Schmear, There, Everywhere
Popular Jewish deli spreads pastrami and bagels to downtown Austin
If the 2010 closure of Katz’s Deli left a giant hole in your heart, we have good news. Pastrami sandwiches are once again coming to downtown Austin with a second location of North Austin’s Biderman’s Deli.
Owner Zachary Biderman confirms to CultureMap that he is bringing the new outpost of his Jewish-inspired delicatessen to 800 Brazos St., the bottom floor of condominium tower Brazos Place. Although an exact date has not been settled on, Biderman says he plans to open the space in the next one to two months.
At Biderman's, patrons can dig into classic dishes like whitefish salad and kreplach (small filled dumplings often called Jewish ravioli). The original location opened in January 2017 at 3742 Far West Blvd., near the Jewish Community Center of Austin. It quickly became a favorite of not only the local neighborhood, but a broader dining public starved for deli-like options in Austin.
Biderman says the downtown location will also have “the same delicious menu as [the] Far West location, including [the] best-selling Reuben, huge club [sandwich], house-made bagels made fresh daily, matzo ball soup, and much more.” That “much more” will include Biderman’s popular sweets, such as authentic New York-style black-and-white cookies.
Since the eatery will only be open for breakfast and lunch, it will not be offering an alcohol selection. But the drink options will still be plentiful with Maine Root and Dr. Brown’s kosher sodas and tea. Biderman’s time as the managing partner of South First Street’s Seventh Flag Coffee is reflected in the coffee purveyor — Denver’s Huckleberry Roasters.
Although now-shuttered businesses like Romanouskas Deli and vegan trailer Shhmaltz failed to take hold locally, the time for delis seems to have arrived in the Capital City. Over the past year, Jewish foods like pastrami and bagels have become Austin’s latest obsession with the opening of businesses like Otherside Deli at Back Lot bar, an outpost of Rosen’s Bagel Company at Wright Bros. Brew & Brew, and the upcoming Nervous Charlie’s in North Central Austin.
