Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen — Restaurant in Houston

This was a difficult review for me but in the spirit of complete honesty I have to write it the way I've chosen. I've eaten here many times in the past at the old location and enjoyed my dining experiences. Today I decided to surprise my partner with breakfast so came here to purchase a to go. The new location is large and spacious. Beautifully decorated true to what I expected. The noise level was however crazy loud. Orders are placed at the deli. You need to stand on the step to speak over the tall counter to order ( I'm 5'4). It was so loud I had trouble hearing what the server was saying. He was polite and tried to help as best he could. There has to be an easier way or place in this large restaurant to place a to go order. While waiting I couldn't help but feel distracted again buy how loud the noise in this new location is. I could only think I wouldn't enjoy dining here in person as a result. Servers were however polite at all encounters.

Now to the food. A $71 breakfast for 2 should be impressive right? I feel like we received a decent amount of food for the price. Although, the menu items reflect much more expensive prices than I remember. I know, a sign of the times, but still... My partners meal was the Benny's Smoked Salmon. He was really upset with his food. He complained that the potatoes were more raw than cooked and lacked flavor. Infact, he added a lot of seasoning from our own pantry. The eggs were too runny and again he complained more raw than cooked. My omelet was supposed to be pancake style. It was definitely an omelet and no resemblance at all to a pancake which I found very disappointing. I also couldn't eat my potatoes and found the omelet lacking in flavor. The chocolate eclair is impressive in size. Though the flavor is just so so. We've definitely had better. The key lime pie was however delicious. The one thing that I thought would save what was turning out to be an extremely disappointing meal was the Danish pastry. My partner loves danish pastries. How wrong was I!! My partner took one bite and refused to eat more. It was too dry and hard. His words were "stale"! We ended up throwing our food away and running to McDonalds for a drive through breakfast. I know this restaurant will continue to thrive and people will enjoy dining here. However, we will not be back. Houston has too many...

What a delight this place is! One is quickly seated by the hostess. The ambience is bright and cheerful with a lot of memorabilia and posters on the walls celebrating the NYC connection. There was a table full of large family near us who were quite loud. We did not mind. This seemed like a place that people and their families come to over and over for decades.

The menu is as tall as a newspaper and is chalk full of options. It is a little intimidating (in a good way) at first. The saving grace is that the menu is so funny and you can point at any item with a blind eye and be assured that it would be good. Taking suggestions from our waiter we ordered the following and here are our ratings :

Dip Tracy - French Dip - 5/5 Very nice french dip. Roast beef was soft nd juicy. The au jus was not runny and well concentrated with flavor. The french fries were good, but a little under salted. The macaroni salad was such a delight!

Fiddler On The Roof Of Your Mouth - 5/5 Huge sandwich with meat piled high. Both the corned beef and pastrami were very good. The rye was soft in the center and crisp on the edges. The cole slaw was brimming with freshness because the dressing was applied with a light touch.

Cheesecake Plain - 5/5 Pretty much the best cheesecake I have had. It was yuge! Very thick, creamy, and very well balanced. Unbelievably good.

Yes, prices are on the higher side, but is well worth it given the impeccable quality of ingredients, the excellent cooking skills, the huge portion sizes, the prime location, and the wonderful ambience which is casual and curated at the same time. We shall definitely be back. Kenny & Ziggy is a Houston institution! I wish them luck with the upcoming move to the new...

Kenny and Ziggy’s is always a super solid choice for any meal. They are truly a great New York style Jewish deli and diner packed into a nice restaurant.

The weight staff is super friendly. At times they get to kibitzing too much instead of paying attention to the patrons, but I think that’s more of early morning than anything else.

Food is excellent with amazingly huge portions and very high-quality. It is prepared in such a way that everything looks fresh and is very tasty. Was a little bit upset that they didn’t have a larger array of bagels in the morning that I went. Especially didn’t have bialys- please work on that!!

No better place for a huge delicious Reuben that is authentic as well as many other authentic dishes that one would find in a diner in New York or Brooklyn-kasha and potato knishes, latkes, bagel with lox, etc. See in the photos amazing array of delicious desserts that include Italian black and white cookies, pies, and cakes. They also have a fully stocked bar.

The dining area is very clean with lots of seating and the seating areas are roomy and grate for get togethers. All areas have some good natural lighting in the mornings that comes into the large windows and are well lit in evening hours.

The bathrooms always seem well kept and clean. Pleasure to go in and wash one’s hands prior to dining. The facilities are well organized.

Parking is very easy and free with a large spacious lot. Very nice to see that. The galleria hasn’t gone to the craziness of Rice Village by charging for parking.

As always, an amazing experience in gastronomy, comfort and ambience. I always like to come for a visit when I’m missing a little bit of my home town New...