It isn't exactly Katz's or Barney Greengrass.
But with everything from challah bread and matzo ball soup
to chopped liver and bologna sandwiches, Goldbergs Bagel
Company does a very good impersonation of a New York
Jewish deli. Even if the shiny surroundings and cheery,
uniformed servers are quintessentially Atlanta.
DELI-BAKERY-RESTAURANT: Opened by the Goldberg
family in 1972, and sold to Howard Aaron in 1993, the
Goldbergs deli has branched out to several locations. The
expanded Roswell Road space features a deli and bakery as
well as a sit-down restaurant serving breakfast and lunch.
Peak hours and weekends draw crowds, but if you're in a
hurry, take-out is an easy option.
SANDWICH SCENE: The 1972 signature sandwich is a
deli meat stuffed po' boy on a hoagie roll. You can build
your own with brisket, pastrami, turkey, salami and even
kosher tongue, and choose from an assortment of freshly
baked breads and rolls. Specialty sandwiches include the
"Georgia Reuben" with turkey breast and the
"California Reuben" with pastrami. The
"Brooklyn Reuben" is a salty/sour/pickley mound
of lean corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian
dressing on grilled rye bread. All sandwiches come with a
choice of coleslaw, potato salad or chips, and a dill
pickle. There are also kosher hot dogs, burgers, fries and
onion rings.
FISH AND BREAKFAST: Breakfast, served all day,
can be a classic fish, cream cheese and bagel platter,
with a choice of lox, nova, smoked whitefish, sable or
herring. Omelets come with cheese, deli meats or
vegetables. Other choices range from simple egg on a bagel
to eggs with salami, kippers and onions or corned beef
hash. Plus, there's matzoh brei (eggs scrambled with
crumbled matzo) or cheese blintzes with a side of apple
sauce or sour cream.
TAKE-OUT TIME: For a quick grab, the deli cases
hold ready-made po' boys and a variety of salads, soft
drinks and juices. But many people stop in to just load up
on bagels (80 cents each or $8 for a baker's dozen),
available in traditional flavors plus the more unusual
sun-dried tomato, chocolate chip or banana nut. Of course,
there are flavored cream cheese spreads to schmear on top.
