With over 40 years of experience, Steve Kay and his family bring authentic New York style deli favorites to Deerfield Beach. This season marks The Cove Bagel & Deli’s fourth year anniversary in The Cove Shopping Center on Hillsboro Boulevard, just west of the Intracoastal. A Brooklyn native, Kay believes strongly in the community he has created at his restaurant. Customers walk-in for their daily breakfast or weekly lunch, and they are greeted by name. His own family helps with all of the restaurant duties, and Kay himself slices the nova in the morning. “You’ve got to have it from the heart,” said Kay, “People want to be acknowledged.”
Vivian and Norman Finkelstein have had their breakfast at The Cove Bagel & Deli every morning for the last four years. They live on A1A, and feel “very comfortable here,” said Norman. “This is home,” said Vivian. And, that is exactly the feeling that Kay hopes keeps his customers returning.
Besides serving all of the traditional deli favorites, this New York-style restaurant has a great turkey burger and other grilled-to-order specials. All of their salads, matzo balls and bagel spreads are made fresh every morning. “Everything here is always the same, with the same high quality” said Kay. Their prices are very reasonable and outside seating is available. Another unique quality Kay offers is catering to local businesses and a free local delivery service. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., although their breakfast crowd arrives more around 10 a.m.
Kay only serves first-cut meats, and “cleanliness is the ticket,” he said. They are the only restaurant or store open in the shopping center on Sundays, and their lunchtime crowd is large. When asked about his plans for this year, Kay said “the plans are to follow what we’ve been doing last year and the year before that.” His plans have obviously worked well so far.
The Cove Bagel & Deli is “all about family.”

Lisa Cohen