Lichter & Levin Delicatessen — Restaurant in Northampton

I really loved the idea of a deli opening up on this corner and was excited to try it. I went on a Saturday around 2, and unlike for some others, the line wasn’t so bad. The place was homey and buzzing which was lovely. The person who took my order was wearing earplugs (lol?) and I had to repeat myself 3-4 times. They also got my name (and the name of a few other customers before me) wildly wrong so there was some confusion. I’m all for accessibility accommodations but this seemed a little over the top — maybe they’re better suited for some task other than the register? I can echo what others are saying in that the bagel was satisfying but average, nothing to write home about. The lox felt more like sashimi grade salmon (tasty but sliced very thick, not necessarily lox?) and only half of it was beet-red. Idk if they ran out, or what. The bagel was warmed, not quite toasted, and basically felt like it had just exited a bag at home. All of this is to say, for what it is, the pricing does feel advantageous. I’m sympathetic to restaurants working out the kinks but I fear these guys might learn the hard way like so many other (beloved!) Northampton spots that gentrification veiled in shiny signage only gets you so far. Why open a place that is too expensive for the majority? Where’s our sense of community? The reality is that this isn’t New York City, and every time you try to push a $22+ dollar sandwich on a small town, you contribute to a problem that is a lot bigger than one deli on the corner. I’m not the first one to say this.. So where’s the pivot? A punch card, or pay-it-forward style pricing? If you’re trying to bring the city to the country, study the legends.. Take a close look at Lil Deb’s Oasis, in Hudson, or the Neon Newt in Becket. You can have faith in your product, but when a crowd has concluded that the product is just OK.. time to re-evaluate. If the pastrami takes forever to make and it’s a labor of love but people don’t like it, try outsourcing. Or phone Sutter for...

I was so excited that this place was going to be right here in Northampton,. A New York style Jewish deli was the one thing that has been missing from this area and I couldn’t wait to come in. Of course, I showed up on a Sunday after church- The line was impressive and I think I may have waited an hour and 15 minutes total.

The staff is lovely and Very personable and friendly. I recognize that they had been pounded for quite a few hours by the time I got there and so when I asked for a Toasted gluten-free bagel with lox cream, cheese, and tomatoes. I can understand that they didn’t understand toasted or forgot. They added cucumbers as well, which I wouldn’t have asked for, but I really wanted to love it. I don’t think that was lock. I think it was very high-level premium sashimi grade salmon that maybe was soaked in beet juice because it was more red, but it wasn’t salty nor like any locks I had tried to New York City. Well, that’s a wonderful quality of salmon – it wasn’t what I expected and kind of left me bummed out.

This is a new restaurant and I think it’s fair to give them some time to figure out what’s working and what isn’t. I might try again with a different order just to see how their pastrami is but this first visit was disappointing and purchasing that bagel +2 cookies and paying $27 Would have felt better if the New York City price match the New York City food.

I Also got two of those amazing looking gluten-free, Linzer torte cookies- I also wanted to love them, but they were a bit doughier than I expected- Less shortbread like.

I’m leaving this review as a place For some feedback so that maybe as time goes by the staff can improve some of these issues. I’m wishing them all the best of luck in the meantime. They’re definitely...

Leaving this review because apparently, common sense isn’t so common—and I can’t directly reply to the unhinged 1-star reviews that popped up literally within 24 hours of this place opening its doors.

Let’s unpack this: A brand new deli opens. Hundreds of people show up (because, duh, people love good bagels), and there’s a line down the block. Then somehow, the same people who willingly chose to stand in that line for an hour are shocked—shocked!—that they had to wait. One genius even said, “The line was so long I could’ve driven to New York gotten a bagel and come back.” Oh? Then why didn’t you? Spoiler alert: because you wanted to try the bagels, just like everyone else. That’s what we call a personal decision. Own it.

It’s day ONE. You don’t judge a new restaurant’s permanent quality based on its opening day rush unless you genuinely don’t understand how time, crowds, or reality works. These aren’t Michelin-starred robots back there; it’s a small business with humans, slinging freshly made food to hundreds of people who showed up at once. And they’re doing a damn good job of it.

So unless you think shops should come pre-programmed with zero wait times and psychic knowledge of exact foot traffic patterns on launch day, maybe cut them some slack. Or better yet, just don’t stand in line if you’re going to cry about standing in line. There’s a concept.

To the folks leaving 1-star reviews for a packed, buzzy new bagel spot on opening day: You weren’t reviewing the business. You were reviewing your own impatience. And that’s not a food review—it’s a tantrum.

Keep doing your thing, L&L. The community clearly loves you. Sorry you have to deal with the Yelp Yelpers of...