meat, but that’s all they had on them. Nearly $ 20 for a sandwich and it had no condiments, lettuce or tomato. Pretty disappointing. The food here is such a toss up and the service is usually really bad.

Okay, how long has this place been in SD!!! I remember seeing the commercials and thinking whoa that place looks good. After 10 or so years of seeing the commercial, I actually end up going!
You walk through the doors and are immediately greeted by a little shop that sells nick nacks, then you see the huge deli/​bakery with a bunch of delicious goodies. The hostess is to the left and wala the actual restaurant.
We were greeted and were seated right away. The waitress comes and puts down a fresh set of pickles for us to snack on.
The menu is huge, I didn’t realize how many different sandwiches there can be!
Whatever you may chose, you will not be disappointed!

Holy Moly have they priced themselves out of steady customers ?
I’ve been coming here for years, can’t believe the price increase.
Tuna melts are now $ 13.95. You will be paying $ 4+ for a side of cole slaw.
My suggestion would be is to put less on these gigantic sandwiches and charge less.
Well food was good service was good as well, I won’t be driving out there very often to pay those prices for lunch. Too bad, loved that place.

I love this place. It’s always busy but I got the $ 4.99 breakfast before 11am. It was a nice breakfast by myself. Of course, after my meal I had to hit up the rugala!!! I love the chocolate chip ones. I get the cinnamon ones too to change it up and those are just as good

Whenever you’re in the market for an eatery that offers good, filling, overstuffed sandwiches, DZ Akin’s always fits the bill. They definitely don’t skimp on the meat. Plus, the bread is freshly baked in-​house.
Great Sandwiches! Friendly Service!

The food is great. I’ve been here many times before and the food as always was great. However I decided to Unilocal because our waitress was just amazing.
Her name is Jen (cute pixie hair cut with side swept bang) She is amazing! I’ve waited tables before and know how a busy night can be. Jen so effortlessly served 5 other tables and all tables would light up after she greeted them, just as we did. Everyone’s drinks were always full, she came to check on us, and was super sweet. She’s got waitressing down, truly a professional!
Thank you for making our night Jen!

My first thoughts as I drove into the parking lot, «where is everyone?» The lot was filled with cars but no one in site.
We eventually walked into DZ Akin’s and there you go. You first walk into a little store, deli and bakery. The bakery items looked delicious. I had the wedding cookies (too much powderd sugar) and not as much nuts in it (bland in flavor) and the coconut macaroons which was yummy.
We were seated in one of the booths. The service was good but nothing to rant and rave about. No chit chat or anything of course which is fine. On the table you’ll find condiments (love the mustard) and pickles (yummy).
Food:
Pastrami Sandwich with French fries
Corned Beef Hash and Eggs
The corned beef was delicious and I was quite pleased.
The pastrami sandwich left me a little disappointed. The pastrami meat was soft and flavorful (I wish it had a little more fat on the meat to make it juicy) but the bread was hard. It seemed it like was older bread so I just ate the meat.
Overall, a great adventure to DZ Akins. I’m going to return again and try their soups and dinner dishes.

My first thoughts as I drove into the parking lot, «where is everyone»? The lot was filled with cars but no one in site.
We eventually walked into DZ Akin’s and there you go. You first walk into a little store, deli and bakery. The bakery items looks delicious. I had the wedding cookies (too much powder sugar) and not as much nuts in it (bland in flavor) and the coconut macaroons which was yummy.
We were seated in one of the booths. The service was good but nothing to rant and rave about. No chit chat or anything of course which is fine. On the table you’ll condiments (love the mustard) and pickles (yummy).
Food:
Pastrami Sandwich with French fries
Corned Beef Hash and Eggs
The corned beef was delicious and I was quite pleased.
The pastrami sandwich left me a little disappointed. The pastrami meat was soft and flavorful (I wish it had a little more fat on the meat to make it juicy) but the bread was hard. It seemed it like was older bread so I just ate the meat.
Overall, a great adventure to DZ Akins. I’m going to return again and try their soups and dinner dishes.

I have seen commercials for this place but i have never tried it until recently. When i went there i was surprised by how big this restaurant was. Not only is it a diner, but they have a bakery, deli and as well as a gift shop available for you to browse around in. I never knew we had a Jewish family style restaurant in SD. I have tried both the food inside the restaurant and the pastries available on the bakery side. The food is pretty pricey. However, the portion sizes are gigantic. There is a take out available but i recommend dining in for the experience. The crowd that is usually consistent in going here is a much older crowd. This seems to be the place for many seniors and 40+ crowd to come in and dine.
The pastries are delicious if youre looking for dessert and they usually charge by weight. Its good place to try at least once if you live here in San Diego.
I recommend: Challah French Toast Knackwurst & Eggs for Breakfast
Lunch /​Dinner: Numbers 1, 20, 33 or any of their specialities

