Zinsky’s Deli in Dallas is Closing

Posted on July 30th, 2010 3:14pm by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Closings, Delis, Food Crime, Neighborhood restaurants, Restaurant News

The rumors mills are churning with the news that Zinsky’s Deli is about to close their doors. Makes perfect sense to me, we just took a lovely photograph of their lox and bagels for our October issue and shipped it to the printers! D Magazine cover story (Best Breakfasts) jinx continues. Anywhoo, here is what peeps are saying:

A friend had food catered into his office today from Zinsky’s.
The guy who brought it in told him, “We’re closing the deli, no later than
Monday. We might still do catering, though.” My source promptly phoned the restaurant, where someone answered and said yes, we’re open today, but probably not for much longer.

I got the same reply on the phone and have left an email and phone message for owner Liz Baron. Why can’t Dallas keep any sort of deli alive? Especially it the neighborhood of  Preston Royal.

UPDATE: From owner Liz Baron:  “Yes, sadly it’s true.”

64 comments

  1. As I predicted elsewhere on these pages.

    @ 3:15 pm on July 30, 2010

  2. I work very nearby, and in the year it has been open, we’ve never gone there. And I work with a lot of guys! It’s just too expensive for lunch – $10+ sandwiches? No thank you. I can go down to Potbelly’s or Snappy Salads and be out of there with my meal and drink for under $10. Too bad – I had high hopes when it was being built, but the prices just kept me from giving it a try…

    @ 3:24 pm on July 30, 2010

  3. I went a couple of times for lunch and the parking issue wasn’t worth the dining experience.

    @ 3:41 pm on July 30, 2010

  4. TWillie, what is the future for Craft Dallas?

    @ 3:44 pm on July 30, 2010

  5. Nancy, my crystal ball out for polishing.

    @ 4:10 pm on July 30, 2010

  6. I loved their reubens, matzoh ball soup and potato salad. I still remember thinking on my first trip how nice it was that a deli could make a sandwich the appropriate size for a single diner, and charge a fair price for it. Then they decided to supersize earlier this year. When they opted to start making gargantuan sandwiches big enough for three and charging $12 for them, I stopped going.

    @ 4:18 pm on July 30, 2010

  7. Too bad — I wonder if that would be a good space for Cane Rosso?

    @ 4:39 pm on July 30, 2010

  8. @not surprised – My problem was the $9.95 Brisket Dinner, which I would have gladly paid $14.95 for a product that did not taste like it had been cooked in plastic cryovac.

    @ 4:45 pm on July 30, 2010

  9. SAD! This place was delicious. But yes, too expensive.

    @ 4:52 pm on July 30, 2010

  10. @macpad

    With the announcement of Dough coming to Forest/Preston, I think Jay is better going a bit further from the area. I do miss him setting up shop at Forest/Preston though.

    I agree with the other posters, Zinsky’s was great, but a lunch for 2 after tax and tip was north of $30 for a couple of sandwiches.

    @ 4:59 pm on July 30, 2010

  11. It’s time … for Kenny and Ziggy’s. If you think it, they will come. Oy Vey! Oy Vey! Oy Vey!

    @ 5:05 pm on July 30, 2010

  12. way overpriced!! surprised it took this long..little further up the rd but the Deli News is still rockin’ em..closest thing to NY we’ve had, have

    @ 5:18 pm on July 30, 2010

  13. Ultimately if Dallas would have a good Deli they would stay open. None of the deli’s in Dallas for the last 20 years would stay open six months in NYC.

    @ 5:34 pm on July 30, 2010

  14. As has been said before, it was extremely expensive. Additionally, the wife and I went on at least six different occasions and the service was abysmal every time. I’m pretty sure my order was only correct twice.

    @ 6:28 pm on July 30, 2010

  15. Glad I read this – I was planning to venture there tomorrow for lunch – too bad.

    @ 6:31 pm on July 30, 2010

  16. ok what’d I miss? What is Dough?

