Brian’s Deli

When I noticed this place had a deli, I decided to stop on in and try something different.
However there were a couple of red flags I ignored: The nearly empty display case with only 6 plates of items. (Which didn’t look all too fresh) and the menu full of all these different variety of sandwiches that they don’t actually make.
A very disappointing deli. This was the last time I had gone here for lunch.

I think this place may technically be called «Nathalies Deli and Gourmet» or something like that. Obviously there is nothing gourmet in here as everything is past expiration date, floors are filthy, staff is dirty looking, this place should have been shut down years ago. It was for a while, and then re-​opened, just as filthy as in the past. I once told them that their canned goods were expired and he looked at me like I was crazy, so I said it again «your canned food has been on your shelf for YEARS… its covered in dust… you should throw it out.» Oh well… hopefully this place gets closed down at some point VERY soon.

God, this place sucks. Still, they’re the only bodega to have survived the massive uptick in rents in this artificially tonily priced neighborhood so as bad as they suck, they’re the only game around. This is the place I usually go to in order to wash down Wok City
which is next door, but for God’s sake this place is awful! Sadly, the only choice really, though.
Buying something to wash down Wok City with is what I did tonight and as usual, they charged a bundle for a 40 of malt liquor. They only had one brand of beer in this size and it was exorbitantly priced (for this cheap-​assed brand), served up warm and surlily rendered too. This is their M.O. here.
Also, even though they featured the Visa logo on their door, they refused my payment with said card. The counter guy said they had a «minimum». When I explained to him that this was against the card issuer’s terms of service, he then argued with me.
I paid cash the ultimate 25%+ in excess of what this ordinarily cheap bottle of rot-​gut should have cost and then got the Hell out.
Their steam table buffet is also disgusting, limited and overpriced too. Do yourselves a favor and please steer clear of Brian’s whenever on the UWS, near Lincoln Center.

Okay, so I haven’t experienced cat poop, but It is pretty terrible. Aside from everything being terribly overpriced, most of their goods, aside from beer and soda, I assume, are well past their expiration date. Not only is everything covered in dust, but I once went int to buy a some bread and found the baguettes to be covered in mold.
I did, however, once have a decent breakfast sandwich from this place.
All in all, I’d say it’s on par with your average corner deli — overpriced and low quality. if you don’t live upstairs, and need something quick, the only reason you’d stop in here would be if you’re lost and desperate in the neighborhood.
Oh, I did find one cheaply priced Item — I make my own tomato sauce, and found their canned tomato paste to be relatively inexpensive, though I’m attributing that to be an accident in the pricegun, and expect that next time I go to buy some, it will have skyrocketed to meet the prices of its companion goods at Brian Deli.

The two previous reviews of this Brian’s Deli are old, and I think this place has subsequently made some changes and improvements to redeem themselves.
This is my local deli, just around the corner from my apartment… But even before I lived nearby, I would stop in when seeing multiple movies down the block at Walter Reade Theater, during breaks, in need of refreshment and distraction — sometimes I’d get a wrap, sometimes I’d get chicken salad, sometimes I’d pick up a pack of pre-​sliced salami or prosciutto, sometimes I’d get a pack of Pirates Booty, but I’d pretty much always get a beer or two… And now that it’s nearby my home, I’ve had breakfast (eggs and bacon, homefries and toast) and lunch (The West End Wrap) and lots and lots of late-​night beers — I really don’t like to keep alcohol around the house, because me and my roommate would just drink it and never go outside or get anything done, so whenever I want a late night ice-​cold beer, this is my spot — the service is very friendly, the store is clean, and they have a pretty decent selection (of everything, not just beer)… It’s like a low-​key grocery store, or a deluxe bodega.
I’ve never had anything from the buffet, but during lunch a lot of construction workers and people from Lincoln Center come here to eat, everything looks moderately fresh, I’ve never heard anyone complain about anything.
There are only a few things I can think of that would make this place better – (1) at night they sort of barricade the door, which is kind of scary, but apparently it’s the owner’s children who work here late at night, so there’s also a security guard, it just seems excessive and unwelcoming. (2) fix a couple of the doors on the beer display cases, they’re always cold but only because the machines are working over-​time, if they resealed the doors they could save some energy and money. (3) In the deli, they try to have everything out for you to view, which means they pre-​slice the cheese, and if it sits around for awhile the top slice will get brown on the edges, which isn’t appealing — there has to be a middle-​ground between presentation and freshness, but, personally, I prefer the idea of freshly sliced cheese but can understand why people would want to see it before they order it.
I’ll continue frequenting this place — their prices are more than reasonable and, again, the service is very friendly.

I hate this place. I will buy gatorades and diet ginger ale here solely out of convenience. Why do I hate this place? Two words. Cat poop. That’s right. Cat poop. They have a cat in this deli. They let this cat poop on the floor right next to the ramen noodles in the back. GROSS.

As referenced in Steve M.‘s review of Wok City, Brian Deli is the deli that is right next to… Wok City. It is also the deli that I live right next to.
It is not, on the whole, a particularly good deli. It has many shortcomings which I will here in discuss, all for your amusement (that’s right, call me the court jester).
Anecdote 1 (about a year ago):
The quality of its meats and cheeses, while never making me sick or anything, I have come to distrust. The cheese especially has never tasted right. To further elaborate once struck up a conversation with the guy behind the deli counter in Spanish (I speak spanish, and well… so did he.) He told me that he had just started working here and that it wasn’t a good place — that they never had anything in stock because ‘the owners never bought anything.’ He worked at two other places besides this one, one of which was a deli and that place was a lot better. He said that although he had just started here, he didn’t think he was going to stay long, that the other places he worked at were better.
Anecdote 2 (About a month ago).
One day, walking home from the mid 70’s with my roomate, I saw some kids running out of the store with the clerk trying to grab them as they ran out. I quickened my pace and asked if him if the kids had just shoplifted. He said yes. I told him to call the police and now upset that crime (albeit petty) had just occurred, some of my old teacher instincts kicked and I thought «Those punks are not getting away with that!» So I followed them for 4 blocks until I saw what building they went into. returning to the store to tell the store owner where they went, I find out that the store owner had done nothing at all! He had just parked himself on the stool behind the checkout counter! An exerpt of the conversation:
Me: Why didn’t you call the cops? {slightly incredulous}
Owner/​Clerk: {shrug}.
My Roomate: what do you not have a phone?
Owner/​Clerk: yeah.
My Roomate: what about that phone right there? {pointing to phone behind clerk on wall}
Owner/​Clerk: oh. yeah​.no.
My Roomate: what it doesn’t work?
Owner/​Clerk: no, yeah it works.
Me: So. you just chose to not call?
Owner/​Clerk: …yeah.
To make a long story short, after my roomate and I called the police, I now know that when I see shoplifting in progress that *I* should call 911, and to never entrust any sort of emergency to the clerk at Brian Deli!
Did I mention it’s expensive?
So why two stars and not one? Late night B&W Cookie runs or Overpriced Ben & Jerry’s, My one roommate believes in their chicken salad sandwich, and my other roommate tells me that their eggs and Smucker’s natural peanut butter are actually pretty cheaply priced.
If you want anything more than that you should go to the «Great Foods» Deli on 68^th & Columbus, or «Café 71» at (ta-​da!) 71^st & Amsterdam