Brooklyn Brisket — Restaurant in City of Utica

I've been a regular at Brooklyn Brisket for quite some time now (don't mix it up with Brooklyn Pickle!). Brooklyn Brisket is a fascinating gem, bringing a taste of "The City" to our hidden treasure of a city, Utica, New York. Having lived in Brooklyn and Northern New Jersey, I've spent plenty of time in New York City. I vividly remember the Halal Guy's chicken and rice cart on 6th Avenue & W 53rd St, right across from the Midtown Hilton. At 21, I'd wait in line for an hour for that delectable Middle Eastern-style yellow rice, Mediterranean salad, perfectly steamed pita bread triangles, and my choice of shawarma-seasoned chicken or lamb, all topped with the coveted "white sauce" and a dash of "hot sauce." The extra white sauce was a must! My friends and I would sit on the stoop, eat our hangover away, reminisce about the night, and prepare for the drive home.

Brooklyn Brisket brings those cherished memories back. As the name suggests, they offer some of the best pastrami and brisket I've had, not just in the area but perhaps in all of New York and New Jersey, outside a few Jewish delis. The owner, hailing from Yemen, brings a unique twist to his chicken and rice, different from the Egyptian Halal Guys but equally delicious. The meals are simple, filling, and hit that nostalgic spot.

Though brisket isn't on the menu at the moment, it's coming back soon, and I highly recommend the brisket sandwich or brisket and rice with white sauce and hot sauce. The staff here is friendly and accommodating, and if you work at the hospital, show proof for a discount. The food quality is top-notch, and their fresh fruit smoothies are amazing too!

I love supporting local spots that offer something unique and tasty, and Brooklyn Brisket is definitely one of them. If you're in Utica, this place is...

So. In Utica on business and Brooklyn Brisket popped up a couple of times in my search’s for places to eat. Had some solid reviews and figured, why not. Walked in, simple place, like hometown mom and pop feel. Young guy greeted me, told him a needed a minute because it was my first time there. He smiled and said “oh it’s your first time, here, let give you a little sample, all first timers have to try a little”. So I thought he was going to give me a lil piece or brisket to try, like when you go to the deli and they give you a slice to try to make sure it’s what you want. Nope, not here. He cut off a small chunk of brisket and put it over yellow rice with their white sauce and handed it to me before hopping back on to help with orders. Fresh and tasty! Such clean flavors, just the right amount of heat but not over powering the seasoning of the rice or the tenderness, sweetness and flavor of the brisket. I ended up getting two Brooklyn cheesesteaks, a double smash burger and cheese fries. The cheesesteaks are deceiving, they look average when I opened them up but they taste amazing! That brisket along with the onion and peppers a classic pairing, but the seasoning is on point! The white sauce along with the hot sauce is a perfect balance of heat and sweet. The only thing missing from the 2 cheesesteaks, was a 3rd. The smash burger, as burgers go it was perfectly fine, that white sauce and the way they season brings it to life though!! The cheese fries were solid, I would say a longer cook on them so they are crisper for the cheese, but that’s a person preference. All things considered, I strongly recommend that anyone who comes to Utica makes the time to grab a bite at Brooklyn Brisket!! Great food, great prices and...

I was hesitant at first as this is a small deli with limited seating, however, the food was incredible!

My family of 4 ordered: Garlic fries - good fries with pieces of roasted garlic cloves Brisket over rice — sautéed onion and pepper with plenty of white sauce. Rice was outstanding as well with great flavor. Brisket sandwich — sautéed onion and pepper. Again very savory and delicious! Steak burger — my son said “really really good”. It was insanely stacked with food. I couldn’t believe how big it was. Chicken panini — it looked more like a pita bread to me. But my son kept saying how insane the white sauce was he couldn’t get enough.

The traditional Middle Eastern soda was also good, almost like a coke but with natural flavor.

We told the head employee guy how Much we loved the food, he ended up giving us a free secret menu platter of fries with white sauce and hot sauce. Again, this was outstanding (better than the garlic fries). He asked me to name it since it wasn’t on the menu. I said “Utica fries or dynamite fries” since they were...