Old World Deli — Restaurant in City of Binghamton

Let me start right out of the gate and start balling my eyes out. Literally pools of tears, and a loss of manhood at what has happened to the Reuben sandwich at this place.

WIND BACK THE CLOCK, the year was some time in the past... near the beginning of the millennium, and this place was the bee's knees. the Deli case used to be PACKED with all sorts of things. You could find 4 or 5 different kinds of potato salad, different preperations of chicken, desserts, quiche and just a varied menagerie of great food. ...and the reuban, oh my lord above this sandwich was a climax on marbled rye, it was. a thick gob of pastrami, plenty of sauce, plenty of cheese... a briar patch of sour kraut and 2 thick slices of well toasted marble rye. To eat this thing, was to taste an Angel's breasts, forgive me... but it was the pinnacle.

key word here folks... "WAS"

The Reuben i just had here has me so depressed i am heading home to stare at puppy videos until i regain the will to live again. MAN this thing was such an ugly cousin of what it once was. Firstly, skimped on the meat... but it wasn't an egregious difference. Second... barely any sauce. That thousand island dressing was a soft whisper against the symphony of other ingredients. If you could tell it was there... you were on a paleontological journey to find it. Cheese was ok, you did fine with the cheese. GOOD FOR YOU. but you didnt wring out the sour kraut at all, instead you heaped that cold wet mess on top of very lightly toasted bread. In mere seconds the bread was reduced to cake batter on the underside of this paltry excuse for a lunch. Old world deli, where are your parents and why have they failed you so thoroughly? I heaved this wet soggy mess up to my maw as i let lose a sigh that only old men recognize, that sigh you give out when you realize that its all over... the thrill is gone. As this poor excuse for a sandwich was sinking between my fingers, i remembered what once was...

Their deli window is barely 1/3 full, its just a shameful comparison to how they used to do it. The entire case on display... showing me barely anything. I heard the prior owners family sold the business.

They just as well should have burned the place down. I'm angry in case you couldn't tell... that Reuben was once the stuff of legend, the sandwich all others were measured by. Now it is...

First time here under the new ownership. The atmosphere was clean with a new paint job. The drafty old windows in the front have been replaced and overall the place looked good. The menu is simple and easy to read. I ordered a ham and cheese on an artisan cheese roll. Both the meat and veggies were sliced fresh. The portion size was good as the meat was stacked in the roll. I got the lunch special of sub, salad and fountain drink which was a reasonable deal. I noticed advertising posted that they were accepting coupons as from Save Around books even though they expired last year as a 10% discount That's awesome. The only needing improvement feedback I have is the pasta salad was a bit bland for my liking. Will return...

the Old World Deli is one of those hidden gems in Binghamton. Often times overlooked in a time of hunger. Have always much enjoyed what they do there. However, upon ordering the “Combo” this afternoon, I watched as the attendant sent my protein through the microwave, and again sent it through the microwave to melt the cheese... little things like this ruin a what could be marvelous experience. Is it difficult to throw the meat on a flat top and melt the cheese atop at the same time? I think not. Let’s get it together Broome County small businesses. As if we are not suffering enough. Oversights like these will be our downfall. Take pride in our businesses. Take pride in what we feed our followers. Take pride and...