Manhattan Deli offers kosher food in downtown Santa Fe

Dec. 26—Until recently, the nearest kosher restaurants to Santa Fe were several hundred miles away in Denver.

That changed a few weeks ago with the opening of Manhattan Deli, a little slice of New York City in the middle of the Southwest and a unique addition to the city's vibrant food scene.

The deli became possible following a major renovation, largely completed in 2023, of the Jewish Center's property at 230 W. Manhattan Ave. The renovation included the creation of a 1,200 square foot industrial kitchen where kosher food could be prepared — both for in-house events and eventually a public kosher deli.

The deli is open for limited hours Wednesday and Thursday, but Rabbi Berel Levertov said the goal is for it to eventually be open seven days a week.

"It was always my dream to have a deli," Levertov said. Along with being "a big part of Judaism," Levertov said food is a great way to bring people together, which is what he hopes the deli will accomplish.

With the deli, Levertov said the Jewish Center hopes to cater to people who already keep kosher and to make it easier for people in the Jewish community who might be considering it to start, along with serving tourists who keep kosher. He also hopes it will be attractive to Santa Feans originally from the East Coast and hungry for a taste of home.

Kosher dietary guidelines include specific rules for how animals are slaughtered and the way their meat is prepared, and also prohibit the mixing of meat and dairy products. For that reason, the deli's offerings either don't include dairy products or use a dairy substitute.

"We have lox and bagels with cream cheese," Levertov said, "but the cream cheese is not dairy."

Along with bagels and lox, the restaurant has deli classics such as pastrami on rye, corned beef and reuben sandwiches as well as schnitzel, falafel, chicken matzoh ball soup, latkes and other dishes.

The restaurant was bustling with activity on a recent Wednesday.

"All of it is really good," Jacob Birdsong said while enjoying a pastrami sandwich. A student at St. John's College in Santa Fe, Birdsong, who is Jewish, said he might start to keep kosher once he's no longer on the school meal plan.

"I'm happy that it's here," he said of the deli.

Friends Stephen Hochberg and Dion Silva were catching up over lunch. Hochberg, who has been involved with the Jewish Center since he moved to Santa Fe in 2007, invited Silva.

"This is my first time at a kosher restaurant, and it's amazing," said Silva, who said he appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Judaism and kosher food.

Karen Teutsch was at the deli with her mother Maria Mejia. Teutsch said she was enjoying the matzoh ball soup, which is a comfort food for her.

"You cannot get it anywhere else," she said.

The two were also eating latkes, a fried potato dish traditionally eaten during Hanukkah, which began at sundown Wednesday. Because they are fried in oil, Teutsch explained, latkes commemorate the miracle of a one-day supply of oil lasting for eight days.

State Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, stopped at the deli during a trip to Santa Fe. Brandt said he had gotten to know Levertov after last year's Oct. 7 attacks and has kept in touch since.

"I love it," he said of the food, adding he is a big pastrami sandwich fan.

Brandt said he's especially glad to have a new restaurant option within walking distance of the Roundhouse during the legislative session, which begins Jan. 21, and he's looking forward to taking people there during breaks.

"This is a place the lobbyists don't know about yet," he said with a laugh.