\u2022\u00a03G\u2019s Gourmet Deli<\/a>, Delray Beach<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Bagel Snack<\/a>, Pompano Beach<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Ben\u2019s Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant & Caterer<\/a>, Boca Raton<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Goldberg\u2019s Delicatessen and Bagels<\/a>, Fort Lauderdale<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Pickle Barrel Deli & Delicatessen<\/a>, Deerfield Beach<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Pomperdale Famous New York Deli<\/a>, Fort Lauderdale<\/p>\n After the voting round<\/a> for the deli most deserving to be named the best thing since sliced rye bread, we received hundreds of reader responses and now have a winner \u2014 and it\u2019s a spot that has won this competition before.<\/p>\n Congratulations to \u2026 Bagel Snack!<\/p>\n The Pompano Beach deli, at 1237 S. Powerline Road<\/a>, took home the win for best bagels<\/a> during our reader contest\u2019s first year, in 2024. It\u2019s evident bagels were also a deciding factor in this \u201cbest deli\u201d category, as many of you mentioned them in your nominations, but you let us know about plenty of delicious dishes as well.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing named the best deli is more than just the words,\u201d said Kim Zweibaum, who co-owns Bagel Snack with her fianc\u00e9e, Mallarie Mondt. \u201cIt\u2019s recognition to all of our amazing patrons and customers that took the time to vote, those that told others to vote, and those that truly wanted to see us shine and win.\u201d<\/p>\n The couple bought Bagel Snack in December 2024 from Jonathan and Thelma Simes, who had taken over the operation in 1992. The deli has been serving the community for more than 45 years.<\/p>\n \u201cThis past year and a half has been hard, but we put the work in. We put the time in,\u201d Zweibaum said. \u201cWe put the hard days in, the days when you think you can\u2019t do it anymore, we kept going and always thinking about the small wins along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n She credited their staff with making the win for best deli possible.<\/p>\n \u201cCustomers that stop us to tell us how amazing we are, the staff are, the product and everything we\u2019ve done since we took ownership has been nothing but great,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what keeps us fighting the good fight, every day. Words mean so much. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but the compliments and small things customers notice goes a long way, more than they will ever know.<\/p>\n \u201cSo being No. 1 deli is more than just being No. 1 deli. It\u2019s about how we got here.\u201d<\/p>\n In November 2024, Zweibaum sold her shares of Mario\u2019s Fishbowl, a bar\/restaurant she co-owned in Morgantown, West Virginia, south of her home in Pittsburgh, to make the leap to South Florida and become Bagel Snack\u2019s new owner.<\/p>\n \u201cI went to college at West Virginia University, and the bar that I worked at through college, I eventually became a manager, and it was my dream to own it,\u201d she said. \u201cIn 2017, myself and four of my other co-workers that were in the business with me for 10 years took the bar and grill over together.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2021, after meeting Mondt, who had been in the restaurant business for 15 years, Zweibaum said they decided they needed a change \u2014 and to escape the cold.<\/p>\n \u201cMy parents retired down here about 10 years ago, and I always wanted to be closer to them,\u201d she said. \u201cOwning a bagel\/deli restaurant was always something I talked about wanting to do but never had the courage to uproot our lives and do something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n But with Mondt by her side, Zweibaum said she \u201cknew we could do anything together as long as we had each other.\u201d So she sold her house and they packed up their lives and their animals for the move.<\/p>\n At first, the transition didn\u2019t go as smoothly as schmear on a bagel.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t know a soul down here besides my parents, and this was uncharted territory for us,\u201d Zweibaum said. \u201cPeople are scared of change, so that was also intimidating coming into an establishment that has been run a certain way and has had a lot of the same staff for 35 years prior to us coming into the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n In the first four months, the electricity went out and ovens broke, leaving them unable to bake for four days, but \u201cwe immediately went into boss mode,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe never wanted to change the brand, recipes or staff that our customers love and feel comfortable with. We started making small changes, necessary changes, changes that show our employees and customers that we care and help us in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n Slowly but surely things started to come together, Zweibaum said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal every day is to have fun but also kick butt,\u201d she said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s the kitchen, deli, cashiers or servers, this job can be fun and you can stay on task at the same time and have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n First, they took the \u201cif it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u201d approach to the menu.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve added a few things that sold well as specials such as avocado toast and the Monte Cristo,\u201d Zweibaum said. \u201cBut we wanted to keep everything the same, so we didn\u2019t overwhelm our customers or staff. Will we make more changes in the future? Probably, but baby steps.\u201d<\/p>\n Other than bagels, \u201comelets are a big seller, and they are huge,\u201d she said, as well as deli sandwiches such as pastrami, corned beef and the Reuben (and its variations).