Super Mensch — Restaurant in San Francisco

Two weeks into its debut, Super Mensch is serving up a fresh, inventive twist on the Jewish delicatessen — think pastrami on rye with personality, crunchy dill pickles that mean business, and potato latkes that walk the line between comfort and cool.

We went in ready to conquer every vegetarian item on the menu — but alas, the spiced beet sandwich, the lone veggie entrée, was nowhere to be found. Not sold out — just… not remade after running out the day before. For those who don’t eat meat or fish, that’s a bit of a shanda. The rest of the menu leans heavily carnivorous, and vegans will find almost nothing to nosh on.

Still, we made it work. The latkes (sans roe) were golden and crisp, the fattoush with bagel chips had great crunch, the za’atar-dusted potato chips were dangerously snackable, and the feta & watermelon was bright and refreshing.

But let’s talk about what really shines: the drinks. Whoever designed this cocktail menu deserves a standing ovation. The Coconut Macaroons was sweet and nostalgic in all the right ways, the Borscht cocktail somehow made beet juice sexy, and the Black & White Cookie Martini was pure dessert bliss.

Super Mensch has plenty of attitude and imagination — it just needs a little more menshlichkeit for its vegetarian and vegan friends. I’ll definitely be back to try that beet sandwich (if it ever returns), and I’m crossing my fingers that next time, my vegan partner can join in...

We were greeted by a kind hostess who seated us immediately upon confirming we had a reservation. Notably, the customers in line before us without reservations were turned away or added to a waitlist despite there being plenty of open seating for the duration of our meal.

The windows are south facing and get a lot of light.

There were many classic deli dishes available. We chose the Rueben and bagel. The Rueben had a mound of delicious corned beef, but the bread was gummy and falling apart. Perfectly salted and a good balance.

The bagel is housemade. It was good but not fantastic.

Each came with a lacto-femented pickle. Overall, a nice meal with friendly wait staff, but I'll wait a few months to come again until they find...

Really enjoyed this place! The vibe is fun, and both the food and drinks are great.

We ordered the arugula salad (nothing special), the latke (delicious), halibut crudo (good), pastrami on rye (excellent), and the glizzy (surprisingly tasty). Overall, the bread and meat quality was great, and we really enjoyed our cocktails.

Next time I go—and I will be returning—I’ll probably stick to the basics: the latke and the pastrami, or maybe try the Reuben. They definitely do those dishes really well.

One thing I didn’t like was the seating. They have stools with no backs which aren’t very comfortable for eating and sitting...