Lox Stock & Bagel — Restaurant in Greensboro

I have said before that one way I know a five star place is not only by how impressed I am at the moment of the experience, but also how long it lingers on my mind in the hours and days that follow.

Lox Stock and Bagel fits that billing.

Specifically, they served me a truly outstanding lunch. Top to bottom, everything was fabulous. Let's break it down:

Reuben: this was possibly the most tender and flavorful corned beef I've ever consumed--simply amazing. The kraut was equally awesome--it was tender and flavorful, not at all tough and not too sour. Perfect. The cheese and Russian dressing were also on point in terms of both flavor and portion. Finally, the bread matched the other players in quality, flavor, and was grilled to perfection.

Hot German Potato Salad: Wonderfully seasoned and prepared with veggies that are clearly of superior quality. Delicious!

Sweet tea: Not the greatest, but I have forgiven New York style delis (i.e., yankee) for this transgression in the past, so I will continue that benevolence. Don't get me wrong--it was very good. And for you yankees, my "yankee" dig a moment ago is just a joke. Don't send your goons.

On a semi-related note, I also found out that Carolinas First Delicatessen is the "sister company" of Lox Stock and Bagel, so that explains the 5 star rating they earned from me about one month ago.

My server was a delight: polite, cheerful, and energetic.

Very busy on a Saturday, I had to wait about 15 minutes.

But for that corned beef, I would wait...

In short: if you have food allergies do NOT eat here, they are not safe. And if you want good customer service also avoid them.

This was one of the worst restaurant experiences I ever had. I have a milk allergy, and I made sure to notify the person who took my order. I ordered a bagel sandwich with no cheese, she checked to make sure they used dairy free oil on the grill too. We waited over 20 minutes for our to-go order. They apologized for the delay and gave us a free dessert to make up for that. It seemed nice! We are in the middle of moving so the delay set us back. When I popped open my sandwich I glanced quickly and thought it was safe, I took a bite and realized there was cheese! I called in to ask for a refund on my sandwich. The man who answered the phone got extremely defensive. He kept saying, “What do you want me to do?” I asked for a refund please! They wanted to make me another sandwich or credit me for later, but I said I did not feel safe coming back given what a close call that was. Eventually he put us on hold without saying anything. I just heard a click and thought he hung up on me! A manager or somebody else picked up after a minute, apologized and was able to refund my sandwich.

Again I just can’t emphasize enough how dangerous this is for people with allergies! We are new to the area and wanted to try out restaurants to find our local take out places. The only way that could’ve gone worse was actually ending up in...

I am shocked to have to write this review. We've been coming to this deli consistently for 35 years. We've always loved Lox and supported this local favorite. But our weekly visits are ending after our experience today.

The owner knows who we are, and his wife has always been lovely (though I haven't seen her in quite some time). We've remained loyal through staffing challenges, reduced hours, and even long waits during lunch rushes. Like so many Lox customers, we are loyal and recommend them to anyone visiting or new to the area.

But today crossed a line. My husband and I ordered and planned to share. I like my hotdog all the way, and he prefers his with just ketchup. The waitress returned, embarrassed, to tell us that the owner refused to make them differently. He said both had to be the same -- no customizations, no condiments on the side. I honestly couldn't believe it. They always accommodate preferences and adjustments.

It's disheartening that we were treated this way. Especially when we could see other customers receiving their customized orders all around us. Our waitress was clearly uncomfortable and upset to be delivering the message to us -- she had nothing to be ashamed of. The shame falls entirely on the owner.

Maybe you were having a bad day or feeling stressed, but there's simply no excuse for treating a customer this way, let alone a family who has supported your business for over...