Tucked away in the backroads behind the fancy Target in Glendale, you'll find a random night club, an above-average looking King Soopers, a Goodwill and an inconspicuous building blocked and surrounded by trees.
At first glance, especially at night, it looks like an abandoned building or maybe an old medical office but it's neither of those things. At the corner of E. Virginia Avenue and S. Elm Street, you'll find fresh baked challah, imported pita bread, an overflowing deli case filled with latkes, salads, chicken schnitzel, and sufganiyot -- Israeli doughnuts -- lots of sufganiyot.
All that and more is inside the massive East Side Kosher Deli (499 S. Elm St) on the border of Glendale and the Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood. It's a grocer, deli, bakery, butcher and restaurant all in one. They've been serving Kosher and non-Kosher Denverites and Coloradans for more than 30 years.
"There's just a tremendous array of Jewish life that exists in Denver... and we've been very well received by the community but we've been able to reach outside the community," said owner Joshua Horowitz. "For those who are completely Kosher observing, we have everything they need. We also have a large non-Kosher base who are curious. We want everyone to experience us."
Horowitz has been manning the helm since 2015 and it's a position he kind of fell into it.
A native New Yorker, Horowitz has always been interested in the culinary world. He started cooking at home at a young age, though he never went to culinary school. He had a stint in the food industry before transitioning to telecommunications and 15 years later, he was thinking of selling his business.
This was around the same time previous East Side owners Marcy and Michael Schreiber were thinking of retiring. They were ready to move back East and be with their families.
It just so happens that Horowitz's brother-in-law lived in Denver, knew the Schreibers were interested in retiring, knew Horowitz was thinking of changing scenes and he connected the pair.
Horowitz said he came out to Denver to check out the digs and a year after they were introduced, the business was Horowitz's.
"I was living on Long Island and moved here in December 2014," Horowitz said. "We closed in February. My family stayed in New York until that August... I knew nothing about Denver, never been to Denver. [The decision] was a cross between my passion for cooking and my background in running a customer service business. When my brother-in-law pitched the idea to me, he's like what this business needs is just some young, fresh, exciting blood. Someone to put some passion into it and a smiling, friendly face."
That's been Horowitz main goal in running the shop, revitalization while also staying true to its Kosher roots.
Horowitz said since he's taken over the deli, there have been some menu changes and cosmetic upgrades. The floors have been redone, there's a new HVAC system and Horowitz is hoping to install electronic menu boards above the deli cases.
Even with the changes, East Side looks like a typical Kosher grocery and deli, like you'd see on the East Coast. That's the point. There's rows of Kedem Grape Juice and New York Flatbreads crackers. Along with all types of Kosher wine and elaborate silver flatware like kiddush cups for Sabbath. The restaurant space in the back includes a party room.
Horowitz said it appeals to the East Coast transplants and the longtime Denverites looking for something different. Horowitz said even the way they prepare their pastrami is very East Coast. And don't forget the knishes.
"A lot of what drives my creativity is what I grew up with," Horowitz said.
Horowitz said East Side is one of the only fully Kosher grocers and sit-down restaurants in the city. There's two other fully Kosher establishments in the area, Brooklyn Pizza at 890 S. Monaco Pkwy has Kosher pizza and food truck Mordy's Falafel, also on Monaco.
Here's a basic rundown of Kosher dietary regulations: meat and dairy can't go together, so no burgers with cheese. No pork. No shellfish. Meat must be slaughtered by a shochet, or someone trained to butcher animals according to Jewish laws.
Since East Side caters to Kosher-observing Denverites, Horowitz said their menu is "diverse" and constantly changing. Besides their in-house made pastrami and corn beef and typical Jewish meals such as matzo ball soup and falafel, East Side serves Asian, Italian and Hispanic dishes. There's stuffed eggplant and, of course, burritos covered in green chile. There's even a full sushi bar.
"Our most popular dishes are a toss up between Korean short ribs or our fajitas," Horowitz said. "We have to be diverse because we're one of the only exclusively Kosher restaurants. There's Kosher style places but for those who are completely Kosher-observing, we are the only sit-down formal restaurant."
The holidays are the busiest times for East Side, Horowitz said. There are the always Kosher crews, followed by those who eat Kosher during the holidays. There's also the various catering gigs for office parties and hotels that need Kosher options.
On the third day of Hanukkah, at about 9:30 a.m. the store was semi-bustling. Folks waited in the deli line for cold cuts and catering orders. The kitchen was hard at work frying doughnuts and more latkes.
"The first day was crazy," Horowitz mused. "We sold well over 1,000 doughnuts... we'll sell over 10,000 by the end of the holiday."
That's typical for East Side during the holidays such as Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah and Passover. It's a high business pace Horowitz hopes to have year-round, as he continues revamping the menu and renovating the shop.
One of Horowitz's main goals for the future is expansion. Expanding the catering business. Maybe open up another location. Horowitz said the dream goal though is a Kosher microbrewery.
"A microbrewery that sells homemade brats," Horowitz said. "That would be my next dream."
