Thursday, May 17, 2018

Heckman's Deli sold, will continue to operate with Ethiopian menu

Heckman's Deli in downtown Bethesda has been sold. The deli, which opened four years ago this month at 4914 Cordell Avenue, will continue to operate with some significant changes. Heckman's new owner says the deli will still sell beer and wine, but the food offerings will change to Ethiopian cuisine.
Just a few months ago, there were no Ethiopian restaurants in downtown Bethesda. The new Heckman's menu will bring us up to three, quite a boon for fans of the cuisine. If you are still seeking the old menu, the owner says various Heckman's specialties will continue to be available a few doors up the street at Caddies on Cordell, at 4922 Cordell.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

5:33 - Number one, saying the word Jew isn't forbidden is it? Of course not. Second, I have no idea what you're talking about. Jewish people, above and beyond all other groups, know great deli and Heckman's wasn't it and thus they didn't patronize the place and brother did any one else. It was simply awful and failed period. And now it'll be a crappy Ethiopian place a half block from yet another one. Great!

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. The problem was the food was simply not good. If you want good stuff, go to Corned Beef King in Rockville.

I tried Heckman's a few times, hoping each time they would improve, but never did. For example, I ordered a sandwich and asked Heckman himself for mustard. He points me to a squeeze bottle of Heinz mustard. In a deli?! That's about the worst mustard you can use! Corned Beef King makes his own mustard in-house.

Heckman's tried a few things over the years, like staying open late on weekends to get the bar crowd, but I was always the only customer there -- South Street Steaks down the road seems to have a lock on the drunken food market.

So then he tries turning the place into a beer/wine store, since no one wants his food. But there are already 2-3 of those within a 1-block radius.

Oh and Heckman's was on UberEats, but his prices were _higher_ than his regular menu, even though the delivery fee is paid on top of that to Uber (by the customer). It was $17 for a reuben sandwich! Not kidding.

The Caddie's thing was smart. That has a loyal bar following, though I haven't seen many people eating the food.

Anonymous said...

OK, who eats food at Caddie's? The place is disgusting, sticky top to bottom, gross kind of dirty and the whole front smells like an ashtray. What would possess you to get food there?

Anonymous said...

5:58 - that's not the point. The point is, the Heckman's own the place and the building. That's real money when Cordell meets the wrecking ball.

Anonymous said...

Heckman's was one of the worst deli's I have ever eaten at...

Anonymous said...

Jewish deli-slash-Ethiopian makes as much sense as a Robert Dyer campaign statement.

Anonymous said...

7:11 LMAO! Good One. :)

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to comment that Heckman's sucked a lot. Never had a good experience there and will not go to caddies as a result.

Anonymous said...

I just saw the WAshington Post aritcle that indicates the Post supports Hans Riemer. Looks like he's well on his way to crushing this election. Glad to see Hans getting another term given all of his hard work!

Anonymous said...

10:40 - Go back under your bridge troll

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't your article say explicitly that Heckman's has closed? Your article makes it sound like the Jewish deli, which closed on Monday, is going to operate concurrently with the incoming Ethiopian restaurant.

Robert Dyer said...

12:49: You seem confused. I correctly reported that the new owner is switching to Ethiopian cuisine. They will still sell beer and wine, according to the owner, but no more deli cuisine. How do get the idea that it is continuing as a "Jewish deli" from that summary?

I broke the story, which seems to be the real reason you are disgruntled. Bye bye.

Robert Dyer said...

10:40: LOL - the Post couldn't name a single legislative accomplishment, and resorted to reprinting the pablum from Riemer's own campaign. Not a credible endorsement by any means.

Anonymous said...

So have you picked up any endorsements?

Robert Dyer said...

1:03: Yep. Stay tuned.

Anonymous said...

Not surprised, too many basic mistakes. The straw that broke the camels back for me was stale to the touch marble rye that I had to replace with white bread at home. On a $15 sandwich it was especially galling. Not to mention the little errors: wilted coleslaw, omitted mustard & pickles, and an argument over pricing because the staff didn't know their own menu. Had such high hopes, nothing like a good Jewish deli in the area, oh well.