    @ 6:38 pm on July 30, 2010

  17. I am so in love with their mini-blintzes that they offer as a side dish. Most delis charge you extra for a slice of tomato on a sandwich, so this was the best deli deal I’ve seen. So much for my Sunday brunch plans. Sigh.

    @ 9:08 pm on July 30, 2010

  18. “Especially preston and royal”

    hmmmmmmmmmm

    @ 9:09 pm on July 30, 2010

  19. @iroguy: Dallas does indeed have a good deli.
    Deli-News! Yeah, they might not make it in NYC but remember, we’re not in NYC. We’re in Dallas. I’m originally from NYC and Deli-News is certainly good enough for me. And all the others that have patronized D-N for the last 20 years in here in Dallas.

    @ 9:52 pm on July 30, 2010

  20. Great location and good food but horrible waitstaff – i waited over 10 mins several times for someone to acknowledge i was in the restaurant

    @ 11:31 pm on July 30, 2010

  21. Was this really necessary?

    “Especially Preston and Royal”

    @ 11:35 pm on July 30, 2010

  22. The food was mediocre to sometimes good. The smoked fish was no better than Cindy’s and Ciondy’s isn’t anything to write home about. Deli News is still where it’s at.

    @ 7:27 am on July 31, 2010

  23. Yes, “Especially Preston and Royal” was necessary. A high population of jews live in that area of Dallas, as opposed to the Park Cities, East Dallas, Oak Cliff etc……. Some folks are always looking to make something out of nothing! The deli’s in Dallas SUCK, and always have. I’m from Miami, and there hasn’t been a decent bagel here, since Larry sold Bagelstein’s years ago. The people who bought it, stopped boiling the bagels. Deli News is okay, but not worth the drive. I do wish that they’d open one farther south.

    @ 7:33 am on July 31, 2010

  24. Good riddance to bad garbage

    @ 9:23 am on July 31, 2010

  25. Guess I have to get a reuben today….

    @ 11:27 am on July 31, 2010

  26. Most of the food I had a Zinsky’s was very good. The service was generally so-so. Much as I respect TW’s posts in general I just don’t get his deal about Deli-News. I want to believe, but it’s just not good. The reason Dallas can’t keep a good deli is not because it’s too far from NY. It’s because everyone has their own personal NY that they compare it to. Katz’s is day and night different to Sarge’s as it is to Stage and so on. There is no such thing as a “traditional” NY deli experience. Take your food from 2nd Av Deli and eat it in Barney Greengrass and see if you don’t stand out like a sore thumb. Such foolishness is why there are no good deli’s in Dallas and why you think Kenny and Ziggy’s is good. It’s not them, it’s you.

    @ 12:25 pm on July 31, 2010

  27. The food was decent enough but the handful of times I was in there the service was really bad and nobody seemed to care including the guy at the front who I guess was the manager but he seemed so unconcerned about the customers. The atmosphere lacked for me too. I don’t know— the last time I was in there I figured the place was doomed.

    @ 2:07 pm on July 31, 2010

  28. People, the neighborhoods surrounding Preston and Royal and Preston and Forest have always had a high concentration of people of the Jewish faith. I went to elementary school at Arthur Kramer off Hillcrest and Forest and a great majority of my classmates were/are Jewish. Zinksy’s owners, Liz and Jim Baron are Jewish and they chose the location knowing the same demographics.

    @ 2:08 pm on July 31, 2010

  29. @Done with it: My main reason for liking Deli-News so much is their smoked sturgeon and smoked “nova” salmon. I rarely eat anything else there because I only go for brunch on Sundays. Most of the people who go there regularly also like me, probably eat the same thing most of time. The various foods I see coming out of the kitchen on Sunday all look great. especially the egg dishes. And, deli-News is one of the only places in Dallas that serves Thumann’s Pork breakfast sausage. Arguably, the best pork b’fast sausage, ever!
    I’ve been there for lunch during the week and still order, just the smoked fish platter. And sometimes, a side of Thumann’s sausage.

