Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Jewish Penicillin at D.Z. Akins

Last week, it was cold and rainy when I visited the KPBS studios to talk about fun events in town on Midday Edition. The station is located at San Diego State University, just an exit away from San Diego's best Jewish deli, D.Z. Akins. Don't agree, or know of a contender for best Jewish Deli? Let me know, I'd love to check it out. For now, though, when anyone's craving latkes, knishes, or challah, D.Z. Akins is where I send them. Though that's not what I order when I go there.

The menu is gigantic, but I never look at it. I know that I'll be getting a bowl of "Jewish Penicillin," which is chicken broth (that often overflows onto the plate below) with matzo ball, noodles, and carrots.

David enjoys the bucket of pickles (there's one on every table). He says they remind him of the ones his father makes. I find them a little too bitter for my taste.

We each get our own bowl of comforting goodness and then share grilled knackwurst served on a grilled bun and sauerkraut.

Rather than fries, we get the potato salad (my favorite potato salad in the world -- usually, I can't do anything with mayo). The potato salad is lightly sweet and the veggies within are fresh, making it an ideal compliment to the vinegar of the kraut.

One of the things D.Z. Akins is most famous for is its bakery and deli area, where you can get imported goods. I never have room for dessert, but I love perusing the colorful sweets in the case, which change with the seasons.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

"Christmas Berry" is decorating our landscape, Longest meteor shower of the year

Full "cold moon," extremely high tides

Last week, it was cold and rainy when I visited the KPBS studios to talk about fun events in town on Midday Edition. The station is located at San Diego State University, just an exit away from San Diego's best Jewish deli, D.Z. Akins. Don't agree, or know of a contender for best Jewish Deli? Let me know, I'd love to check it out. For now, though, when anyone's craving latkes, knishes, or challah, D.Z. Akins is where I send them. Though that's not what I order when I go there.

The menu is gigantic, but I never look at it. I know that I'll be getting a bowl of "Jewish Penicillin," which is chicken broth (that often overflows onto the plate below) with matzo ball, noodles, and carrots.

David enjoys the bucket of pickles (there's one on every table). He says they remind him of the ones his father makes. I find them a little too bitter for my taste.

We each get our own bowl of comforting goodness and then share grilled knackwurst served on a grilled bun and sauerkraut.

Rather than fries, we get the potato salad (my favorite potato salad in the world -- usually, I can't do anything with mayo). The potato salad is lightly sweet and the veggies within are fresh, making it an ideal compliment to the vinegar of the kraut.

One of the things D.Z. Akins is most famous for is its bakery and deli area, where you can get imported goods. I never have room for dessert, but I love perusing the colorful sweets in the case, which change with the seasons.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The varied traditions of Gold Finch Modern Delicatessen

Unique, pan-Jewish deli makes for the rare, industrial campus dining destination
Next Article

A chicken salad torta

Melted cheese, crisp lettuce, and smashed avocado on grilled telera
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader