HAROLD’S NEW YORK DELI

Address: 3050 Woodbridge Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837

I have to say that my love of food is proportional to just how large the food I’m eating is. So, when coming to Harold’s New York Deli, where they are known for their humongous portions, my love of food grows exponentially. My first experience at Harold’s was in the 10th grade when we came here before heading into New York City to see The Color Purple on a school trip. I still distinctly remember that I got a Philly cheesesteak with probably 2 pounds of meat, cheese, peppers, and onions on the roll, my friend got a blueberry pancake that was the size of a pizza, and another guy at our table got a chicken fingers platter that was enough to feed a small family. What was more impressive was witnessing another table next to us order a triple-decker sandwich, filled with pastrami, corned beef, and turkey. I am pretty certain that the sandwich stood around two feet high, with a kabob stick long enough to drive through the entire sandwich and ensure it didn’t fall apart. Since that first very memorable experience, I have been back to Harold’s twice, and I always am amazed just how full I walk out of that restaurant.

Today, me and two friends journeyed up to Edison to once again take on one of Harold’s huge plates of food. After sitting down, we first took to their pickle bar, which all the patrons can help themselves to. They have a variety of different pickles, from kosher dill to sour to regular pickle chips. They put rye bread and these cinnamon muffins on the side as well. We all took some stuff from the pickle bar before  we opted for the extra-large pastrami sandwich and the French fries / onion rings combo. Even between the three of us, we still couldn’t finish all the food! However, I would say that the pastrami there is some of the best pastrami I have ever had; juicy, full of flavor, and paired up with their spicy brown mustard and rye bread, it really is a killer combination. I’m sure that their corned beef is just as good as well and that’s something that I definitely want to try the next time I am there. Another thing to give a shot: their breakfast menu. I saw some people at the table next to us with these huge omelettes and they looked fantastic.

Harold’s is a place that you can go on any occasion, whether it’s a birthday or holiday, or even no occasion at all. One thing is for sure though: the food will always be spectacular, both the look of it and the taste of it.

Here are my rankings for Harold’s:

Food: 5 / 5
Some really great food with some amazing portions as well. The variety on the menu is pretty crazy too. Lots of stuff to try!

Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5
The dining room is a pretty basic area with lots of tables and one wall that is covered in mirrors (I think the styling is kind of 80’s-ish). But what’s really cool is the window into the kitchen where you can see these mountains of food come out. The place is really popular, so very rarely will you ever be in there when it’s quiet. People are always talking in there and that adds to the overall noise level, but that’s certainly a part of the atmosphere of the restaurant: busy.

Service: 4.5 / 5
We were seated immediately by Harold, the owner, himself, and our waitress was all right, coming to take our orders and then leaving to attend to the other hungry guests. She was good about coming back to refill our waters though.

Price: 4 / 5
Granted, the price of the food is going to be pretty substantial. But for just how much food that you pack away (either in your stomach or in a brown bag to carry out) and just how good it is, the price is pretty good in itself.

Overall: 18 / 20 (90%)

Categories: New Jersey, Restaurants

Tagged as: edison, food for giants, harold's, jewish food, new jersey