Caplansky’s Delicatessen

So full disclosure off the bat, I’m invoking value in rating this restaurant.
The food itself is about 3.5 stars. It’s relatively straightforward Jewish deli food. I’ve enjoyed the reuben sandwich and the corned beef. I’m guessing its homemade, but I’m not sure. The corned beef was a bit dry, but not terrible. Bread couldn’t hold up to the meat. They make a big deal about their house mustards, but again not sure they’re homemade either. Fries were fine… under-​cooked though.
I’ll get to the punchline though, the value stinks. Lunch pricing: A sandwich and fries is $ 13.95. A reuben with no sides other than a pickle is $ 13. A bagel, lox, and cream cheese platter is a whopping $ 18. So my last meal of a corned beef with fries with tax and tip ended up at a whopping $ 18.50! For a basic sandwich and fries with water. Where’s the linen? Where’s the fancy cheese?
Service is fine… hit and miss. Your order, they bring food, maybe a refill on water.
Basically, it’s diner food at gourmet prices. I’ve eaten here twice, and just learned my lesson. At this price point for lunch, I have far higher expectation. You can and should just go somewhere else.

I first heard of this place through Dragon’s den. (Hey don’t judge me– it’s an entertaining show!) Ever since I saw the owners numerous attempts It’s always been in my mind to check this place out. When i saw his mustards for sale in a local grocery store, I decided– this week is the week!
Well yesterday was the day! It was a happenin’ little place! They have a take out section and of course dine in. The menu is a good selection and you get to choose how «fat» you would like your sandwich. I ordered the classic smoked meat sandwich with «lean» meat and latkes on the side. The smoked meat was very tasty. There is an array of Caplansksy’s mustards on the table and I only tried the classic ballpark one. The mustard tasted like your normal mustard but the sandwich and the pickle is a good choice!

I am a huge lover of corned beef (and pastrami)…so when visiting Toronto we just HAD to make a visit to Caplansky’s for a smoked meat sandwich. Man am I glad we did!
I ordered a «plain» smoked meat sandwich (medium fattiness, they ask and you get to choose your level) and selected matzo ball soup as my side dish (you could also have latkes or a side salad). We also ordered a plate of latke poutine for the table to share. They did have an interesting draft beer being served (with a pickle spear on top)…but i opted for one of my favorite sodas of all time, Black Cherry.
Started with the matzo ball soup which had great chicken broth flavor and a fluffy matzo ball. A few small carrot pieces added for flavor /​color. I really enjoyed this traditional soup.
The latke poutine was an interesting twist on the original, with bits of the smoke meat piled onto latkes covered with cheese curds and sauce drippings. I would say that it was only okay. On to the main event!
The sandwich was served «spartan»…rye bread, meat and a pickle spear. The table offered four different mustards to choose from:
— Traditional ballpark
— Mild and Delicious
— Hot and Horseradishy
— Super Extra Hot
I my mind, the clear winner was the «Hot and Horseradishy»…so much so that I bought a jar to take home! It was the perfect compliment to the smoky meat, so much so I think i could have drank the stuff (did I mention that i love mustard???). Seriously though… I usually like to get these kinds of sandwiches in a Reuben format, but I’m so thankful I chose to go meat and bread only as the simple combination allowed the mustard to stand out and the meat to really shine.
Any time I return to Toronto, this place will most definitely be part of my foodie pilgrimage.

Underwhelming.
I’ve been craving a smoked meat sandwich and experiencing painfully yummy flashbacks of my experiences at Schwartz’s when I saw Zane Caplansky’s appearance on the Dragons’ Den. The dragons got to try some delicious-​looking sandwiches and were raving about how good they were, so I decided to give Caplnasky a try (after promptly wiping the drool off my face).
I came here for lunch, ordered the Reubenesque sandwich (smoked meat, swiss cheese, Russian dressing, sauerkraut) for $ 13, and was sorely disappointed. The portion size was small and didn’t come with any sides (I didn’t even get a full pickle!). The sandwich itself was okay, but it was a bit too oily and could’ve used more flavour (the rye bread was grilled to perfection, though!). Not good value for money. After shelling out $ 15+ for a sandwich, at the very least I’d expect to feel full. Nope, didn’t happen.
Meh. I don’t get the hype. Won’t be back.

This place is a unkempt dive in need of major renovations. If it looks dirty then the food is dirty. I had a corned beef sandwich, it was the smallest I’ve ever had, wife and daughter couldn’t even finish what they ordered.
The service was great, but it was a dive and dirty.

For Toronto downtown core at least, there’s not a large selection of Jewish deli style places to choose from. This place sure does hit the spot though if that’s what your craving.
I’ve been coming here every couple months for the past few years, and really narrowed it down to one main thing I like here — The pickled tongue! Everything is else is just noise to me. Honourable mention might go to the corn beef hash, maybe a latka, but I could seriously just order a plate of the delicious tongue, and a side of pickles. The meat is just so tender, and incredibly rich to taste. Gotta love the homemade mustards as well, it’s a must for any sandwich.
Still a 3 star, only because some «go to» dishes that should be clutch are pretty average. Chopped Liver/​Matzah ball soup in particular can be found else where for better.

