Carnegie Deli, New York City

We went today around 2pm and walked right in. I got the Woody allen sandwich, which was HUGE and it was really tasty..I didn't know what to expect and thought it would be dry so got some mayo on the side and the nice waiter brought me 1,000 island dressing and said to put it on with some cole slaw as it was his favorite. I only ended up eating one piece of the bread with his combination (and it was tasty) and then some extra meat as it was quite moist on its own, and took all the rest home. Hubby had the hot roast beef sandwich with fries and said it was okay except he didn't like the bread (was caraway I believe, same as mine) We took a slice of cheesecake home and it was enough for two people to share...it was nice strawberry cheesecake, I've had better crusts, but it was creamy.
Overall it was a good deli, the bill looks a little high but you have to take into consideration how much meat you get and take home, so it is reasonable... we paid a whole lot more at the tavern on the green and got a whole lot less plus tasteless food. As mentioned by others, you have to pay cash and share a table with other families as it is small.
I would recommend to anyone who doesn't mind crowds and who likes deli.

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It was just to say we where there. We didnt like it so much, ok that is a big sandwich but with ordinary taste.You can share the sandwich but you have to pay an extra for this. The service was terrible, the waiter wants you to eat fast and leave fast and the place is very noisy. We tryed the Wood Allen sandwich with pastrami but it was not what we were waiting for.
The only think we loved was the cheese cake, the better one I taste in my life, its a worth visit just because of the cheese cake.

Favorite Dish: My favorite dish was the desert, a cheese cake with strawberry

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Last visit 7/12/07

The Carnegie Deli is well known for it's huge deli sandwiches, in particular corned beef and pastrami. I had my first corned beef sandwich at Carnegie Deli several years ago so on my 2nd visit to NYC I made a repeat visit when there by myself and a 3rd visit when I was there with my in laws in 2007. The sandwiches are huge, big enough for two people to share, and expensive at around $13.

I've eaten in twice but the 1st time we got it to go and took it back to our hotel, you're also very close to Central Park and could easily take it and have a picnic and avoid all those silly sharing and per person limits. There's nothing particularly exciting about eating inside the restaurant so I'd recommend getting it to go if it's an option.

My most recent visit was with 3 kids and 3 adults. Now the kids would never be able to finish a sandwich on their own so they split one and my sister in law and me split a corned beef and we got hit with 2 $3 sharing charges which is clearly stated on the menu but annoying nevertheless. They also state that there is a minimum $12.50 charge per person, our bill was slightly less than that but after the included service and tax our bill was $100! If the food wasn't good, I'd probably move this tip over to tourist traps, I could get a similar meal in Chicago for about 1/2 the price and no attitude...

Favorite Dish: The corned beef and pastrami are both excellent.

I was going to try a piece of cheesecake but the portions of that are also enormous, enough for a whole family to share.

The thing that sticks out in my mind when I remember back to my experience at Carnegie Deli is RUDE STAFF. We had a waiter who barely spoke English, and was ruder than anything. I had heard about New Yorkers being rude, but hadn't encountered one until I went here. At the end of our meal, he even stood around waiting for us to give him a tip. I think we ended up giving him a few cents... and don't get me wrong, I love nothing more than to give tips to waiters/waitresses. This guy just didn't deserve anything.

As far as the food goes, nothing sounded quite appetizing to me so I ordered a soda and strawberry shortcake (I must have missed the cheesecake)! Was pretty good... not the best, but definitely okay. I'm not a huge meat eater, so I probably wouldn't have eaten a sandwich from there if it was free (which is my own thing, nothing against the restaurant itself). But I really wonder if this is such a popular place because of the food, or because of people wanting to say, "I ate at Carnegie Deli"...

This place was definately what it is cracked up to be! We went there expecting to get a true NYC experience, with rude waiters and such but they actually turned out to be very courteous and nice. The food was interesting but delicious! it had the biggest sandwiches I'd ever seen in my life with LOADS of meat on them (this place isn't ideal for vegetarians.) I'm avegetarian, and the only thing I could find in the menu sufficient enough to fill me up was cheesecake - so thats what I got! And it was the most DELICIOUS cheesecake I've ever tried in my life. Highly recommend going here, it is a lot of fun and a true NY experience.

