Magoo's New York Style Deli and Market

On Thursday, July 17, I had lunch at Magoo's Deli and Market, New York Style, at 123 North Cameron Street in Winchester. I had visited it once last year to look at their menu, but they had no inside seating then, and unlike today, it was too cold to eat outside on their sidewalk patio with iron tables.

Magoo's is open seven days a week from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM weekdays and 8:00 AM-4:00 PM weekends. The phone number for pickup orders is 540-667-3944. It's in a long, narrow building set back a bit more from the sidewalk than the building immediately next to it. The entrance is at the right side of the building.

As you enter, immediately on the wall to your right is a coffee bar with the fancy name of Coffee Beanery offering Regular, Dark Roast, and Decaf along with Cappuccino-French Vanilla. Continuing on your right is the cashier's station at the front end of a counter with a display of cigarettes.

Further back along the counter you can place an order for what you wish to have prepared. Two chalkboards on the wall list menu items. The paper menu's main headings are Breakfast, Breakfast Items ranging from Egg Sandwiches and Bagels to Breakfast Platters with Eggs, Toast, and Meat; Sandwiches, from Heros/Hot Grinders to the Old Fashioned kind; Magoo's Favorites, from Fried Chicken, Knish, and Salads, to Chili and Soup.

A sign on the left wall above a display of fresh fruit and vegetables proclaims that this part of Magoo's is the Cameron Street Market, a previous name for this location. The area includes coolers along the left wall showing grocery items ranging from ice cream, fresh meats, cheese, and produce to beer, wines, and other beverages.

This should be especially helpful to apartment dwellers living in the area, because it has been years since there has been a grocery store downtown. The center aisle has double-sided racks of various items from canned food, chips, snacks, and candies to aspirin and other medications.

The Web Page www.magoosdeliwinchester.com will give you access to links about Magoo, who is actually the owner's Great Dane, the overall history of the place, and the menu, along with a repeating slide show of the interior and other nuggets of knowledge. The one thing Magoo's doesn't have is a rest room for patrons.

I asked for a hot pastrami sandwich on rye, and selected a 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew as my beverage. The sandwich was large, on marbled rye bread with a bit of mustard and a slice of cheese. It was exactly what I had been looking for in Winchester, and Magoo's has been added to my Keeper List for lunch. I didn't have to go outside to eat my meal after all; there was a small table inside next to the front window, and I took advantage of it so I wouldn't need to eat wearing dark glasses.

On November 11, 2013, I visited Magoo's Deli and Market, New York Style, at 123 North Cameron Street. It had been open for several weeks, replacing a similar operation called the Cameron Street Market. The Magoo for which it is named is the owner's dog, which wasn't there at the time of my visit.

The place is open seven days a week at 8:00 AM. On weekdays it closes at 7:00 PM, and on weekends at 4:00 PM. The telephone number for pick-up orders is 667-3944. You're on your own for parking if you aren't a pedestrian.

The menu's Breakfast section emphasizes its coffee bar, which offers Assorted Teas and Cappuccino. It also has Egg Sandwiches, Bagels, Doughnuts, and Biscuits, with or without gravy. Other offerings include a variety of Sandwiches.

Some Sandwiches are served on a ten-inch sub roll or Panini style, others are Hot Specialty Sandwiches, along with Old Fashioned Sandwiches.

A Favorites list of entr — Perry Crabill