Weekly reviews of crab cakes around the MD and DC area

Loeb's NY Deli

Loeb's NY Deli's Crab Cake Sandwich Loeb's NY Deli's Crab Cake Sandwich Crab Cake Review

Downtown Washington DC has lots of options for the lunchtime crowd. But what's more classic than eating at a kosher-style deli? Enter Loeb's NY Deli. Loeb's first opened in 1959 by Walter Loeb, in the location currently occupied by the Old Ebbitt Grill. In the 1970's, they moved to the US Export-Import Bank building, but was then forced to move a few doors down in 2012. You'll find everything you'd expect in a Jewish deli, along with our favorite, crab cakes! Read on to find out how they did!

Loeb's offers crab cakes on the specials board, so you might want to check with them ahead of time to see if they are available. The special platter at the time of our review was for a homemade lump crab cake on a hamburger bun, topped with lettuce and tomato, and served with fries and cole slaw.

The crab cake is made up of mostly broken lump crab pieces, bound together with a bread and egg base, with some spices mixed in. You don't get an option of how the crab cake is cooked, which will come out deep fried. Tartar sauce or cocktail may be available if you ask.

While the crab cake is deep fried, the inside of the cake stays nice and moist. The crab meat used, while mostly broken up, does taste nice and sweet, and you can find a few small lumps in the mix. Binder has a good flavor as well, with a hint of Dijon along with the requisite seafood spicing.

Loeb's crab cake has a great flavor, even though the flavor of the crab meat tends to compete with the binder flavors. Our biggest complaint is that it's just really messy. As you eat the sandwich, the crab cake falls apart easily, and the shredded lettuce seems to have a mind of its own. Despite being toasted, the bun also falls apart, contributing to the mess on your plate, so be sure to grab a fork. Tidiness issues aside, we were really surprised to find a crab cake that tastes this good in a town not normally known for serving up decent crab cakes (outside of high-end restaurants). If you're in the area, be sure to stop on by and try one!

Loeb's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Additional Info

  • Restaurant Name: Loeb's NY Deli
  • Address: 1712 I St NW Washington, DC 20006
  • Neighborhood: Farragut Square
  • Restaurant Type: Local
  • Review Date: 10/26/2015 12:38pm
  • Atmosphere: Busy with a wait
  • Item(s) Ordered: Crab Cake Sandwich
  • Cooking Style: Fried
  • Other Styles Available: No
  • Available by mail order?: No
  • Price: 16.99
  • Order Type: Sandwich
  • Crab Content: Lump
  • Filler: Average
  • Spice: Average
  • Overall Impression: Very Good
  • Rating (out of 5 crabs):

    4-crab

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