Gotham's Deli — Restaurant in Smithfield

Perfectly okay sandwich. Quick and friendly service and generously sized for the price.

I got the Balboa (capicola, chicken, lettuce, tomato, mayo). Great roll & okay grocery deli quality meat, but suffered from some common sandwich shortfalls. Chiefly: the construction of the sandwich was light on the roll, heavy on everything else, and the ingredients were packed center to opening. Difficult to get a bite with a bit of everything, and the ingredients were at risk of ejecting from the roll if care was not taken while eating. I think stacking the ingredients bottom to top, rather than in to out would remedy this easiest without adjusting portion sizes. Just always a bit disappointing when one bite is all meat, next bite is all veggie, and on that second bite the meat falls out. Aside from this, the tomato was neither crisp, nor very flavorful, however with variances in produce and the requirements of prep cooking for a fast counter service restaurant I understand this is difficult to avoid.

The biggest issue I have with this restaurant, however, comes with the pickles. Today is the very first time in a life filled with sandwiches from delis and restaurants across the country, that a pickle was not included for free with the sandwich. It is completely unheard of to charge for a pickle, and one full dollar at that. No option for just a spear. You must purchase an entire pickle. Clearly, these pickles are made in house. They sit proudly in a jar (that, notably, does not mention they cost extra) on the counter for all to admire. I understand the pride in having crafted a pickle from scratch. It was a good pickle! Nevertheless, it seems greedy to charge extra for something that is assumed to be included at every other such establishment I have visited. I doubt it would severely harm the bottom line of the deli to give a spear for free with a sandwich. Even still, if it must be charged for, it would at least be easier to accept if you could just get a spear for a quarter, or if perhaps the combo meal included a pickle or pickle spear. If pride in the pickle is what truly warrants this, perhaps lean into it. Sell the pickles jarred, advertise Gotham Deli's Famous Pickles, and then include a spear for free as a loss leader.

All that aside, my only other criticism is that it is a shame that a purported NY deli does not have bagel sandwiches. I do of course understand that certain challenges arise when adding a new menu item, and it may not be worthwhile if the local customer base isn't interested , but I would certainly have ordered a baconeggandcheese on a bagel or a lox bagel sandwich in a heartbeat if that was...

Gotham's Deli is located in downtown Smithfield with plenty of free parking options on the street on a Saturday. We parked about a block away which allowed for a nice little stroll and visits to some of the other shops along the way. Wheelchair accessible and easy to find.

Gotham's atmosphere is themed in New York sports memorabilia and articles about NYC. Fountain drinks are located in the back of the dining area and features Pepsi products, sweet tea and unsweet tea. The massive menu features Breakfast options and lunch/dinner options as well.

Service was great, more than happy to provide some samples of sauces and chicken salad as well as explaining sandwiches and options.

Food was good. I do feel that there were some things that could have been changed to the meals that we ate that could have improved the construction. However overall, the meal was fine. We would definitely try it again if we are back in the area and wanted sandwiches. The Carrot cake was a little dry but had good flavor. The chocolate chip cookie had an odd flavor but was very soft. The buffalo chicken sandwich has cream cheese, and the buffalo sauce has ranch in it which made it a very mild in Buffalo flavor. Plus the lettuce being sliced and shredded made it so the lettuce fell out of the sandwich a bit. The sourdough bread was good and nicely toasted. I opted for the bowtie turkey pasta which had a good creamy flavor.

(updated to correct...

I went to this place after a friend recommended it. I really enjoyed it! Having it be a mom and pop deli seen from the menu and store decor they give it away. Also they are huge fans fans from what seems baseball (I am not much a fan of sports) it was cute and very 90’s. I ordered the BLTA: Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, Mayo on Toasted Sourdough. It was amazing delish!! Filled me up for brunch!!

I later picked up my sister from school and was craving another menu item from them. My sister and I split the Gotham: Turkey, Mushrooms, Swiss, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo.

I truly think Gotham’s Deli is the place you wanna be if you want a sandwich that hits the spot. The BLTA was refreshing in the sense that it had fresh veggies and bacon with the GOTHAM had more of a savory flavor being the case the meat they put is thick!

I will be planning on coming back soon! I enjoyed looking at the unique and rare finds having to be a place that stands out.

Though I only have one picture (GOTHAMS) I will be back for a BLTA picture!

Also their RED VELVET CAKE WAS A TOTAL HIT!!! TOTALLY RECOMMEND IT!!

(Both sandwiches...