    @ 3:08 pm on July 31, 2010

  30. Live nearby and ate there a couple of times. Nice atmosphere, okay food, but nothing special. Rather expensive. Every time I walked by on the way to Starbucks or Baskin Robbins, I noticed the place was empty and thought they wouldn’t make it. Sad, because they obviously spent a lot of money on the place.

    Except for the vocal few transplants from the northeast, I don’t think there’s a much demand for this type of food in Dallas. In fact, I think its pretty much just a niche now even in NYC where a lot of old delis have gone out of business.

    @ 4:22 pm on July 31, 2010

  31. I guess Deli-News survives cause of the bad food…gee; sorry I apparently have such a lousy palate & don’t know any better

    @ 4:25 pm on July 31, 2010

  32. Had lunch at Carshon’s Deli in Fort Worth today.

    Been open since 1928.

    http://www.carshonsdeli.com/menu.php

    Two words every Fort Worth native understands: “chocolate pie.” (Carshon’s, Wednesdays and Saturdays)

    @ 9:39 pm on July 31, 2010

  33. I tried Zinsky’s on at least five ocassions hoping each time it would improve. Sadly it did not and I gave up trying. The pastrami was so dry it was not edible.
    I do like Deli News but it’s so far from me that it’s a long trip out there and I can only make it once a month or so.
    I really hoped Zinsky’s would be great but food and service were disappointing every single time.

    @ 12:35 am on August 1, 2010

  34. Bummer….for a tasty sandwich, go to Jimmy John’s at Preston/Forest.

    @ 10:05 am on August 1, 2010

  35. No one has pointed out perhaps the most foolish mistake Zinsky’s made – opening up just down the street from Roasters (which was far superior). They ended up splitting the customer base, killing both restaurants.

    At the end of the day, Zinsky’s was mediocre and poorly thought out. But what do you expect from someone who helped create Pei Wei and Bengal Coast, 2 white-washed “concepts”? Good riddance, I say.

    @ 11:01 am on August 1, 2010

  36. Please, correct me if I’m wrong but, didn’t Zinsky’s open before Roaster’s?
    I think their major problem was simply, the food.
    Their smoked fish was terrible. Salty and dry. Their pastrami was a joke.
    The only item on the menu I couldn’t fault was the matzoh ball soup. That is, when the matzoh balls were actually cooked through and not raw (or, still frozen?) as they were on a few occasions.
    And, their prices were too high. Even for that neighborhood.
    However, in defense of that last statement, I must add, the rents are very, very high at Preston Royal.

    @ 11:47 am on August 1, 2010

  37. OK, TW fair enough, since I’ve never been to Deli-News for brunch. I must point out however that both Roaster’s and Zinsky’s used only Acme Smoked Fish Company from Brooklyn, my all time favorite “mass producer” of smoked fish so I don’t know how to account for the difference. Also available at Central Market, btw. I believe Roaster’s preceded Zinsky’s by some 3 to 5 months. Almost surely you are correct about the rent, opinions of food and service notwithstanding.

    @ 2:16 pm on August 1, 2010

  38. Yes, I’m very familiar with Acme. Could be the difference was that Zinsky’s kept their smoked fish frozen because they didn’t sell enough to keep it fresh. The difference between previously frozen smoked fish and fresh is like night and day. I’ve bought the Acme smoked salmon at CM and much prefer their “mild Scottish” smoked salmon. Much better. Silky and not overly salted or smoky. Try the sturgeon at D-N. They usually get it on a Friday and sell out by Sunday after brunch. If they still have some during the week, there’s
    a good chance it’s been frozen. Ask first before you order. Same go’s for the Nova smoked salmon as well.
    And, all their smoked fish also comes from Acme.

    @ 2:43 pm on August 1, 2010

  39. Food was decent, but way overpriced. Tables were often filthy. Bring back Ed’s Deli or Gilbert’s!!!

    @ 3:11 pm on August 1, 2010

  40. I liked Ed’s, too. I thought the food at Gilbert’s was OK I guess but, I couldn’t take the owner’s NY attitude.

    @ 5:03 pm on August 1, 2010

  41. Roasters came before Zinsky’s

    @ 7:45 pm on August 1, 2010

  42. too expensive. bad parking. ok food. i know it’s not NYC, but still don’t understand why Jason’s left. It was ALWAYS packed.

