Elijah's Restaurant, Delicatessen and Catering

My dad asked me where to get a great pastrami sandwich. I chose Elijah's after looking at pictures online. I had tried theirs years ago and remember it was good. The menu calls it an overstuffed sandwich. What we got was anemic (see pics) not overstuffed and it was some pastrami folded in half and slapped between two pieces of bread. The meat was really chewy. I told the waitress and showed her the online pictures compared to our anemic sandwiches. She literally said nothing and walked away. They also never brought out water that we ordered and we had to ask the waitress for it. The restaurant was mostly empty so they were not busy. Paid $20 each, overpriced for my anemic sandwiches and will not be going back again. Strange thing is on my way out I saw a patron with an actual overstuffed pastrami sandwich which made me wonder if they are racist (we asian) and made us crap sandwiches on purpose or if the cook was on a break and someone who is not a chef made the sandwiches. Also quite annoted that the waitress basically ignored me when I asked why the sandwiches we received were nothing like the pictures. So I gave them a chance to fix it and was ignored. Awesome.

Nice spacious and clean shop. Full bar wine selection. Food is well prepared and tasty. Ordered an eggplant wrap and an egg white omelette delish. Just the right amount of food.

This is my most-visited deli in San Diego! Something seems to be going on in the small though, like a complete renovation, so maybe they'll be moving at some point? Love the over-stuffed sandwiches!

It's hard to decide what to eat here; everything's good! We ordered chicken Caesar salad, Empire State tall sandwich and a plate of lox & bagel. Great friendly service.

Elijah’s Deli located at 7061 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92111 is a very good Deli food wise, my breakfast was great! I had their Matzoh Brie and it was very solid. Onion rings were very good too. Decor wise it is extremely cold looking, not deli like whatsoever. Wouldn’t have even known I was in a deli except for the menu items. Nothing remotely Jewish looking about this place whatsoever, except again the menu does have the typical NY Deli items on it. Server Lara was great! I’ll need to try their Pastrami next time as it looks very good.

I ordered the pastrami sandwich, it was ok. I expected the pastrami to be better quality & not so fatty. It could’ve come with a little more pastrami as well. Service was great though. Also ordered the cabbage roll- it was not what I expected. A little sweet for my taste & did not expect for it to come in a soup bowl with broth.

Birthday brunch date! The deli sandwiches we’re great! My husband ordered “the Statue of Liberty” & I ordered the “hot pastrami” both were yummy! They’re Rye bread they make for the sandwiches tasted fresh & Soft ,the meat is tender and juicy. The sides that come with sandwiches I would say are bland ,but you don’t mind it too much cause the sandwiches have a good amount of sodium. Of course they serve the sandwiches with a side pickle spear which is always nice. We also shared a stack of pancakes, they were good. Nice and fluffy and had a small crust on the edge of the flapjacks. I forgot what my niece ordered, her BF ordered the Belgian waffle and loved it! He said that was absolutely delicious. I believe he just got it plain (no toppings or fruit.) Now for drinks my nice ordered a root bear float, she liked it (standard float.) My husband ordered us the “New York Egg Cream,” no one else at the table liked it, I will say I think it’s an acquired taste. My husband described it as a carbonated chocolate Yoo-hoo. So take from that what you may. Me personally I liked the drink. Our servers were kind and did a great job of customer service. Asking if we would like refills , coming by to see how everything was going and if we needed anything else.

If you haven't tried this place, go now! I tried the cabbage rolls because haven't had them since I was young when my mom made them. I had the garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables with them. The food was awesome! They make their bread and desserts. Delicious food and the tea actually tasted like tea and not colored water. They also have outside seating.

We were on the hunt for a jewish deli and came across the offerings at this location. Although not truly jewish deli, they had a lot of the options you would find (including the pickle). Service was great.. prices a little on the high side but they did have decent portions.. and the space was well lit, friendly, and clean. We had a great pastrami on rye and corned beef. Potato salad was decent and we had a good lunch with the kiddos. The plaza is a little heart breaking to see so many businesses that closed. Definitely a family owned joint worth the local support! Might come back if i have a hankering for pastrami and rye. Nice options for throughout the day!

