Murray's Delicatessen, Berwyn
575 Lancaster Avenue (Route 30)
Berwyn, PA 19312
(610) 644-1010
Shares a building with Bistro M.
Rating: 4 spoons out of 5
Overview: The Berwynoutpost of this famous Narberth landmark offers the same great Jewish deli fare in a more upscale setting.
Food: The new Murray’s sticks to the traditional Jewish deli menu that has made it’s Lower Merion sister a popular destination since 1945. And while the menu offers at least 150 different choices for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, I can’t imagine ever coming here for anything other than a sandwich. Be it corned beef, pastrami, roast turkey or anything else that they pack in between two slabs of rye, sandwiches are the heart and soul of this joint. After a couple visits, I already have my favorites: First, the Turkey on Multi-Grain Bread with Swiss, Lettuce and Cranberry Mayo (#29), which is a delicious take on the day-after-Thanksgiving to be enjoyed year-round. Murray’s homemade turkey breast is top-quality, tasty turkey that pairs beautifully with the mayo. Another great option is “Murray’s Delight” (#71), which contains hot Roumanian pastrami, melted swiss, kraut & Russian dressing. I had mine sans krout, but the flavorful pastrami and no-too-much dressing really makes this one tick. Absolutely melts in your mouth. Lastly, a friend called the traditional Reuben (#72) the best he’d ever had. (Personally, I preferred the pastrami.)
Value: Sandwiches are not exactly cheap — the “Delight” ran me $9.75, and that doesn’t include any sides. Still, I’ll shell out a few extra bucks for a sandwich this good any day of the week.
Details:
# of times we’ve eaten there: 5+
Cards: Yes
Bar: Full
May 16, 2006 @ 1:29 pm
I challenge you to find a better sandwich than the “Murray’s Special”, extra lean, served hot.
This is an old Main Line Jewish deli, so eat the amazing sandwiches and don’t ever complain. It’s the best of the best. In LM, it is far superior than that “other” rebuilt place across the street. Who needs a pickle bar anyway?
July 14, 2006 @ 8:06 pm
My husband, son and and I went to Murray’s for breakfast a few weeks ago and were very disappointed. The dining room is intersting, but the food was ordinary to blah and the service was abysmal. Hearing the waitress apologizing to the other customers at the tables around me, I think everyone there was unhappy with the service. We go out for breakfast every Saturday in the West Chester area, and we will not be returning to Murray’s.
August 9, 2006 @ 5:33 pm
Susan: So sorry that you had a bad experience. Something must have been off that day. We are known for our Saturday & Sunday brunches. I hope that you’ll give us another try and not judge us on one visit.
Try our Murray’s Eggs Benedict with nova, or some of our other smoked fish. Our Challah French Toast is another favorite. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
September 7, 2006 @ 6:00 am
Murry’s is ok. I’m not a fan of all the smoked fish stuff and it seems that this is their focus. Other menu items are average. I’ve been there several times for lunch and dinner. The reason I return is that the parking (garage) is easy and it is usually not too crowded, which probably says someting as well.
September 7, 2006 @ 12:25 pm
This is an update to my earlier review. I went to Murry’s for lunch today and found that they changed their menu. I’m disappointed! Prices have gone up, they now charge 8.50 for a plain hamburger. This is high for the average hamburger. My friend got a roast beef sandwich. Together the bill came to $24. A bit high for an average lunch.
September 13, 2006 @ 8:43 am
Moving to the area from NY, we previously tried the original Murry’s and were left unimpressed by the small tasteless sandwiches. Last week, we tried the new Murry’s in West Chester hoping that they had gotten their act together. Guess not. What you’ve got is a Jewish style deli staffed by a bunch of goyem. They’ve got zero clue on how to serve or provide service. I ordered pickles and they brought a slice on the plate :15 minutes after I ordered. The corned beef was served chilled, rather than slightly warm which is how it should be. I ordered a pickled tomato which they sliced the wrong direction (so all the seeds fell out) and then had to remind them to bring it to the table. The deli mustard has no taste whatsoever and the rye bread was bland. How hard is it to get some good mustard and put the pickles on the table??? Had a turkey special that was better than the corned beef, but that’s not saying much. Micheal’s Deli in King of Prussia is far better any day of the week. For real deli, try Ben’s in Ny. For now, Murry is still clueless.
