An everything bagel with pastrami bacon, egg and cheese from Delirama in Berkeley.
If Berkeley’s new Delirama had existed in 1993 and had been frequented by the Wu Tang Clan, the group’s hit song may have very likely had a different name: P.R.E.A.M (pastrami rules everything around me).
Alas, the pastrami-centric deli opened at 1746 Solano Ave., at Ensenada Avenue, just this week. The first restaurant from the owners of hit East Bay pop-ups Pyro’s Pastrami and Psychedelic Pizza is devoted to the art of the brined and smoked deli meat.
They’re putting it on sandwiches, mixing it into cream cheese and crowning bialys with it. Pastrami bacon? They have it. Pastrami-spiced chips? Yes. Vegan pastrami? Obviously. Pastrami-laden pizza and tacos will debut in a few weeks, along with other dishes. To prepare for Delirama’s opening, owners Cash Caris and Anahita Cann brined 5,000 pounds of brisket for 26 days in a secret blend of spices.
While pastrami may be the headliner, the opening acts — fresh-baked rye bread, bagels and bialys — deserve equal billing.
For drinks, there’s standard coffee and Jewish deli-inspired creations like house-made celery soda and P.O.G. cream, a tropical riff on the egg cream with pineapple, orange and guava juice.
Delirama is slinging tender pastrami and top-notch bagels out of a new home in North Berkeley.
The funky, cozy deli feels right at home in North Berkeley. Retro decor, like a print of a 1973 New York Magazine cover illustrating stacks of 18 epic sandwiches competing in the pastrami Olympics, merge with more modern touches, like a giant green pickle and shimmering disco ball hanging from the ceiling. Sandwiches arrive on vintage melamine plates and electric blue cafeteria trays. Psychedelic touches abound, from cartoonish mushrooms painted on the front windows to a translucent, bright orange wall in front of the coffee counter.
Delirama offers indoor dining and takeout for now, with plans to build a parklet. Note: Breakfast is only available 7-10 a.m. and sandwiches after 10:30 a.m. And the restaurant has been selling out of food early, so don’t plan on a late lunch.
Here are three of the best dishes to eat at Delirama right now — all delicious harbingers of what’s to come as the owners expand the menu.
Bagel sandwich with pastrami bacon
Come for the pastrami, stay for the excellent bagel. Delirama’s house-made bagels are soft, chewy and could go toe-to-toe with the Bay Area’s best. They hold up well when laden with egg, tender pastrami bacon and melty cheese in the breakfast sandwich ($11.49). Get the everything bagel and go straight to seed heaven; Delirama bagels are generously covered on both sides with fragrant seeds and spices from the East Bay’s Oaktown Spice Shop. Eventually, the owners plan to offer a gluten-free breakfast sandwich made with crispy latkes instead of a bagel.
A toasted pastrami-onion bialy slathered with pastrami cream cheese at Delirama, newly open in Berkeley.
Bialys, ubiquitous in New York City but still a relative rarity in the Bay Area, are baked fresh here. They’re baked not boiled, and smaller and flatter than bagels with a scooped-out dip in the center. Get the pastrami-onion bialy ($3.99) and go all out by adding pastrami cream cheese. The best bites are when you get a bit of everything: the yeasty bialy, rich pastrami and sweet caramelized onions.
Delirama’s vegan Reuben sandwich with pastrami-spiced potato chips and a pickle on the side.
Heresy for pastrami purists but a win for everyone else is Delirama’s vegan Reuben sandwich ($16.95). Made from smoked celery root, it’s full flavored, satisfying and probably as close as an approximation that a meat-free alternative can get without going into a lab. Paper-thin slices of celeriac mingle with tangy sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing slathered on house-made rye bread. Go full vegan with dairy-free cheese, or stick with Gruyère. The classic OG sandwich, meanwhile, comes with Gruyère, coleslaw, Delirama’s own mustard and Thousand Island dressing (opt for the “husky” size to get a full 8 ounces of pastrami). When Delirama starts serving pizza, diners will have the option to make them vegan as well.
Delirama. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday and Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Closed Tuesday-Wednesday. 1746 Solano Ave., Berkeley. delirama.com
Elena Kadvany (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com
Elena Kadvany joined The San Francisco Chronicle as a food reporter in 2021. Previously, she was a staff writer at the Palo Alto Weekly and its sister publications, where she covered restaurants and education and also founded the Peninsula Foodist restaurant column and newsletter.