Tried this place for dinner today and really enjoyed everything. Lots of tables and a nice atmosphere to enjoy the food. Service was wonderful with them checking in our drinks and if we needed anything. Food was very delicious, as I had ordered a cheese/cherry blintzes, as well as the soup (the matzo ball chicken noodle one) and half sandwich (roast beef) were such large portions and well made. Would love to come back and try more of the menu, thank you!

I've never been here before, so I wanted to try it. I only ate one piece on the French Toast-it was undercooked inside (doughy). The Turkey Bacon was pretty good. Otherwise, it's hard to mess up scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. The service was pretty good. Although was breakfast was mediocre, I would come back to try other items.

Tried three cakes: napoleon, carrot and Black Forest. 1. Napoleon would have been better without the frosted top and a little less sweet. Appreciated that they had this in the menu as it can be difficult to find. 2. Carrot cake was decent. On the sweet side for me, very good for the hubs. 3. Black Forest was dry, didn't have the traditional maraschino cherries and lacked flavor. Would not recommend. Overall very mediocre cake experience.

Went in for a quick lunch with friends. Not crowded. Service was very attentive and quick. Sandwiches were very good with good portion sizes. Typical diner style interior with outside seating as well.

This place has good breakfasts! It's a great place for big parties, too. They set up quickly to accommodate you asap. Elijah's is open early and serves breakfast or lunch. It looks like a favorite for groups meeting up for breakfast. Service was great. Free parking!

Came in for lunch on Saturday. Parking was plentiful. No wait for a table either, seemed like the place was less than 50% capacity. A pretty chill place to have a relatively quiet group lunch. There's a bar if you're into watching the game or just having a drink. Food - Had the Statue of Liberty sandwich. It was good, but nothing outstanding. Service - Pretty good. My order was taken and food was made pretty quickly. The waitress checked in every now and then. It was also easy to flag her down once I needed my check.

Kerry mesa San Diego Sandwiches Sports bar Parking available Restrooms inside Indoor seating Chose spice Bar area Friendly service Known for pastrami Amex accepted To go available Catering available Kosher and Jewish Not vegan friendly inside Vegetarian options Bagels

Okay. I cannot say the corned beef was great nor is it on par with a NYC deli. It is not a KOSHER deli it is "kosher style" they say.

Rediscovered an old favorite! It's literally been years since I've been to Elijah's. Was in the mood for a great deli sandwich. Got the 1/2 sandwich and soup combo: Hot pastrami and matzo ball soup & chicken salad with mushroom barley soup. The soups were hearty, and delicious. A huge matzo ball in chicken noodle soup served piping hot - the ultimate comfort food. Mushroom barley soup is earthy filled with mushrooms and hearty. Soup portions are full size bowls and are a meal by themselves. The sandwiches are served on fresh, soft rye bread - simple and delicious. The restaurant is large and the servers are very attentive. I'll definitely be back whenever I'm craving east coast deli food.

Great. Fantastic and good. Yummy motzaball soup. Kreplach delish. Cookies and baked stuff good too. No notes. Always stop by when in town

What a gem I found in San Diego!! I grew up on the east coast where there's a lot of Polish, Italian, Irish, Jewish, and other European influences on food. California has a lot to offer for food in terms of Asian and Hispanic cuisine, but occasionally I miss food such as pierogis. Elijah's has a huge menu and so much unique food to offer. My favorite is definitely the Knish because I love carbs. I've also tried the cheese blintze and the apple blintze, and prefer the cheese blintze. I've never seen or heard of a New York Egg Cream so obviously I had to try that. Apparently there's no egg, and it's similar to a root beer float. But instead of root beer, it's chocolate, which is perfect for me because I don't like root beer but I do like floats! I have to be careful with this place, because everything is so delicious but I gotta watch my diet. I've only ever ordered takeout from them, and one day would like to try dining in for fresher food. Knish/ 9/10 Blintze: 8/10 New York Egg Cream: 8/10

Food was so good I went two days in a row. It was pretty busy so the waitress seemed to be spread a bit thin, but she was very friendly and helpful. Prices were very fair, especially for the quality. Clean. Easy parking. Central location. Big with a nice ambiance and a bar area. Large banquet space in the back.

