28 May 15 , 2022
Diningwith Tom Sietsema
A classic deli
that always
has comfort
on the menu
The Sunday morning crowd at Parkway Deli & Restaurant in Silver Spring.
photos: Deb LindseyUnrated during the
pandemicParkway Deli
& Restaurant
8317 Grubb Rd.,
Silver Spring. 301-
587-1427.
theparkwaydeli.com.
Open: Indoor and
outdoor dining and
takeout 8:30 a.m. to
9 p.m. Monday
through Friday and
8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday and
Sunday. Prices:
Sandwiches $7.49 to
$16.99, dinners
$14.49 to $18.99.
Sound check: 73
decibels/Must speak
with raised voice.
Accessibility:
Wheelchair users
can enter the front
door or access rear
outdoor dining via a
ramp; restrooms
have grab bars but
are too narrow to
accommodate
wheelchairs.
Pandemic protocols:
Staff are not required
to wear masks or be
vaccinated.I
t’s early Sunday night at Parkway Deli & Restaurant in
Silver Spring, and a customer is sorry not to find one of
the reasons for his visit.
“Where’s the pickle bar?” he says before even reaching his
booth. A server says “covid” is responsible for its demise.
Me? I’m all smiles. Chicken soup that tastes as if someone’s
bubbe made it and a $24 bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé, grabbed
from the deli’s cooler en route to the dining room in the rear,
are a swell way to end a week, and a welcome change of pace.
For the past few months, I’ve been eating almost exclusively in
new restaurants ahead of my Spring Dining Guide, a
celebration of what’s recently opened.
Time to head to an old-timer, to break bread with the past.
Parkway, introduced by Lou Gurewitz in 1963, obliges. Named
for its proximity to Rock Creek Park, the business is now in
the hands of grandson Danny Gurewitz, 52, who took over the
operation from his father, Stuart, after Stuart suffered a stroke
in 2005. Danny, who moved to Texas when his parents
divorced in 1979 but returned to Maryland to see his father
and pitch in at the Parkway, is also the resident fix-it guy,
repairing toasters, installing WiFi and assembling outdoor
canopies as needed.
The front of the operation is a small food store and deli
that you pass through to reach the 110-seat dining room. A
semi-visible grill and kitchen hint at what to expect on the