Schmaltz Appetizing now has a much larger location than its original miniscule Dupont one. Set in an old pharmacy, you can now get all your Chubchubs and other Jewish bagels and premium smoked fish to stay or go.

Part of the Anthony Rose mini-empire that includes Rose and Sons, Fat Pasha and Big Crow, the ringleader and expert on all things smoked fish here is Josh Charbonneau.

The pharmacy around since the forties (when this area was primarily Jewish) is in a building actually owned by the Waltman family. There’s even a sandwich here named after the grandfather of the family, Murry.

The Chubchub ($10.49) is one of the ultimate things to get here. Sandwiches are piled high on your choice of toasted Kiva’s bagel, this one stuffed to bursting with whitefish salad, gravlax, dill cucumbers, and house-mixed horseradish cream cheese. It’s fishy, it’s beety and sweet, it’s creamy, it’s a delicious handful.

The Farshtucken ($8) is a slightly cheaper but much fishier option, with dense, salty herring, onions and butter. We add a little dijon mustard for some heat too, as per Charbonneau’s recommendation.

The Kvetch ($7) is a revelatory breakfast sandwich, with an over easy fried egg to avoid yolk glop, mustard, tomato, and not only cheddar but cream cheese. Add your choice of lox for $4 (we went with my favourite, super smoky local Smoke Bloke) and you might just have one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city.

You can also get Gryfe’s pizza bagels here, actually used to make the Murry’s Tuna Melt.

Not only are there fresh bagels and lox here, but there’s also a grocery section like the one at the Dupont location well-stocked with quality local products. There are even peanuts from Ontario, some of the best I’ve tasted upon Charbonneau insisting I sample some.

The very same Propellor beans used to make the coffee here are also stocked.

A cup of drip will set you back just $2, $3 for an americano or espresso with lattes topping out at $4.

Baked goods are available to go along with your coffee for quick pick-me-ups, too.

Not all of them are made in house but a cornflake square ($3) and rich, crunchy peanut butter bar is ($5.65).

Whole and sliced smoked fish such as Nova Lox, Wolfhead, Acadian sturgeon, trout, whitefish, herring, beet lox, and pastrami smoked salmon can also be purchased by the pound.

Kiva’s bagels ($1.50) are hand-rolled, and come in poppy seed, plain, sesame, everything, whole wheat and pumpernickel.

There’s an incredible community atmosphere in this neighbourhood Jewish deli that harkens back to Dundas West’s roots.