The best service and delicious meal . Extensive menu even for vegetarians Definitely worth coming.

If you're looking for a cozy small-town breakfast and lunch spot, this is the place! I brought my kids along, and the staff couldn't have been kinder--so patient, helpful, and genuinely welcoming. It wasn't too busy when we visited, but it absolutely deserves to be! The food was delicious, portions were just right, and the prices were perfect. Definitely worth stopping in!

Walked in here today to get a meal before getting my car serviced nearby. There was a sign that said "please wait to be seated." So I stood there, for several minutes. At one point, one of the servers made eye contact with me for a good 5 seconds or longer. He did not greet me whatsoever and he walked away. Another couple of minutes passed by when a lady with her children walked in and stood next to me. Almost immediately, the server who curiously looked at me several minutes ago, greeted this party and sat them right away and served them drinks. I stood there awkwardly for another several minutes. Another server who was looking bored by the bar started curiously looking at me, but took no action. I walked out and will never come back. Thanks for making me feel unwelcome.

DOG FRIENDLY patio so plus for us. Nice inside. Good friendly service. Writing 2 reviews here since we went here 2x just days apart. BREAKFAST: Ok mimosas. My wife got the cheese blintzes and they were good. She added eggs & bacon, but the bacon was over salty. I got the eggs benedict and it was good. The eggs were cooked perfectly. LUNCH: We tried the sandwiches. I got the Statue of Liberty - it was a big sandwich but expected it to be bigger for $22.95 and the potato salad was just ok. And for this price, the sides are literally a little sized plastic condiment container. My wife got the $14.95 egg salad sandwich and the little condiment sized cole slaw. Both were ok. So we were disappointed. For the price and size, will try other foods here instead of sandwiches.

They had a nice menu...many choices. We ordered several items on the menu....food was ok...not great. Service was great.....the server was very nice and helpful....she answered all of our questions....seating was nice...we had ample room for our group. It was clean. I had leftovers to take with me.

Nice juicy pastrami in an unassuming location. Onion rings were nice and crispy and service was efficient.

Elijah's is a hybrid, or maybe, a chameleon: breakfast spot, cafe, diner, Jewish deli, coffee shop. I've never had a bad bite of food there, but there's something missing... heart, maybe, or attitude, or a clear sense of the purpose they mean to serve, which would, if better defined, help me understand when and why I'm supposed to go there. As it stands, Elijah's is where I eat if I'm nearby, hungry and unwilling to ask myself what I really want. I guess that's not nothing.

Dined on a Sunday afternoon. Everyone at our table ordered the soup and half sandwich combo. The sandwiches were all reviewed with the rye bread being particularly fresh. The mish mosh soup was just okay and we all agreed we wish we would have just done full sandwiches. Service was speedy and friendly. Prices were a tad high. One thing to note is that this a restaurant that serves deli food not a traditional New York/Jewish deli

This was ok deli. Question mark on good deli. The service was great. The corned beef was good. The prices are high and the mishmosh soup is ok. I was disappointed there was very very small selection of pastries like brown and white cookies. Maybe I went in with expectations that were unreasonable based on their competition. Go and try it for yourself.

