Kleinsky’s Delicatessen, Sea Point

The New York-style Jewish deli on Sea Point’s Regent Road where the bagels are slow-fermented and the pastrami is brined and braised for hours — a genuinely great cheap lunch that punches far above its bill. Come for the hot pastrami on rye.

The short version

• A cheerful neighbourhood deli doing proper New York-style Jewish food — bagels, latkes, pastrami — a short walk from the Sea Point promenade.
• The kind of unfussy, well-priced meal that sticks with you longer than the tasting menu down the road — pure Five-Star Math: spend little here, remember it anyway.
• The move: hot pastrami on rye, or a bagel with smoked salmon. Go for breakfast or an early lunch and walk the promenade after.

What’s it like?

This is the opposite of a special-occasion restaurant, which is exactly why we like it. It’s a bright, busy, unpretentious deli — counter seats facing the street, a few tables, the smell of toasting bagels — and the food is the entire point. No view markup, no theater. The bagels are rolled, slow-fermented, and boiled in malted water before baking; the pastrami is brined, spice-rubbed, and braised the long way. That’s care you can taste, sold at deli prices. A meal here costs a rounding error against a fancy dinner, and we’d happily take it over half of them.

What should I order?

Hot pastrami on rye is the headline — that hours-of-braising pastrami is the reason the place exists, so start there. If you’re in for breakfast, the bagel with smoked salmon is the safe classic, and the latke benedict (with the option to swap in pastrami) is the indulgent one. The latkes are worth ordering on their own merits. Don’t overthink it — this is a deli, and the simple things are the best things.

Good to know

• Address: 92 Regent Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town
• Price: Inexpensive; deli and breakfast prices.
• Hours: Open daily (hours vary) — check the official site.
• Site: kleinskys.co.za

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