<\/p>\n \u201cAll of our meat is sliced to order, so it\u2019s fresh as could be,\u201d Zweibaum said. \u201cOur platters are also a big hit; customers get to choose one, two or three different homemade salads on a plate full of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, carrots and cucumbers and, of course, it comes with a bagel.\u201d<\/p>\n Which are their favorite items?<\/p>\n \u201cMy fiancee and I love our freshly sliced turkey and our homemade tuna fish salad,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are always getting those put into wraps with our fresh produce. Our health salad (a different spin on coleslaw) and our cucumber salad are crisp, healthy and a few of our favorite options as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Breakfast fans will also find a lox, eggs and onions scramble, matzo brie, homemade corned beef hash, fluffy buttermilk pancakes and challah French toast.<\/p>\n For lunch, there are deli-style salads of all sorts \u2014 egg, whitefish, tuna, veggie tuna and chicken \u2014 and specialty salads such as Garden Gourmet, Beachside Bounty and Mediterranean Medley.<\/p>\n As far as the classics, there are grilled cheeses, melts, BLTs, cheesesteaks, hot dogs, burgers, blintzes, knishes, potato pancakes and soups.<\/p>\n And what\u2019s a proper deli without Dr. Brown\u2019s sodas and black-and-white cookies?\u00a0Don\u2019t worry, Bagel Snack has both.<\/p>\n They have your carbonated cravings covered with cold cans of the brand\u2019s popular flavors, along with a full lineup of coffee, juices and teas. Finish your meal with something sweet like the cookies or vanilla crumb cake.<\/p>\n While the quality of food sets their deli apart from others, Zweibaum said there\u2019s something not on the menu that also keeps customers coming back: the atmosphere and service.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a quirky, comical, funny group,\u201d she said. \u201cWe aren\u2019t robots in a corporate establishment. We are in a small business and we care about each other like we are family. It\u2019s just about bringing people together and finding common ground \u2026 You won\u2019t find a team like ours.\u201d<\/p>\n In his nomination form, Pompano Beach resident Fernando Pardo proudly proclaimed: \u201cBagel Snack is hands down my favorite Jewish deli in South Florida,\u201d adding \u201ctheir spinach knish is incredible, the matzo ball soup is pure comfort, the spinach Florentine eggs benedict platter is one of my absolute favorites, and their egg salad is always so good.\u201d<\/p>\n For Pardo, Bagel Snack has \u201cthe perfect mix of classic deli comfort food, generous portions and the kind of menu that keeps me coming back again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n Also from Pompano Beach, reader Janet Weiss said the deli is her \u201cgo-to\u201d for bagels.<\/p>\n \u201cI have tried bagels from other shops, but I keep coming back to Bagel Snack,\u201d she wrote in her form. \u201cI love the egg, cheese and Taylor pork roll on a toasted bialy for breakfast and a Palm Aire salad with a scoop of tuna salad and a toasted everything bagel! Their soups are absolutely delicious, especially the mushroom barley soup.\u201d<\/p>\n Reader Debbie Fisher travels south from Boynton Beach to get her Bagel Snack fix.<\/p>\n The \u201crestaurant has a welcoming, at-home ambience from the owners to the staff.\u201d she wrote in her nomination. She called the fish platter \u201cbetter and fresher than [at] delis I visited in New York\u201d and the chicken soup \u201crich and flavorful.\u201d<\/p>\n Bottom line, she said, \u201cBagel Snack is my go-to restaurant whenever I\u2019m in Pompano.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information, visit bagelsnack.com.<\/a><\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss previous Best of South Florida Dining series winners!<\/p>\n Top Chinese takeout<\/a><\/p>\n Top subs<\/a><\/p>\n Top matzo ball soup<\/a><\/p>\n Top waterfront restaurant<\/a><\/p>\n Top food truck<\/a><\/p>\n Top brunch<\/a><\/p>\n Top sushi<\/a><\/p>\n Top craft beer<\/a><\/p>\n Top steak<\/a><\/p>\n Top Cuban sandwich<\/a><\/p>\n Top ice cream<\/a><\/p>\n Top pizza<\/a><\/p>\n Top burger\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Top donut<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Kim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TFL-L-BEST-DELI-02-040626.jpg\")
Kim Zweibaum, left, and Mallarie Mondt co-own Bagel Snack in Pompano Beach, a previous Best of South Florida Dining winner for best bagels back in 2024. (Amy Beth Bennett\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nThe response<\/p>\n![\"Kim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TFL-L-BEST-DELI-05-040626.jpg\")
Co-owner Kim Zweibaum chats with a customer at Bagel Snack in Pompano Beach. (Amy Beth Bennett\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nThe transition<\/p>\n![\"T-shirts](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TFL-L-BEST-DELI-06-040626.jpg\")
T-shirts with phrases such as \u201cSpread cream cheese, not hate\u201d and \u201cA bagel a day keeps the oy vey away\u201d are for sale at Bagel Snack in Pompano Beach. (Amy Beth Bennett\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TFL-L-BEST-DELI-09-040626.jpg\")
A nova platter is on the menu at Bagel Snack in Pompano Beach. (Amy Beth Bennett\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nThe food<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TFL-L-BEST-DELI-08-040626.jpg\")
A Rachel sandwich comes with a side of fries at Bagel Snack. (Amy Beth Bennett\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TFL-L-BEST-DELI-10-040626.jpg\")
Bagel Snack fans voted the restaurant the Best of South Florida Dining winner for best deli. (Amy Beth Bennett\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nWhat fans said<\/p>\n![\"Server](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TFL-L-BEST-DELI-03-040626.jpg\")
Server Alina Zitti hard at work in the dining room at Bagel Snack in Pompano Beach. (Amy Beth Bennett\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
\u201cFriendly smiles surround me. I particularly enjoy the hearty meals offered here. The loaded bagels with meat, salads or whatever brings comfort to your palate [and] are worth a visit. Yummy food and nice-sized portions are a constant.\u201d<\/p>\n