This restaurant is a good place to have deli sandwiches and breakfasts. They have a variety of items on their menu. The atmosphere here is very comfortable and relaxing in the spacious dining room. Service is prompt and polite. For breakfast, I've had their Leo's Special and a Matzo Brie on two separate occasions. The Leo's Special is three eggs scrambled with lox and onions. I had the home fries and an everything bagel with cream cheese. The lox and onions went well with the eggs and the home fries were crispy. The bagel was very fresh. Matzo Brie here is buttery tasting and very delicious. The portion size is huge and it comes with sour cream and applesauce. Sandwiches here are very large and generous. I've had their Veggie Reuben with a pasta salad for a lighter meal. It consists of eggplant, tomato, avocado and sauerkraut on grilled rye bread. It was a good vegetarian sandwich. The pasta salad was lightly dressed and tasted good as well. The Empire State Building sandwich is hot corned beef and pastrami with Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. I had mine made without cheese. It was a substantial sandwich served on rye. I almost could not finish it. The potato salad tasted freshly made. For dinner one night, I came here to try the turkey meatloaf. It was seasoned well with herbs and had diced carrots in it. It was a big slice served on a piece of toast. A cranberry sauce accompanied the meatloaf. The meatloaf came with a scoop of mashed potato and gravy. I enjoyed the turkey meatloaf very much. Elijah's menu is worth exploring again. There are just so many items. Specials are indicated on a board outside of the restaurant. Parking is plentiful in the shopping plaza.

Ordered a few items from GrubHub for delivery. I had the mish-mosh soup bowl ($8.95), full hot corned beef sandwich ($16.95), and the smoked Turkey club ($16.95). Pros: -everything was flavorful and delicious -the portion sizes were extremely generous. You definitely get your moneys worth and have left overs for later Cons: -n/a Overall, a solid choice for soups and sandwiches.

We used the banquet room for our Volunteer Appreciation event. Arranging everything was so easy with the help of Alex and his team. The banquet room was great for our small group of 18, but could also accommodate a much larger group. They even have a projector set up for a slideshow.

Quality all the way in food, service & ambiance! Try Elijah's! You'll be in for a real class act!!!

My dad asked me where to get a great pastrami sandwich. I chose Elijah's after looking at pictures online. I had tried theirs years ago and remember it was good. The menu calls it an overstuffed sandwich. What we got was anemic (see pics) not overstuffed and it was some pastrami folded in half and slapped between two pieces of bread. The meat was really chewy. I told the waitress and showed her the online pictures compared to our anemic sandwiches. She literally said nothing and walked away. They also never brought out water that we ordered and we had to ask the waitress for it. The restaurant was mostly empty so they were not busy. Paid $20 each, overpriced for my anemic sandwiches and will not be going back again. Strange thing is on my way out I saw a patron with an actual overstuffed pastrami sandwich which made me wonder if they are racist (we asian) and made us crap sandwiches on purpose or if the cook was on a break and someone who is not a chef made the sandwiches. Also quite annoted that the waitress basically ignored me when I asked why the sandwiches we received were nothing like the pictures. So I gave them a chance to fix it and was ignored. Awesome.

Visited 9/5/2023 This place has been on my list for some time now. I wasn't Disappointed. Very Large place with lots of seating inside and on the patio. Also a very large Banquet Room with a stage for large gatherings. I tried The Empire State Building Hot Pastrami & Hot Corned Beef on Rye Sandwich. It was Excellent and I'll have it again. Service was Super Friendly and Nice. Can't wait to return to try more of the menu.

Decide to try this place out since we were in the area. Came on Thursday evening around 6:00. Walked in and not busy at all. There was a party of about 8-10 people and two other couples dining. Two servers. The decor was modern, there's a bar right when you walk in, but we didn't see a bartender. We were greeted and sat right away. But then things got a bit slow. The drinks and food came out really slow which made us think maybe there's only one cook? And perhaps short-staffed. We almost started to regret coming but once we tried the food, it made up for it. The grilled chicken wrap was delicious! The chicken was moist and well-seasoned, the Reuben sandwich was exactly how we expected it to be, the potato salad & coleslaw were full-flavored and to our liking and the blackout cake we had for dessert was delicious & moist. It's a nice, quiet restaurant with a vast menu and the prices are fair. Side note: We were hoping to book an event there and called a week prior to us coming, and spoke to Alex (the catering manager?). He said he'd get back to me but he never did. I tried to follow-up and left a voicemail but still no response. If the date that we needed to book wasn't available, he could've just called us back to let us know instead of leaving us hanging. So we decided to book elsewhere. Apparently they don't need the business.

