Alex Hanley, Ben Levin and Emily Lichter.
Photo credit: Yasmina Mattison
NORTHAMPTON — Since its opening on July 9, Lichter & Levin Delicatessen has quickly become the go-to hub.
Located at 1 Market St., Lichter & Levin is a New York style Jewish deli with a fresh take on Jewish classics.
Co-owners Emily Lichter, Ben Levin, Alex Hanley — who’s also the executive chef — and Matt Wool are bringing love, culture and connection to the community through comfort food.
“We’re really excited to share the foods that we love,” said Lichter. “We have a pastrami sandwich called the Original which is by far the biggest seller and then quickly followed up by the corned beef and the Reuben. My personal favorite is the whitefish salad on a bagel with a slice of a tomato I love and the rugelach and matzo ball soup.”
“Mine are the half sour pickles which we make in house,” added Levin.
Lichter and Levin would always talk about there not being a local Jewish deli in the area and joked about opening one of their own. “This was a running joke for years,” Levin explained. “We came up with our name, designed a logo and announced it on Instagram back in 2019 as a joke.”
He went on to say, “The community in Northampton [was] so excited, we started getting quite a few serious offers from local investors asking if this was real and how they could help make it a reality. After a couple of years, we made this idea real.”
Northampton resident Veronica Darmon learned about the deli a while ago from folks who are involved with it. She and her friend tried several items such as bagels, challah and tuna salad, to name a few, along with several sweets. They also tried babka buns, Linzer cookies and rugelach. Her friend had all vegan choices and said the vegan experience was a “10 out of 10.”
“The place is great. Everything was delicious and tasted very fresh,” said Darmon. “It’s just what Northampton needed. Over the last 30 years that I’ve been here, there have been establishments that were ‘deli-like,’ but this is the real deal. What makes it unique is everyone loves a good New York delicatessen and now we have one in Northampton.”
She continued, “The atmosphere is so NYC deli. Lots of pictures of family and the signage is very simple and relatable. I was talking to people in line, everyone was happy to be there, and it just felt like a good place to be. Overall, I will highly recommend this place.”
Lichter and Levin are excited about implementing online ordering so customers can order ahead as well as their catering menu that will offer additional food and some of the specials they will have around the holidays.
“This restaurant represents our family and how we were raised,” Levin said. “It’s really about honoring family, and I think people have a real love for that.”
Lichter added, “For Ben and I to dream this up together, and then make it a reality, I’m just so proud to do this with him and I’m just so blown away that we did it. My grandparents would be so proud of me if they were alive to see this happening.”
Lichter & Levin Delicatessen is open on Wednesday through Monday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are planning to extend their hours soon.
For more information, visit their website at lnldeli.com, or follow them on Instagram @lnldeli and on Facebook.
