Diners, Dishes, and Dyl: Kugel’s New York Style Deli

Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST

By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor Driving along Route 9, there’s a surplus of restaurants, all with exciting menu items and flashy drinks that lure you in, tucked behind attractive neon signs. Some of these restaurants may leave you feeling hungry for more and low on cash. Where do you go when you just want food? Better yet, where do you go when you want affordable food? Look no further than Kugel’s New York Style Deli in Trolley Square at 855 Worcester Road. Kugel’s is about a six-minute drive from campus and is tucked in a small corner of the brick building behind IHOP. Today, if you aren’t looking for it, it may be easy to miss Trolley Square, but at one point, it served as a car depot for the Boston and Worcester Street Railway Company, according to a Kugel’s menu brochure. When entering Kugel’s, you’re greeted with an instant feeling of warmth, like walking into a relative's kitchen. The Deli is small in size, but large in presence. There’s minimal decoration outside of the Boston sports memorabilia, menu boards, and TV, which is playing local news or other cable television. What isn’t lacking is Kugel’s menu, which surely has something for everyone. Kugel’s serves breakfast all day long and has just as many lunch options. However, if you’re going to Kugel's, my recommendation would be one of their signature sandwiches. All sandwiches can be ordered as halves or wholes with a choice of potato salad, coleslaw, or potato chips, along with a half sour pickle with your choice of bread, cheese, and condiments. My go-to order is a chicken salad sandwich on a toasted everything bagel with lettuce and onion. I substitute my side for french fries, which is an upcharge. The bagels at Kugel’s are always fresh and piled high with whatever you order. The chicken salad is a savory mix of chicken, mayonnaise, and black pepper, and is a perfect midday lunch. If you’re in the mood for something extra special to accompany your sandwich, a potato latke goes well with any breakfast and lunch option. The latkes are cakey and perfectly crisp and will remind anyone of homestyle latkes. They are served with sour cream or apple sauce, but my pro tip is to mix the two dips - it’s unconventional, but take my word for it. Since Kugel’s is by definition a New York Deli, it feels obligatory to try one of their cured meats. I can’t say enough about Kugel’s Romanian pastrami. Prior to reading through Kugel’s menu, I had never heard of “Romanian” pastrami, but after a quick Google search, I learned it was a slightly spicier version of the traditional cured pastrami found in delis. My sandwich on light rye bread, with swiss cheese, and yellow mustard was nothing short of the perfect sandwich. Kugel’s loads their sandwiches high with whatever meat you order, which is great if you’re starving or if you want leftovers to enjoy at 2 a.m. while you’re writing essays. I was pleasantly surprised by this sandwich. I was led to believe it would be spicy. However, upon my first bite, the pastrami was much sweeter than I expected. There was a slight kick that came from the spices the meat was cured in, which was pleasant. The flavor profile of Romanian pastrami is entirely different from traditional pastrami, but now that I’ve had both, I would say I prefer its Romanian counterpart. While these menu items make up the excellence of Kugel’s lunch menu, there’s one item that is the shining star of this establishment regardless of the hour of the day. Kugel’s has the best cup of coffee I have ever had. Now, their menu doesn’t feature a $14 mocha frappuccino - although if you asked, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could make you one. Their coffee comes in two iterations - hot or iced. You can add cream or sugar if you like, but I drink it black. If you enjoy coffee that you can dissect and debate the flavor profile, don’t come to Kugel’s - it’s just coffee. But its simplicity and its signature diner coffee flavor is what makes it great. Kugel’s, like their coffee, is simply great. It serves as a testament to an era where people went to restaurants for a few things: good food at a decent price and a welcoming and comfortable environment. The final word about Kugel’s? I’d say its slogan says it best: “The way it should be.”