We shared some plates to try some of my favorites. We had the latkes, challah french toast and eggs. Everything was delicious. I miss this food!

I ordered via delivery app. I ordered a monte cristo sandwich and a piece of cake. The meat and cheese in the sandwich was like rubber. They ignored the special instructions to eliminate the ham (I prefer just turkey). Monte Cristo should come with raspberry preserves but there was none. That at least may have made the sandwich edible. The potato salad that was on the order (even on the printed receipt attached to the bag) was not included. The $9 slice of cake was dry and the frosting was hard. Very disappointing.

Great, good, fresh!!!! Hollandaise sauce was homemade. Freshly cut fruit was Not sitting around for days.

I don't know why the rating is not higher. I thoroughly enjoyed the reuben sandwich with pastrami and beef. It was awesome.

Excellent great food ! Soup was amazing ! Awwwww pick to go service but ample seating if eating at rvs restaurant! Parking is easy! Can't wait to try more items! Loved it!

Brought my mom, after her Dr appt. and my son Elijah in on a Monday around 3:30, in between lunch & dinner, so it was very quiet inside. Tony our waiter was very friendly and patient with us. We had breakfast items = Elijah loved his pancakes, eggs and sausage. My mom and I split the crab cake Benedict = SO delicious! When I go up to Anaheim, I look forward to eating crabcake Benedict at Flappy Jack's, now I'm so happy I found a place close by that I can enjoy it. The crabcakes were crispy, there was spinach and avocado on top and of course the egg was cooked nicely and the Benedict sauce brought it all together perfectly. The hash browns weren't greasy and they had crispy parts that I like. We're going to try to go every time after my mom's regular appointments in the area.

I thoroughly enjoyed Elijah's. I had never been there before, and was hungry for a late breakfast. I had the Rueben Omelette, and it was delicious. The house coffee was great, and my cup was never empty. I'll be back for some deli!

Really good food and coffee will definitely be back! Just a note, this meal is probably for two people. I couldn't even finish half, but why not eat it again for lunch right!? Definitely worth 15 bucks!

Like some other reviewers, I recall back in the day when Elijah's was where Nordstrom Rack is now situated at The Shops at La Jolla Village. The setup felt more like a traditional deli at that location. When the owners decided to move the business to Kearny Mesa, they inherited a space that was formerly a sports bar. Consequently, the ambiance did not match a delicatessen. I am used to visiting delis in which the meats, cheeses, bread, salads, etc are all laid out on display which you won't find here. Nonetheless, Elijah's is still highly rated by the local Jewish community for its authentic products. It was very quiet when I came for dinner recently. I was surprised that they keep evening hours as I don't think there is enough business past mid-afternoon. The entire left side of the dining area was blocked off by tables that served as the pickup area for third party delivery orders. My seat was at a table to the right of the central bar area. The menu ran the gamut from breakfast to lunch to dinner as you would expect from a typical diner. The difference was the presence of Jewish items like blintzes, matzo ball soup, and potato knishes. I chose a Stuffed Cabbage Roll to start my meal. The roll was filled with fresh herbs and ground beef served in a sweet and sour sauce. My only disappointment was the $8.95 cost for one piece. A Hot Pastrami sandwich was my other selection. It was made with rye bread and came with a side. I picked the pasta salad over the cole slaw and potato salad. The menu category was 'Overstuffed Deli Sandwiches', however 6 oz of meat is hardly considered overstuffed by any definition. The meat was woefully inadequate for the price as double the amount would match what I have seen at Jewish delis in NYC. I do give credit for the kitchen using homemade pastrami versus sourcing it from an outside vendor.

We went on a weekend after church and was delighted to find so many menu options. I felt that the chefs put great work into serving a delicious and high quality meal and it shows. We look forward to returning again. I believe I had latkes and fresh strawberry blintzes. Our servers were okay - one had forgotten my request for lemon slices, but the other was wonderful. Ambience is casual and family-friendly. Parking lot available.

I was in the area and decided to order some takeout from here. Upon arrival, there was no one inside and the place looked closed. Went in and I was greeted and placed my order. I decided to order 2 Reuben sandwiches, one with corn beef and the other with pastrami . The sides were potato salad and coleslaw. For an additional 2$ and change your could get French fries!! Mind you the sandwich alone was $19.99!!! When I got home the sides (coleslaw and potato salad were packed in round containers! (See pic) For 20$ a sandwich y'all better include fries or load it up with the sides!!

This place is under the radar but SO GOOD! Great food, very kind service, and nice little outdoor patio to sit at with plenty of room inside to sit with your family and friends! I would highly recommend checking this place out! DELICIOUS FOOD!!!

We used Elijah's Restaurant for an event we were hosting for 20 people. They worked closely with us and were extremely responsive to our questions and emails to make sure everything was perfect for the day. They helped with food substitutions for food restrictions. Each lunch was packed carefully and labeled. We got great feedback from our event participants about the food - it was tasty and fresh with very generous portions. It was also very reasonably priced. Would highly recommend and if we host anything else in this area, we will definitely use Elijah's again.

Really good food. Lots of choices. My favorite is I can buy 1/2 a sandwich They are big that's all I need. Sooo good

A bit disappointed for the price. A piled high pastrami sandwich sounds good, but it wasn't piled high at all. The pieces of pastrami I had were also very chewy. For 18 bucks it was a big let down. Onion rings were good though. I also had the blackout cake which was dry and crumbly.

If I can give Elijah's more stars, I totally would! We ordered some dessert treats for our office holiday celebration, and Alex, the catering manager, was so kind and professional throughout the entire process. Additionally, they were able to accommodate our request for delivery, and everyone enjoyed the Latkes and small cookie/dessert tray! This restaurant is definitely a place we will consider for our future catering needs and thank you so much for everything!

The one thing I like about Elijah's is the fact they give you more bang for your buck! Prices to me are very reasonable and the portions are satisfying. I've tried some breakfast and some sandwiches. My favorite was the Challah French toast. They give you 4 very thick slices which I could barely finish. My next favorite item was The Empire State Sandwich. This sandwich is packed with hot Pastrami and Corned beef with Swiss cheese on rye. This seems to be an Elijah's favorite. I chose to have mine with the potato salad. I can say that the potato salad was so bland. A dash of salt goes a long way. The same goes for their macaroni salad. They need to add salt! I would skip on the cakes they have. I ordered a slice of Black Forest cake and it was very dry and tasted old. Other than that, I think if you're looking for a descent breakfast or lunch (especially thru delivery apps) I would give them a try. Side note: They also sell whole challah bread. I was able to ask when placing my order thru delivery and they called me to let me know that they do sell it and they would add to my order. Good to know I dont have to travel all the way to DZ Akins now for Challah Bread. Great customer service!

Elijah's has a wonderful variety of dishes to choose from!! Perfect for any meal of your day....always perfectly done, super tasty & satisfying, and always sizable portions! This restaurant is reliably awesome. The Sandwiches are huge. The soups are better than homemade. Everything. Everything tastes better than any you could make yourself. I don't know what it is, but this place is just superior.

THIS is good food! Staff is friendly. Outdoor seating is pet friendly too Overall welcoming & satisfying

Cool place. We came in on Sunday around 1:30pm. It looks like they had just finished up their morning rush. Lots of tables had not been picked up or cleaned yet. We were seated at whichever table looked relatively clean. There is a huge selection of items, and they all looked delicious! We ordered the BLT on sourdough, and the half sandwich with soup. I went with the turkey sandwich and mish mosh soup. All of the food was delicious! The soup was a total hit. It was a windy and cold day, so the soup hit the spot. It was warm, tasty, and paired well with the sandwich. I wondered why the ratings weren't as high and it made sense. The place could use a little tidying up inside and outside, and the service was just okay. We weren't mistreated, but definitely no one was going above and beyond. However, I would still recommend this place solely for their food.