    @ 10:07 pm on August 1, 2010

  43. My husband and I ate at Zinsky’s twice on Saturdays, one month apart: once for lunch and once for dinner. Both times we were the only diners in the restaurant. Service was fine, but the food was over-priced with obscenely huge portions and inconsistent quality. I wish Dallas could support a top-flight Jewish deli! I’m from Chicago (and lived 12 years in Los Angeles) and nothing here even comes close.

    @ 12:33 am on August 2, 2010

  44. As much as I like Deli-News, I don’t do north of LBJ.

    @ 9:42 am on August 2, 2010

  45. Just heard that Zoe’s is going in Zinsky’s space. NN – can you confirm?

    @ 9:58 am on August 2, 2010

  46. Maybe a deli in that location is just destined to fail, it’s currently running 2 for 2, high end and low end.

    @ 10:03 am on August 2, 2010

  47. The issue of deli has to be one of the most divisive in Dallas. Transplants gripe about it more than the heat! I don’t claim to be an expert on all things deli but this Shiksa always thought Gilbert’s and Bagelstein’s were both quite good and usually crowded with people (chosen and not). So, why did they close? Rents?

    @ 10:32 am on August 2, 2010

  48. Hmm, Zoe’s huh? Could work. A franchise restaurant, they serve healthy, fast food rather than “health food” in locations all over the US. They have 3 other locations in Dallas. My crystal ball predicts success for them in the (now former) Zinsky’s location.

    @ 11:49 am on August 2, 2010

  49. I don’t know TW – they seem more geared to a Park Cities-type crowd which is why they have two of their locations within about 3 miles of each other on Lovers. I think their food is a little “meh”. Not bad, but kind of boring.

    @ 11:59 am on August 2, 2010

  50. I also heard that myfitfoods was moving into the old Jamba Juice space — could that corner take 2 healthy eating places?

    @ 12:07 pm on August 2, 2010

  51. Yes Roaster’s opened (and closed) before Zinsky’s. I liked Roaster’s. I liked some things about Zinsky’s. I think one of the issues people had with Zinsky’s is that is was always kind of a deli-light that would roll out into a multi-unit operation. The quality when they opened was good–with the exception of sandwich size, which frankly I liked. Who the hell can eat those ginormous sandwiches. In the end, the blintzes were delivered from Ben E. Keith and Coca Cola replaced by Pepsi, a cost-cutting giveaway.

    @ 1:29 pm on August 2, 2010

  52. Only morons serve Pepsi instead of Coke in the south. Roaster’s was very good. Too bad they didn’t make it.

    @ 1:35 pm on August 2, 2010

  53. Pepsi is cheaper and i agree with you.

    @ 1:50 pm on August 2, 2010

  54. [...] (Phils, Gilbert’s, Wall’s) and we’ve criticized the new ones that failed (Roaster’s, Zinsky’s) and the one’s still in business (Deli-News).  Let’s pretend that we have been hired by a [...]

    @ 1:50 pm on August 2, 2010

  55. Whenever a server asks me “Is Pepsi okay?” I want to say “Sure, if it’s okay with you if I pay with Monopoly money”. It’s one of the dumbest questions of all time.

    @ 2:43 pm on August 2, 2010

  56. I think everyone has a different definition of a “real” NY deli. For some, it’s the lox/fish. For some it’s the bagels. Others have to have a certain style of sandwich or have homemade matzah ball soup. Maybe it’s too much to ask of a restaurant in Dallas, even in a neighborhood with a lot of Jews. Deli News may actually have a better location because most of the New York transplants (excluding ultra-religious Jews) from the last 30 years live north of LBJ. North Dallas/Preston Hollow has the old guard– people who have never lived in NY. There are plenty of exceptions, including many of us on this blog, but there aren’t enough of us to sustain a deli down south.

