A look at Worcester&rsquo;s soup scene, one bowl at a time

Weintraub&rsquo;s Deli

126 Water St., Worcester



AMBIENCE &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;1/2

SERVICE &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;

VALUE &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;1/2

Kendra Lapin

Temperature: Mostly hot

Selection: 2 specials and 3 regular soups

Facility: Diner-like, with booths; bigger inside than appears

Handicap Accessibility: Yes

Weintraub&rsquo;s Deli is a cozy corner of history, like much of Water Street. The walls are a mix of historical photos and menus alongside signed Patriots posters and photos, and the deli area is lit with real stained glass hanging lamps.

It&rsquo;s an entirely kosher delicatessen, so there are no cheeses or pork products. I was definitely looking forward to matzo ball soup, and was happy to find out it&rsquo;s always on the menu. All the soups were tempting, though. The daily specials were beef barley and sweet and sour cabbage. Ren&eacute;e wanted the chicken noodle. While I expected them to be similar, I didn&rsquo;t expect the only difference would be the added matzo balls to my soup. Fortunately, it was a good chicken soup, neither too salty nor too bland. The matzo balls themselves also had a good, rich flavor with a slight (but welcome) bite of fresh ground pepper. Since the broth was good, they absorbed its richness nicely.

Prices were right on target with other small deli-like establishments, which meant that a bowl of soup for lunch was easily affordable, as was adding it to a larger lunch. Weintraub&rsquo;s is a good place for a solid bowl of comfort.