Chutzpah Deli — Restaurant in Virginia

We were looking forward to visiting Chutzpah. To say we were disappointed is an understatement. We arrived around 1130, we only wait a minute or so for a table. Once we sat down the waitress arrived and took our drink order. We then ordered 2 bowls of soup, a bagel with lox, and a grilled cheese. The grilled cheese arrived fairly quickly, then the waitress disappeared. We asked another waitress for a coffee refill and she said our server had to get it. Our server was standing in the back doing nothing. We had to raise our hand, motion, snap etc to even get her attention. When she finally came to the table we asked about our soup. She looked confused and said it would be a few minutes. She returned with one bowl of soup and two spoons. We asked about the other soup and bagel. Once again she was totally confused (It is now 1230…we have been here an hour) So we share the soup she brought out while we waited for the rest of our order. It is now 1245 and once again our waitress is gone. The other waitress refuses to assist us. We still have not gotten the rest of our order. Finally our waitress reappears and brings a bag of bagel to the table, (we didn’t order bagels to go). I said those are not ours but we are still waiting on soup and a bagel with lox. She said “Oh” and walks away. At this point we decided to pay for what we did receive and leave. When my husband went to pay he asked for the items we didn’t receive to be taken off the bill. The lady at the register seemed confused. He explained that we never received half of our order and we have been seated for over an hour. During the time we were waiting the other waitress had several tables where all the guest were greeted, served, checked on and received their orders promptly (and all at once), ate, paid their bill and left. She gave him an excuse of “your server is new” . I can appreciate someone learning a new job. I can be understanding when someone is new. But, never have I seen such rudeness. If this waitress was struggling why was it that no one in the entire establishment stepped up to assist? This isn’t a huge dining area, approximately 12 tables and booths. I am sad to say our first (and last) time here was a horrible experience. I can’t even vouch if the food was worth the experience because we never had the chance to experience it. Don’t waste your time. There are plenty of restaurants who want...

This is a tough restaurant to rate. On the one hand, it’s not flawless. But Chutzpah is arguably the best Jewish deli in the DMV — look to your laurels, MD delis. Hence, my 5 stars with the caveat that diners might hit snags. While I’ve listed cons first in my review in the interest of full disclosure, I think that the pros far outweigh them. I live 40 minutes from Chutzpah, but look forward to returning.

My recent experience: CONS: -A stale dine-in bialy, which the server pleasantly exchanged for an outstanding bagel. (Lesson: ask your server for a replacement if your food is subpar.) -Carry out error: Ordered a tongue and Swiss on challah roll with Russian dressing. I received a tongue and Swiss on rye with no condiment. As another commenter noted, check your order before leaving. Silver lining: the rye bread was excellent. -Food is delivered slowly during peak hours. Don’t go at peak hours if you’re in a rush.

*PROS: *Fantastic eggs. Companion ordered the “Eric” omelette (ham, onions, sweet pepper), which was hands down the best omelette I’ve ever eaten. (No, the ham’s not Jewish, but it is delicious.) Omelette was fluffy on the outside, creamy on the inside and packed with flavor. Don’t quite know how they manage the creamy interior, but this omelette was world class. *First-rate Jewish deli. Our in-house bagels were outstanding: fresh, tender, with just the right amount of chew. Whitefish salad (dine-in) was delicious. You’ll receive the traditional sour pickles and coleslaw at your table. Both have the zesty tang that a real deli delivers. We took home a tongue sandwich and a pastrami Reuben, both excellent. (You won’t go wrong with Chutzpah’s Reubens.) Our carry out chicken soup was hands down outstanding. We tried both the matzo ball (light, fluffy) and kreplach (meat dumpling) versions. Both were intensely flavorful and rich with chicken and vegetables. *Massive portions. A regular sandwich will serve 2 adults. A half-portion “nosh” will satisfy the average adult. *Attentive service. Our server was responsive and helpful — impressive because the restaurant was packed at the time. *Expansive menu. Between the plentiful breakfast items, Jewish deli, traditional sandwiches and barbecue items, there’s something for everyone.

Bottom line: Terrific Jewish deli with an expansive menu that has something for everyone. Take the occasional snags in...

We visited Chutzpah for lunch because we were craving some good food and previously this place never disappoints, especially when visiting for breakfast. Unfortunately this visit was sadly disappointing and made me rethink coming back for anything but breakfast. I do understand they’re understaffed but this review has nothing to do with the serving staff. They were busy but still great. This has everything to do with the kitchen and food itself.

We got there around 1:30pm and thought that would be plenty of time to sit and get food quickly before needing to be at our friends around 3pm. We entered and had a slight wait to sit, which was fine. We got seated and ordered within 10-15 min. So it’s around 1:40- 1:45 at this point. I ordered the Chutzpah Cheesesteak and my wife got the meatloaf with horseradish mashed potatoes. I’m from Philly originally so I was really looking forward to the cheesesteak since it had all the proper ingredients without this idiocy you see from other “cheesesteak” places in NOVA.

We then waited for our food. And waited. And waited. AND WAITED. We literally waited until 3pm, their closing time, until we got our food. That’s over a hour of waiting for reheating meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and making a cheese steak. The place was busy, but not overcrowded and I noticed everyone that came in to order takeaway got their food within 10 min from walking in and ordering. So what in the Sam Hill was taking so long to make our food? And it wasn’t just us. EVERYONE sitting in the restaurant was waiting an exceptionally long time for their food too.

Finally got the food and was excited for it, but I was disappointed. The vegetables were cooked perfectly but the vegetable to meat ratio was sad. 3x more veggies to meat and the meat was kinda dry. Also the cheese was slapped and toasted on the bun and was all concentrated at the bottom instead of being mixed into the meat & vegetables so you got no cheese unless you bit the bottom of the bun. Bun was decent though. Wife’s meatloaf was way too salty and there was almost no taste of horseradish in her mashed potatoes.

Was a sad experience so we’ll likely not come back for actual entrees and only get breakfast and deli sandwiches. We’ll also probably not sit down again and will order ahead for pickup or walk in and order for takeout since the wait time to make food for those sitting was just...