I'd recommend probably sharing one sandwich between two people (ask the waiter about the size) because it is quite a bit of meat. Everything here is oversized, including the cheesecake, which I had to share with someone else.

Favorite Dish: Definately the cheesecake, the only thingI could eat. It was heavenly. It had the largest strawberries I'd ever seen on top of a cake, and it tasted creamy and soft somehow, it melted in your mouth. I'd definately recommend this for desert! (Or for dinner if you're a veggie.)

It's a run-down dump. However even dumps can serve good food. The best I can say is that they stay traditional in that the sandwiches are just meat and rye bread without garnishes. Just because the sandwiches are HUGE, doesn't mean
they taste good. There are too many rules to follow as listed in one of the other reviews. The staff screams at you and can't be bothered. They tell you they don't take credit cards until after you've ordered take-out. The dining room is incredibly cramped. I think people give this a good rating because they think they're supposed to, just as they're supposed to go to Times Square. 2nd Ave Deli was better but is closed. Stage and Katz's are tourist traps too. Better
to search in the outer boroughs or in the residential neighborhoods.

Favorite Dish: All bad.

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This is undoubtedly the best Deli that I have visted .We went at about 11:00 am which seemed to be the right time just between breakfast and lunch.There were no queues and we got a table straight away. When we left at about 12:45 there was a queue down the street.

Favorite Dish: The menu is extensive and the portions are mega. I had a Woody Allen sandwich which was so big it had to be held together with a skewer .It was literally bursting with corned beef.Also you have to try the Strawberry Cheesecake it was about 4 inches tall .Definately not the place for a weightwatchers meeting

We had seen this restaurant/cafe on a British TV travel programme and felt we should try and find it, so we headed off down 7th Avenue and there it was!! Packed to the gills with all nationalities enjoying a true American deli lunch, we were lucky to get the only four seats remaining. A bit of a struggle to get seated as the tables are long with benches either side and seat about a dozen people...our four were tucked up in the corner at the far end of the table,but with a few smiles and nods we managed to get our butts on the benches! The atmosphere in this place has to be felt not read about, with waiters balancing various plates trying to get between the tables and the high level chatter like the Tower of Babel....what a great place.

Favorite Dish: Being tourists what better to order than a pastrami on rye sandwich......well there was at least a pound of pastrami and not much rye!! A huge dish of pickles presented with the sandwiches was just about right. I stuck with the roast beef sandwich and there was equally the same amount of rare beef.....piles of it!!

The Carnegie Deli is a New York Landmark and rightly so. Huge Sandwiches and the New York Atmosphere let you know you are in the Big Apple.

Located on 7th Avenue and 55th Street, I really expected the place to be larger than it was. Getting there at 12:30 on a Wednesday afternoon, we waited for about 10 minutes before being seated.

Service was quick and friendly and the sandwich was awesome!

Favorite Dish: The Pastrami sandwich was outstanding and served warm. There is no better Pastrami than what you get at the Carnegie. Unless you are really hungry, go ahead and pay the $3.00 sharing fee and split a sandwich. It really is enough for two people.

Nothing comes with the sandwich so if you want chips, ask for them.

The Carnegie does start you off with a bowl of pickles. I prefer the sours to the half-sours. The pickles were fantastic.

They also offer a beer selection as well as Dr. Brown's Colas.

I loved this place. The sandwiches are literally 10 inches high. When you enter the restaurant you are seated at the first available seats - you don't get individual tables, every sits together - kind of cool, great way to meet others. Many celebs have gone to Carnegies, their photos are plastered on the walls. Try the Woody Allen sandwich - it's like $12US but its great. NY style cheescake is a must too.

Favorite Dish: I had the roast beef sandwich with pickles, mustard, and sourkraut - sooo good.