Kosher delis are an endangered species in Philly — but now there’s a new one

You can get a pastrami on rye at more than a few Jewish delis in the Philadelphia area, and even at the Wells Fargo Center and Citizens Bank Park.

But how about at a kosher deli?

Paul Spangler, a caterer who keeps kosher, was pondering the meaty matter two years ago when he bought Lipkin’s Bakery, a kosher bakery that began in South Philadelphia in the 1940s, moved to Northeast Philadelphia in 1975, and closed in 2022 before resurfacing later that year in the city’s Overbrook Park section.

Spangler knew that Overbrook Park, across City Avenue from Lower Merion’s thriving Jewish community, had a kosher bagel bakery and a Jewish deli, but not a kosher deli.

Several area supermarkets, such as the Giant in Wynnewood and Acme in Bala Cynwyd, had kosher-deli counters operating under rabbinical supervision. But a kosher deli where you could sit down and enjoy that pastrami on rye? Bupkis.

Looking to rebrand Lipkin’s — and satisfy the dietary needs of himself and his customers — Spangler decided to add a deli. He had the bread and rolls already.

Spangler installed a dining counter along the window and set up several tables in the front of the shop. He put a slicer, a cutting board, and a few small pieces of equipment in a shelving unit behind the counter. Then last month, he added meats and salads, and reflagged the store as Lipkin’s Deli & Bakery.

Lipkin’s serves no dairy, in keeping with the prohibition against mixing milk and meat at the same meal. Vegan cheese and chopped deli meats are among the house-made pizza toppings. The sandwich menu includes corned beef, pastrami, turkey pastrami, salami, and bologna, and they’re priced from $9.95 to $15.95, including pickle, coleslaw, and bag of chips. Spangler also grills burgers and makes breakfast sandwiches, quiches, and frittatas. He plans to add smoked fish during the High Holidays. Sandwiches are served on rye, challah twists, onion rolls, and multigrain rolls.

Spangler said Lipkin’s can sell sandwiches on bagels but cannot offer loose bagels, because of his landlord’s agreement with New York Bagel Bakery, a popular kosher business across the street.

Spangler, 61, grew up in Oak Lane and Warminster in a secular home. After working for a kosher caterer, he grew more religious and became Orthodox. As such, he said, “one of the passions that I have is having facilities for kosher Jews to go to. It’s not something that we take for granted.”

There’s a reason that kosher delis are not as numerous as they were generations ago. “The kosher restaurant scene is obviously market-driven,” said Yonah Gross, a rabbi and kashrus administrator of Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia (Keystone-K), which certifies Lipkin’s and about 60 other establishments, including senior centers, schools, food-service companies, and a few restaurants.

The market is small, “making it a very challenging business,” Gross said.

According to a 2019 study conducted for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, 16% of the 194,200 households in the greater Philadelphia region that identify as being Jewish keep kosher. That translates to about 31,000 households. In addition, kosher establishments’ hours are limited; they must close from sundown Fridays until sundown Saturdays.

Since Lipkin’s deli opened, Spangler said, business has doubled. “As more and more traffic came in for the deli, they ended up buying from the bakery,” he said. A good portion of the deli business is delivery via third-party apps.

Spangler calls this “a test store in the sense that if all of this works, I can use this as a base and open up satellite locations like the University of Pennsylvania area, Center City, or Cherry Hill.”

Lipkin’s Deli & Bakery, 7594 Haverford Ave. Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.