Party too hard last night? Caplansky’s smoked-​meat sandwich is the cure.
After a late night of birthday celebrations, I headed to Caplansky’s with some friends the next day to soothe our ailing heads and hungry stomaches. We could not have chosen a better spot! I started with the matzah ball soup — which was both soothing and delicious — and then we all chowed down on smoked-​meat sandwiches! Soft bread, over-​loaded with juicy, flavourful smoked meat, and finished with a crunchy pickle! Absolutely love this place — next time, I’ll have to leave room for those pies and cakes in the case that always look so decadent!

This is a restaurant that will not disappoint. The Knish is worth trying for sure. But, to be honest, everything thing the wait staff brought out from the kitchen looked amazing.

Let’s be honest here. This is yet another place that used to be great until they were on tv then became a huge ripoff by jacking up prices and lowering the content dramatically. Tiniest pastrami sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. Funnier even that they have reviews posted on the wall with pictures of what their sandwiches used to look like. Ridiculously big difference trust me. Don’t get me started on the awful poutine with no gravy and the hockey puck potatoes latkas which would be more at home at the air canada Centre. Honestly felt ripped off and you should avoid this place. Looking for another pastrami place now

To my surprise, the Reubenesque came in very much like a panini and it came in a lot less meat than I expected from a reuben that I had in mind. Well, much less sauerkraut too.
It tasted good, but not good enough.
The soup I got was a cabbage borscht and it’s very much like the ones that I would found in some restaurants in Hong Kong. It’s great, I liked that.
The fries came in and I was busy with the soup and sandwich, so it sat there for a little bit. It’s my fault, when I eat them, they were cold and not crispy, rather crunchy. And because they are thin, there are no «meat» inside…
I have to come back another day and pick something else, no way it’s like this.

Overall a very pleasant experience. Our server was energetic, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about everything on the menu, and I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the beer collection they have available. I got the Knish, which was fantastic (but not nearly as big as the portion you see on diners, drive-​ins, and dives). My girlfriend got a classic turkey sandwich, and we were both loving the different varieties of mustards available on the table. My only complaint about the food was the side of potato salad I ordered, it had far too many onions in it, to the point where that’s all I could taste throughout the meal and quite frankly the rest of the day. But overall, a pretty great experience, I would definitely go back again when in Toronto.

My day is going fine, thank you, except due to the Fact that back on Thursday, October 8, 2015 at approximately 1:30 p.m. — 2:00 p.m., my mother and I ate at your restaurant for the Very First Time.
During our restaurant experience, we experienced several things that went wrong. x
First of all, you provided us with Empty Ketchup Bottles On Our Table. Not only that, but when I grabbed the ketchup bottle from the next table to the right of us, it was Empty As Well!
Not Cool and Not Professional at all!
The next thing was the Fact that there were No Napkins On Our Table and we had to Ask For Them just like when we had to Ask For A Full Bottle Of Ketchup.
That is Not Good Either!
During our meal, the Food was Not Bad, although My Portion Of French Fries Was Quite Small and I was also very much Surprised that neither one of our meals came with any of your Famous Dill Pickles and once again, We Had To Ask For Them As Well!
I can Not believe that in Your Famous Deli that these things could Go Wrong and/​or be Missing During The Caplansky’s Delicatessen Experience?
May I go further please.
Very Embarrassing Part: The chair that You Provided To Me Was NOT SAFE and I fell off your chair. I know this may be hard to believe, but first of all, YOU can NOT blame me since I am NOT a fat, nor Heavy Person and it is NOT my Fault that perhaps the chair that I sat On Was Not Totally Safe For The Public To Use!
Luckily there was another chair from one of the other tables and I just grabbed it and used that for the rest of my Caplansky’s Delicatessen Experience and fortunately, I did Not have the Same Problem with the other chair.
It was so Embarrassing for ME to have Fallen Off Your Chair When The Chair Tipped Over that one of your customers even asked ME if I was alright, however, NONE of your Staff even said a word to ME if I was okay or NOT!
Amazing!
However, if You have any Camera and/​or Video Footage, then perhaps You can see this for yourself on the videotape.
I have NEVER fallen off a chair at a restaurant in My Life, except at your restaurant and hopefully Never Again!
I am Not sure what You plan on doing about our Caplansky’s Delicatessen Experience, but I would rather communicate to You first and have You handle it.
Enclosed, in the attachment, please find a copy of our receipt for your reference and further review.
Please Note: The owner did call ME back about our experience and offered NO Resolution!

I had the smoked meat sandwich and I am willing to say it may actually be better than Schwartz’s (in terms of what I prefer). It’s actually different from Schwartz’s which is a good thing, because it doesn’t try too hard to replicate, but rather does it’s own thing pretty well. The only thing I could say the sandwich could improve on is the mustard selection. If there was a choice for prepared mustard, it would’ve made it better.
The restaurant itself was nice. I sat outside on the patio on a nice summer day and everything was fantastic. Service was great and the servers were very friendly.
The dessert was okay. I had the brownie, which was decent. It was a little on the cold side though.

Looking for some comfort food and definitely found it here. Deep fried pickles and the rubenesque. The only thing I think I want is double meat for the rubenesque. I’m insatiable. Service was nice also.

Stopped by their Front Street Foods pop-​up and tried the BBQ beef brisket on a bun and a [something] hot pocket. I don’t remember what exactly the hot pocket was called.
The beef brisket was so good. Juicy and flavourful. I think there were dusted onions; whatever it was, it added a nice crunch to each bite.
The hot pocket was filled with unknown cheese and meat. I’m not sure what it was and it smelled kinda funky. I also came with a watery dip that was also like a concoction of mystery stuff. None of it was bad, but it did not stand out and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Order was taken incorrectly today and I missed out on eating together with my group. Once the proper order was delivered, it was implied that I placed the order incorrectly. In top of that, full price on the bill. Wasn’t a lot of money, but was the point, of course. Complaining to manager
got me a percentage off. I expressed my displeasure but I really didn’t want to start an argument so I paid the bill (including a reasonable tip) and left. Too bad-​I always liked the food at this local hangout

I really, REALLY want to like this place. I am a sucker for Jewish delis, and I’ve been here a few times with friends and family, and I always get so excited when I come here or order from here… but the food has always been decent but underwhelming. I have tried several things on the menu, and most of it is just «okay.»
My most recent meal (ordered through Hurrier and delivered for me to eat in the comfort of my condo) was a continuation of this theme. I ordered the smoked meat poutine, which was like a creative and interesting idea, but the smoked meat just tasted… off. The fries and cheese were just «okay.» I ate it, because it was there, but I was disappointed.
I also ordered fried chicken, which is maybe an odd choice for a self-​proclaimed fan of deli meat to order at a deli, but I was having a craving. The chicken, too, was just «okay,» although I do admit to having very high standards for fried chicken… but there wasn’t much meat on the bone and the chicken tasted a bit slimy, which was an odd experience for me, since I’ve eaten so much fried chicken in my life and seldom had this happen. I ate it; it was edible; but it didn’t satisfy my craving at all, and I was sad. :(
Their deli meats are good, though, so perhaps I will stick to those next time. Pastrami… yum!

When it come to comfort food I choose this place. The deli meats remind me of the summer days when my dad would take me to the local deli for a smoke meat or corned beef sandwich on rye during his lunch break. I had the beef brisket and I swear it was prime rib. So good! Paired that with veggies, mashed potatoes, a dark ale and trust me friend you have a winning combo.

Finally conquered this place. Wandered here after hopping a streetcar frim Pride. Wan’t too busy. Two boys and a ather aplit Mac n’ Cheese… looked and smelled amazing. I got a Caplansky birger where beef and smoked meat combine into a patty on a challah bun to make your mouth water. Add cheddar and bacom, its $ 12 plus tip. I split it with my guy for his shoestring poutone ($ 11). My is it meaty and delicious! Good trade to try their other menu items. Of course we’ll have the traditional smoked meat reuben from the food truck wen we see it next. Can’t beat a Jewish Deli with history. $ 32 for two dine in on a Sunday evening, well worth the fill.

L’établissement est connu pour ses sandwichs et ses burgers. L’atmosphère fait typiquement diner nord américain des années 50.
Je rejoins l’avis de mon compatriote sur le fait que les plats soient trop salés.
Le service est cependant rapide et souriant ce qui est fort appréciable.
Le Caplansky reste cependant un spot à faire à Toronto si vous êtes pas loin de Kengsinton Market.

DREADFUL! Over priced dirty place that does not compare to the real famous deli’s!
Nothing more needs to be said. Notice the contrast between good reviews and bad reviews. It seems like you either like or hate this place. That’s not the case at all. Because the owner is a bit of a «local celebrity» the positive reviews are stacked and the negative reviews are real. Read my previous review for more detail an tell me if you agree.

Pas mauvais, mais pas génial. Ils font beaucoup dans le côté marketing, c’est travaillé comme image mais pas très attachant.
Un goût peu raffiné: trop d’aïl, trop de sucre et trop de sel dans les sauces. J’y ai gouté un ‘beef brisket’ relativement gras avec pommes de terre en purée. Ma compagne avait commandé un ‘mac & cheese’, c’est à dire des pâtes sauce fromage. J’y retournerai sans doute pour le petit déjeuner. Je préfère de loin Yitz’s sur Eglinton. C’est pratique dans le genre si vous êtes dans le quartier, mais ce né sera pas une expérience culinaire, loin s’en faut.