Chompie's Restaurant, Deli, and Bakery 7700 West Arrowhead Towne Center, Glendale, AZ 85308

"A little trip to the Big Apple at Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale AZ. As a former NYer, I loved the decor with its pics of the subway, taxis, etc., and it's nice to have seating options both inside and outside. Music was kept low enough to be able to carry on a conversation and I appreciate that! It wouldn't be a bad idea to throw a typical NY song into the mix of contemporary pieces--a Broadway tune or NY themed piece would be fun to loop in at least once during a typical dining cycle. The service was superior with a smiling server named Ryan who was friendly and attentive. If he wasn't sure about a question, he immediately looked it up and gave the answer. I kept him busy with the all you can eat fish ($21.99) since I decided to fill up on fish and figured I could always take the crispy bar-fried wedges of potatoes home if I had to. I often have to peel away overly thick or partially soggy batter, but this was light and adhered well. Three pieces to start and then refilled and all were good. The coleslaw was tasty too. Nothing was over salted which was fine by me since I like to control it at the table. They should lose the plastic containers for the tartar sauce: use washables or paper foldout ones for better dipping and environmental concerns, and when eating in-house why not just put a dollop on the plate and save any separate container? Same for plastic straws: go paper please and only when requested. The pea soup was tasty too and appropriately sized for a side with the meal, but if that's their regular sized bowl if ordering a la carte, it's too small for the price. The Coney style knish was way overpriced at 6.99, and its crust didn't have the outer crispness and the part near the potato filling was soggy. The filling didn't have that dash of pepper I was used to, so had to add it myself. There was no need to add a side of flavorless gravy, so don't know why they include that--certainly nothing I'd ever seen or needed with a NY knish. The chopped liver wasn't what I was used to either as it was sweeter, I could not detect chopped hard boiled eggs, sautéed onions, or the schmaltzy richness that chicken fat would provide. For health reasons I'm sorta glad they omit the latter, but the appearance would've benefited from some white and yellow egg flecking. The presentation was nice with red onions and bagel chips. I was glad they used full size bagel chips as I'm sure a place like Chompie's has plenty of bagels to make them fresh, but that's also a reason that they should be outstanding. They should not be so hard that you could break a tooth. They should perfect them and make it clear that they are freshly made bagel chips that are baked with some olive oil and a hint of salt and people would rave about them. These had to be dropped into soup or doused with salad dressing and were not appropriate for chopped liver. And what, no slice of a kosher pickle?! It was disappointing that this location does not have any beer on tap nor does it have the favorite drink to accompany a deli meal: Dr. Brown's Cel-ray soda. They have a pretty good baked goods section with treats like black and white iced cookies. The 3.99 cookie I got was a sugar cookie with a shortbread richness and chocolate sprinkles and dollop of chocolate icing in the center. It was the best cookie I've had since moving to AZ, but truly, the price should be knocked down a bit. Overall, a nice relaxing meal that makes me want to return again. However, because of the prices I can't be a regular, so hope they have some coupons or other incentives since in the spirit of NY, people should be incentivized to come and should be able to say upon leaving, "Such a deal!""

"Steamed to mouth watering perfection... was served cold!!! Cold rye and cold meat!!! Hot Not!!! $25 for a sandwich and ice tea"

"Absolutely the very worst bagel I have ever had. Not only was the service rude, but there was about a pound of spoiled cream cheese put on my bagel. Picture attached. I had to throw it out and try to get other food that would get the taste out of my mouth. I ordered the lox New York bagel without egg. Not sure what they called it."

"We ate at Chompies with our 3 kids. They service was good. All the food was good and was responsibly priced. I had chicken salad, my kids had pancakes and chicken tenders."

"This is my favorite place to eat in the mall! Food has always been delicious, staff has always been friendly and very accommodating to my Service Dog and I, and the atmosphere is both charming and relaxing, even when they're packed! I've had many things off their menu, and have nothing terrible to say! Even their deli carries little "doggie bagels" for my pup!"