Critic's Review
As Deli's go, Poppies is one of the nicest buildings North of Miami. If you're a Seinfeld fan, it may be difficult for you to come here without thinking about the Poppie episode, but it's likely not the same Poppie.
Don't even think about coming here at 12pm; the line is out the door. This is where 80 year olds come to dine in Delray; they'll even drive their Ramblers up from Boca to come here. By 2pm they're all napping, and the place is dead empty by 2:30.
The servers here are younger than at most of these delis, which is better to look at but not better for service. I had some questions about the menu which she wasn't very good at explaining, and it took here a while to get me some coffee. Coffee is served in the tiny industrial cups, and the rollup on the table has a soup spoon, which seems a bit large for the cup.
The table also has a creamer, but it has low-fat milk in it; I had to ask for half-and-half.
What disappointed me the most about Poppies was their policies; while they serve breakfast until 3pm, you can't get waffles, french toast, grits or home fries. The menu said that eggs are served with french fries or tomatoes after 11am; really, if I come in at 11:15am I get french fries with eggs at a Jewish Deli? I didn't want either one of those, so I started looking at the omelets. The menu doesn't say what comes with the omelets, so I asked if they come with toast. Again, my server's slow approach to talking made me unsure of exactly what was included. Along the way, she mentioned potato pancakes. "I can get potato pancakes with an omelet"?, "Yes", she answered. So why do they serve french fries with eggs instead of potato pancakes?
I opted for the "deli" omelet, which is made with corned beef, pastrami and tongue. It may be the only tongue omelet in South Florida.
While waiting a baby started wailing from across the room; there's always one. They play music unbecoming a deli; think Katy Perry. I think Poppie's daughter might be making some of the decisions in this place. The omelet came out, sadly with apple sauce instead of sour cream. Luckily she had some nearby.
The potato pancake was one big one instead of 2 smaller ones and it was more like a Knish than a potato pancake. Very disappointing. Not very good either. One thing good about eating breakfast in a deli is that they have good rye bread.
it wasn't quite toast; more like warmed up bread than toast. The omelet was good, but it wasn't stuffed the way I was expecting. The meat was folded in.
When I make a pastrami omelet at home I make it with sauerkraut and swiss cheese; I think you need cheese with a deli omelet. I also steam the meat; this meat was room temperature when it was put into the omelet.
I'd previously gotten a sandwich here; they have good chicken salad. Takeout is wrapped in plastic wrap; it's sort of a signature at Poppies.
One of the better delis in the area. But I'd go to Gramercy for a late breakfast; they serve their entire menu all day.