Came here today for brunch with my mom, daughter and husband. We have never been here before but I still remember the old school commercial that would always play on television.
Luckily we got here before parking was full. As we walk in, there’s a deli and bakery in front. The hostess seated us immediately. I ordered an iced tea and a club sandwich on wheat bread with French fries. The waitress was really nice. When my order came, servings were huge. The French fries were the thick steak fries and my sandwich was huge. It had tomato, lettuce, turkey, bacon and mayonnaise. The sandwich was good. The wheat toast was crunchy. I came hungry so I finished most of my food. French fries were cooked to perfection.
Service was great! The waitress was always checking up on us and refilling our drinks. Very friendly and nice. She even complimented me on my pink bracelet. She told me she liked my bracelet. I highly recommend this place. I enjoyed my dining experience here. Only con is parking since it shares the parking lot with other businesses here.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! Closest thing to a north east Jewish deli around, and it’s amazing. Sitting down looking at one of the largest menus ever and seeing a small bucket of fresh complimentary pickles, my schmeckle hit the underside of the table immediately. I could eat any one of over a hundred dishes and be excited.
There were so many exciting sandwich combos, I had to take constrain and go with a basic to judge how good this place is. I went with a corned beef sandwich on homemade sourdough, dinner salad with their homemade Italian dressing and some soda water.
First I’m eating these delicious pickles they have on the table. So fresh and refreshing when you get the homemade one’s done right without all the salt. Nice sized dinner salad comes out next. A great substitute for an extra $ 2. Pretty basic salad, but refreshing to get. I wanted oil & vinegar but the waitress highly recommended their homemade Italian. I’m glad I tried it. A hair sweet for my preference, but a lot of good things going on in it. Not bashful with the herbs at all.
Sandwich comes out and looks amazing. You can’t get quality cuts like this in many places. The marriage of the corned beef some horseradish they brought out, proper mustard selections on the table and their beautifully done homemade sourdough bread made this a real treat. Brought back a lot of memories from living in NY, Boston and CT. If you want to know what your north east transplant friend’s are talking about when they speak of delis and sandwiches, come here for an education and a magnificent experience.
The service is outstanding here. Probably my favorite staff ever. These women are beyond friendly, charismatic, knowledgeable and hustle. I felt like I was 10 years old visiting a friend’s family restaurant getting special treatment. I highly recommend sitting in the 2 seater booths in the back where the staff sits. I had great conversations about food, inside info and recommendations. It was a true pleasure talking and eating besides these women. I’m coming back for an early bird dinner the next opportunity I can. This is in my favorite top 10 SD places for sure.

Okay I really wish I could have snapped a good photo but in the cookie counter (which is one of the main reasons I use to go here) there were three Flys I spotted flying around and one sitting on a cookie. I seriously wanted to barf, no cookies for me ever again from here. I went ahead and got my mom the chicken noodle soup she requested from the hot counter.
**side note for anyone not familiar with this establishment it is far from the standard chicken noodle soup. It is literally just broth, noodles and some carrots. It’s the same base that they use for matzo ball but without the matzo ball. Literally, I only get it because my mom loves it and its quick to pick up when she isn’t feeling well. It’s not my favorite place but it is inexpensive and the cookies are delicious when they aren’t mingling with nats and flys. I hate to leave a subpar review for this place since I practically grew up eating here, but the flys literally sent me over the edge I am not sure I will ever be able to eat here again. It broke a small piece of my sentimental heart. I am shedding a tear as a write this review.

When I come here, it feels like I’m dining in a geriatrics community. There are old people everywhere.
When I come here, I can never decide what to get because there are 84 629 104 items on their menu and they serve breakfast all day!!! Breakfast foods are like, the best foods. I used to live across the street when I was in college and I used to order pick up all the time. Their portions are generous, even their salads. This explains my freshmen 30. The sandwiches are packed with so much meat that I usually have to pick it apart with my fingers. It’s awesome.
When I come here, I have googly eyes all over their bakery. If you gluten free, I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems, but grain allergy ain’t one.
When I come here, I get really angry at everyone in the parking lot. The spaces are really tight and limited. During peak dining hours, you have to park on the street or at Marie Calender’s and walk over. Again, everyone that dines here is 65+ years old. More than half should have their license revoked.
When I come here, I make sure I’m not paying. Their sandwiches can cost up to $ 20 and they charge an extra $ 2 for fries!!! They definitely do early bird specials, daily lunch specials, birthday specials (sign up online for birthday treats and you have 30 days to use it), wine specials on Wednesdays, breakfast specials, etc. If you’re paying and you’re poor, be prepared to be in regretsville because D.Z. Akin’s, you ain’t cheap!
When I come here, they do have great service and tasty liver and free pickles and lots of cookies and meat for my gains and I’m not even mad about the freshmen 30 anymore.
Oy vey, Unilocalers!

I am glad we came — it’s a solid 3.5−4 star place when in the «Jewish Deli /​East Coast Diner» category. You just don’t see places like this out west. It’s old school (as is much of the clientele) — you order a sandwich that has big handfuls of Vienna meat smashed between two pieces of rye. It’s simple and delicious. My wife thought her pastrami was tough; but we both loved the brisket sandwich.
In classic diner style, the menu is enormous — there are nearly 100 types of sandwiches… Then of course there is breakfast, dinner, desserts, etc.
Our server was friendly and quick. Despite coming at a peak time we had no wait. Parking is a bit of a pain but you’ll find it eventually — as is the case in almost all of San Diego.
I am looking forward to trying the bakery sometime soon — the treats looked delicious if not a little overpriced. I also want to try some of their old school sod fountain drinks.