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Still Got It: David's Brisket House
By
David Colon
Published Aug 13, 2016
Modified Aug 13, 2016
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By
David Colon
Published Aug 13, 2016
Modified Aug 13, 2016
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In this city, restaurants come and go faster than you can say "ethically sourced ramen burger." And even though there are great new additions to the culinary landscape popping up every week, you've gotta give kudos to anyone who can stick it out for over a year. With that in mind, we bring you Still Got It, our tribute to establishments that continue to serve mouthwatering meals and drinks long after the buzz has faded—or where the lingering hype is still justified.
It's always nice to be able to walk into a restaurant with a goal in mind, and even better when that goal is to get your name on the wall of fame for a truly stupid undertaking, like eating a comically large sandwich. You can accomplish just that at David's Brisket House, if you sit down and finish their triple decker pastrami/corned breef/brisket sandwich. For those without tremendous appetites, you can also do something more reasonable there, like just eat a really, really good pastrami sandwich. You don't get your name on a wall for this, but you'll be well fed.
We last checked in with David's Brisket House in 2007, to celebrate the namesake brisket. But the real treat here is actually the pastrami. Just writing about it right now fills my mouth memories of the taste of perfectly silky and salty deli meat paired with mustard and rye bread, along with a complimentary pickle. Sure, you can make your own pastrami sandwich at home if you want, but why do that when you can get a much better one here? It's worth the $12 and short wait, I promise.
The store itself has a great history, having passed from the original Russian Jewish owner (the eponymous David) to a partnership between a Yemeni Jew and Yemeni Muslim, to finally just the Yemeni Muslim family that owns it today. The clientele is diverse, which is becoming increasingly rare in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood, with folks of all races, backgrounds, and civilians and cops alike lining up at the counter to get a sandwich.
You can take your sandwich to go, or hang out in one of the booths, but whatever you do, check this place out before it's pushed out. About a year ago, their landlord reportedly halved the storefront's seating space so he could build in a door leading to some apartments above the restaurant. Combine that with a price increase the store had to institute last year in response to the global pastrami price increase epidemic, and you can see outside forces trying to squeeze David's out of existence both literally and figuratively. It would be an unfair world where David's no longer exists, but nothing gold can stay, Ponyboy. I think that line was about deli meat?
David's Brisket House is located at 533 Nostrand Avenue between Herkimer Place and Fulton Street in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn // 718-789-1155, davidsbriskethouseinc.com.
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