A deli's oversized booths and oversized pies have long been a beacon of hope for teens dumped after prom and frowny clowns looking for new novelty-sized props. Take refuge in the crispy crust of an old-fashioned eatery with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of menu fare at City Delicatessen, located in Hillcrest. This Groupon is not valid for delivery.

Co-owned by a native New Yorker, City Deli knows its way around a sandwich. Nosh on single-story sandwiches packed with six ounces of choice deli meats, including hot pastrami, turkey breast, or chopped chicken liver ($6.95–$11.95), or multiply the meatness with eight-ounce double-decker ($11.95–$13.95) or 10-ounce triple-decker ($13.95–$14.95) options. Crusading cuisiners can load up their breakfast bandoliers with appetizing ammo such as the specialty matzo bry, made with matzo cooked pancake-style and served with applesauce ($9.95), and the genuine lox bagel breakfast swims to the table with Nova Scotia cold-smoked salmon, cream cheese, sweet red onion, lettuce, tomato, and a fresh bagel ($12.95). For dinner, sample some mushroom-beef-gravy-smothered braised brisket or beef so tender that it breaks apart under forks and unconstructive criticism from its mother ($17.95).

All menu items and bakery treats are made from scratch using only the freshest ingredients. Delectable delights such as fresh apple pie and lemon meringue ($4.95 a slice) are baked daily. In other utensil-utilizing fare, pieces of New York cheesecake ($5.95 a slice) get into loud yelling matches with slices of German chocolate cake ($5.95 a slice) over available parking spaces in your stomach. Satiate your thirst in City Deli's mod diner setting with a fresh fruit smoothie or a malted milkshake ($4.95 each).

Reviews

The Daily Transcript says City Deli has all the best qualities of traditional delicatessens. Seventy-three percent of more than 60 Urbanspooners like it. Yelpers give it a 3.5-star average and TripAdvisors give it a 3.5-owl-eye average.

• …my other Sunday morning tradition: Going out for a good, delicious, leisurely breakfast, where I may savor a perfectly prepared omelet while browsing the headlines. City Delicatessen, in Hillcrest, is a frequent destination. The ambiance is comfortable and the food is delicious. – David Rottenberg, Daily Transcript
• Time and time again this restaurant continues to impress!! It is inexpensive and the food is great...the bar is great, try the mimosas! – JCarlson1, TripAdvisor