Katz's Delicatessen, Manhattan

kATZ DELI. I LIVE IN NAHANT MA. AND COULD NOT MATCH THE DELI OR QUALITY ANYWHERE ELSE I HAVE TRIED. ORDERED MONDAY RECIEVED TUESDAY EVERYTHING WAS GREAT. BEST $300 I COULD HAVE SPENT. SEE U GUYS NEXT MONTH.10 STARS.

MY BOY FRIEND JOHN TOOK ME THERE on may 14/2011, he has been goin gfor 25 years. he had a big smile.it was my first time the service was fast and the people were very nice . we are going back soon. \

I went to Katz's Deli today 2/10/11 with two buddies of mine.Were New Yorkers and we ordered Katz's famous Pastrami sandwiches--- suppost to be best in City ....Well what a let down, The Pastrami was cut thick and was fatty and mushy ,kinda greasy too .The Rye bread fell apart on all 3 sandwiches .The three of use left very dissapointed. At 15 dollars plus per sandwich your not missing nothing,and the decore and seating is old and dirty looking.

This is probably the best known NYC deli, and if it is not the best deli, it is close, and probably serves the best pastrami, although 2nd Avenue Deli (which closed for awhile, and is now located on E 33rd in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan) is right there. It is a tourist destination, the ordering "system" can be a zoo at peak times, the meat slicers/sandwich makers can be surly, and it is not cheap, even for the large portions for some items - over $16 for the pastrami sandwich, over $17 for the Reuben, and $10.60 for a cheese steak - and that is without a drink or a side; fries are close to $5. So why go? For the experience, and to check it off the list - that's what foodies do. But twice is enough, at least for me, because NYC has some other great delis. I mentioned the "ordering" process - you get a ticket when you enter, and you have to hold on to this - what you order will be marked on it, and you present it to the cashier with payment. If you don't have the ticket they'll charge you $50 to get out. And there is security there, and the only exit is thru the cashier area - tough neighborhood, I guess. There are some tables you can sit at, and a waiter will take and deliver your order in the normal manner. Or you can line up at the counter, where a number of guys are slicing meat, and putting sandwiches together. At the peak times, the lines can be long, so plan accordingly. I haven chosen to go early, and sit at a table - there are many things to see in NYC, but 20 minutes looking at the back of the head of a total stranger is not one of them And bring cash - no credit cards here. And remember, here it really is about the experience, and yes they do the spot marked that was in "When Harry Met Sally".

Sandwich no longer "umgeshtupt"(overstuffed) Pastrami not as tender as it used to be. No longer lots of meat for your dough. I guess nothing is like it used to be.

Took my family this past weekend.. I had to show them the usual NYC tourists traps... but they really enjoyed this place...

I got a kick out of reading the reviews for this place. I get the feeling there are a lot of non-New Yorkers replying! First off, one has to appreciate the place for it's place in history--not many places can survive as long as this place, and that's saying something. Even if the food was awful, which it's not, you ought ot be getting a serious history buzz. This place is the history of America, dude! I get the feeling a lot of people only know about pastrami from those sad, bland, polystyrene slices that come out of a package, are rife with preservatives and are served on rolls with mayo. NO. This is the real deal. While not everyone beleives this is the best pastrami in the city, no one argues it's top 5, and top 5 in NYC means top 5 in the world. This is authentic, not a pasturized processed food subsitute. salt and fat are a key part of the process. If you prefer lean you have to ask for it, but it's a common practice for deli regulars, so don't be shy about it. The fat, whether you keep it or let them trim it, provides the juicy unctuousness of the meat, and the saltiness and spicyness of the the meat is a clue to it's authenticity. The flavor of the meat--pepper and lalt and spices, beefiness, and greasy moistness spreads on your tongue like a complicated french cheese. Take a minute and notice the way the flavors change on different parts of the tongue. What sets Katz' apart from all the others is the hand slicing (please don't ever say "too thick", that's ignorant). The hand slicing really brings the texture to the fore, and pastrami is nothing without the unique grain of the meat. Thick slices present the springy, moist body of the meat fibers in a way that thin slices can't. In fact cheap pastrami has to be cut thin because it's dry, tough and stringy. Sure it's expensive, and yeah, not everything is great on the menu, but if your experience of deli food comes from something like Applebees, or an all-night Korean bodega, please realize that you're stepping up to the big leagues here.

I only had the Pastrami (on rye with mustard). It was moist, but way too salty! It tastes like a hot dog with kraut. It wasn't bad, but it's not as good as the hype or the $15. I even had the same dude who cut Adam's (M v F) pastrami. The semi sour pickles are great though!

What to say? Worth visiting once every 10 years, just to remind yourself how dismal dining used to be in NYC. And to show out-of-town friends and relatives a charicature of the old lower east side. But an (overpriced) pastrami on rye can still touch a nostalgia nerve.

Great deli old lower east side still.