September 19, 2006 @ 6:41 am
I took my family there on a recent Saturday night. The service was awful and the food was mediocre and way, way over-priced. We ordered my 2-year old son an apple juice and he was served something that was rancid, carbonated, or both. We won’t be returning ever again.
October 5, 2006 @ 9:51 am
Today was my first Murray’s experience and boy was it a bad one. We had a party of 15 people and we made and confirmed reservations before arriving. We get there and they tried to split the party up between two tables in separate rooms! It was a birthday gathering, was the guest of honor supposed to circulate between the different rooms? It took over 20 minutes to get Menus and over an hour to get the food. The waiter apologized and explained they had a party of 22 that they were busy with. Never again. By the time we finished our meals, the lunch hour had long since past and the place was empty. It was 1:30.
October 13, 2006 @ 5:23 am
I must admit, the sandwiches are hard to beat. However, I’ve been to Murray’s WC a handful of times and each time I’ve left saying I’d never be back. They have no idea of how to provide service. I had to wait for 15 minutes (at 9pm) for them to make my sandwich and then another 5 for someone to ring me up. Once they got the order completely wrong. There is no consistency- sometimes you get a pickle, sometimes they serve it in a styrofoam container, sometimes they bunch it in wax paper. I must be crazy to go back, but thinking about the turkey makes my mouth water…
November 1, 2006 @ 9:11 am
My daughter is a WCU undergrad and I surprised her for lunch.
My review:
1) Prices for a sandwich, considering the size, the location ( This is not Phiily or New York) very high at about $10.00 each.
2) Atmosphere, pleasant, relaxed and laid back, a nice place to relax.
3) Service- THE WORST.
I mean where does the management get these servers from.
They were not college students but stupid, ignorant and poor servers. they were more interested in socializing with their fello employees thna taking care of the customers. Clearly there is absentee management as if the owners were on property the servers would be more attentive.
4) Will I return, perhaps..not any time soon
December 20, 2006 @ 11:13 am
My three coworkers and I went to Murray’s today. The waiter (C.J.)was friendly, courteous, and attentive to the four of us. The sandwiches (turkey, chicken salad, and reuben) were excellent,the large salad was fresh,the soup (chicken corn chowder)was a little too rich, but tasty. We all agreed that the service was excellent. For us, Murray’s was a good choice for our holiday lunch.
January 28, 2007 @ 10:07 pm
I was in Murrays of West Chester on Feb. 28th, the food was amazing. The service was horrible. The next time i go back it will only be for take out.
February 5, 2007 @ 2:35 pm
Had dinner there on Saturday. Nobody had a sandwich, but the Lasagna, Quiche, and pizza were all good, and dinner prices were quite reasonable… but the service was poor. It was not crowded, but we still had long waits between seeing our server. When I tracked her down to give her our payment, I discovered why… she was chatting with a guy who appeared to be the head honcho that night.
The atmophere is so nice, and the prices and food were good… I hate to see it fail, but if they don’t get some decent service, they will.
June 7, 2007 @ 4:59 am
FYI,
Murray’s of West Chester will be closing! It will become a steakhouse, called Pietro’s. However, there will continue to be a Murray’s, Bob Teti is moving the whole operation to Berwyn by the train station.
June 7, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Let the deli war begin: Lew’s NY Deli of Paoli vs. Murray’s of Berwyn. Will it be like the NY Pastrami Wars of the late 80’s between Carnegie and Stage Deli or like the never ending Bala Wars betwen Hymie’s and Murray’s? Sit back, sip your egg-cream and see what happens.
September 28, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
Surprise–Lew’s won the race to open before Murray’s. Was in there and it looks like it has potential in sort of a Main Line way. Give them a week or so to shake down. The pastrami was quite good : nice and fatty like pastrami should be. The late Leo Steiner of Carnegie Deli was once quoted “if you want lean pastrami get turkey. The man was quoted a lot. After the restaurant was robbed by 7 gunman he said “THE SCHMUCKS TOOK THE MONEY AND LEFT THE PASTRAMI”
He and the late Abe Lebewohl come from a breed of colorful deli owners which we have never had in Philadelphia and will probably never again see in NYC.
November 29, 2007 @ 1:09 pm
i go to murrays in lower merion and the food is great, always, but the service is always bad. its too small for the clientele that they have and yes, i am always laughing at the goyim wait staff. they wear these big crosses while they serve you, and its as if their trained to be nasty.