A triple-decker sandwich at D. Z. Aikin’s Restaurant. Simply the best deli food available.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2013
This blog is about our travels across America, but I can’t leave San Diego without mentioning several truly “important” local restaurants. D.Z. Aikin’s is one of them. This is one of San Diego’s “go to” restaurants…an authentic New York style Jewish delicatessen and bakery sure to please everyone! After opening in 1980, the restaurant has already expanded five 
times to accommodate the increasing demand for good hearty deli food. The over sized, abundant menu is filled with ethnic favorites: Cheese Blintzes, Lox, Borscht, Bread Pudding, Potato Knishes, Latkes, Matzo Ball Soup and much, much more. The menu also boasts 134 sandwiches piled sky-high with fine deli meats as well as complete dinner entrees such as Corned Beef and Cabbage, Roast Brisket of Beef, Romanian Skirt Steak and Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. There are almost forty separate breakfast entrees available starting at 7 am sharp every day of the week. An entire page on the Menu is devoted to fountain menu items, including Sundaes, Shakes, Malts and Sodas with every delicious accompaniment imaginable. All of the deli items are also for sale in the market section of the restaurant. And then there’s the bakery…oh my goodness! It’s almost impossible to pay for your meal and leave without at least glancing at the bakery items and then it’s no turning back!The place gets busy, as do all good dining establishments. So if you can arrive at a non-peak time, you will be assured of being seated quickly. The restaurant is a long building, Inside it’s vast, with a deli-bakery-souvenir ship at the front door, then brightly lighted large dining rooms with padded booths and photos of local celebs on the walls. Each table holds a vat of cucumber pickles in a mild brine. Ranging in age from fresh-made crisp ones to older ones suffused
There’s a crock of fresh pickles at each table.
with brine, there’s a pickle in there to suit every taste…and for free! The service is very good. In fact unless you’re already familiar with the menu, you will still be reading long after the server has first offered to take your order. I’ve been enjoying the food here for almost 35 years and I know you will like it, too. Don’t pass through San Diego without stopping here.