    Most people in Dallas like places that “proudly serve Boar’s Head,” not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    @ 3:14 pm on August 2, 2010

  57. Just so everybody knows… Zinsky’s Catering is alive & well, just won’t be operating from the cafe anymore! For those looking for great deli delivery service for parties & offices…

    @ 5:16 pm on August 2, 2010

  58. If they’re catering food is anything like their deli food, fugettaboutit!

    @ 7:44 pm on August 2, 2010

  59. Zinsky’s had a fundamental problem. Jim and Liz Baron don’t pay their bills. I wonder how many people got left holding the bag this time? The Barons operated On the Border pre Brinker,and “conceived” of and still operate “Blue Mesa”, best known for its Sunday Brunch pigouts, a quick way to dump food that has sat unsold all week. Stilffed vendors, unpaid Payroll Taxes, and Tax Liens, are the true legacy of the Barons, self proclaimed “Restaranteurs”, who are in reality low rent bad news.

    @ 10:37 pm on August 2, 2010

  60. All this debate about Deli Philosophy is silly and a waste of time. This town can handily support a good deli. Zinsky’s was crap from top to bottom operated by cheesy deadbeats.
    What goes around comes around. Good Riddance.

    @ 10:42 pm on August 2, 2010

  61. Ditto, Fred.

    @ 10:46 pm on August 2, 2010

  62. What the neighborhood could really use is a genuine KOSHER deli. More and more Torah-observant Jews are living in that part of town and would support it. (Although I’m sure Preston Royal/Henry S. Miller rents are quite high!) Many non-Kosher deli’s that call themselves “Jewish,” even though they serve food that blatantly violates Jewish dietary laws, continue to fold, such as Gilbert’s in Preston Forest and Bagelstein’s…and now this one, Zinsky’s.

    @ 6:01 pm on August 4, 2010

  63. My mom and I were heartbroken this morning when we drove up to Zinsky’s and the place was cleared out. The restaurant had such a great atmosphere and the food was very well priced and delicious, contrary to several reviews. We will miss matzo ball soup come winter, and long for their scrambled eggs with matzo paired with a bagel and homemade cream cheese. It is very difficult to find a good breakfast place in Dallas with food that is not dripping with grease–but Zinsky’s had solved the problem perfectly. Additionally, the wait staff were always quick and eager to help us. Needless to say, we will miss Zinsky’s terribly.

    @ 6:33 pm on August 7, 2010

  64. Zinksy’s was becoming a weekend mainstay for me, and I’m more than put out by its closing. I grew up at Gilbert’s, Cindi’s, and Deli News and felt guilty about my disloyalty when Zinksy’s came around – but, only for a split second. Why? Because Dallas deserves (1) a deli that doesn’t serve overly-greased omelettes with canned veggies and (2) authetic New York bagels. (Zinksy’s could indeed make the latter claim. They had their dough shipped from H&H Bagels and then boiled/baked them in-house.)

    In defense of their seemingly overpriced sandwiches, each one consisted of two servings. You split the sandwich with a friend – and bada bing – you only have to pony up $6! And if you aren’t the sharing type, I think you have to understand that a place like this in Dallas is going to come at a premium – especially given the attention they put into the small things. (You better believe Cindi’s ain’t making their own mayonnaise and pickles in house.)

    Also worth the premium was the staff. These people paid attention to their customers in a way I have only seen at places like Bob’s or Cafe Pacific, where the “regulars” have a lot more money to spend. I can’t tell you how many times I saw an older couple or gentleman come in to be immediately greeted: “Hey Barney, you want the usual?” Even better, the waiters let each person take their time. I saw people order nothing more than oatmeal and coffee, and the waiters let them linger to their hearts’ content. In an era of “mass feedings”, I found that to be very refreshing.

    I always wondered if it would all be sustainable, and sadly here we are. I can only hope they can find a way to make it work again.

    @ 9:01 am on August 9, 2010