Katz's Deli, New York City

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this delicatessen near chinatown is a food icon in new york, famous for it's sandwiches especially the pastrami and i will do a two part food tip on Katz (for more pictures).

Favorite Dish: the pastrami and the corned Beef Sandwhiches what else!

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This must be the most well-known and the most loved pastrami sandwich in New York.
In that scene in Meg Ryan and Billy Cristal movie, 'When Harry Met Sally', Meg Ryan ate this sandwich. I found the same sandwich as Meg was eating, even though the movie was made more than 20 years ago.
When you enter Kat's Deli, you will soon like the lively atmosphere and good smell of pastrami and cucumber pickles.

Favorite Dish: Of course, pastrami sandwich. The pastrami is very juicy and tasty. The black pepper has very nice smell.

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Katz's Deli, founded in 1888, is the New York Deli world's answer to the Hofbräuhaus -- crowded, touristy, and expensive. But, like the Hofbräuhaus, the product it serves is first-rate. Renowned for its preserved meats, particularly its pastrami, corned beef, and salami, Katz's made a name for itself in World War II because its hard salami was so resilient, it could actually be shipped to the troops. Hence the motto "send a salami to your boy in the Army" came into being. You can even ship a salami to the troops today if you want to -- check the website or ask at the counter for details.

Lots of celebrities have visited Katz's over the years -- from Bill Clinton to Sarah Jessica Parker. Then-Vice President Al Gore even brought Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin over for a bite. And probably the most famous visitors were the cast of "When Harry Met Sally." Yes, this was the place where Sally (Meg Ryan) filmed her famous "yes...yes...YES!" scene. The table she sat at is labeled, in case you want to re-live the movie. Want to have what she was having? According to the website, it was the brisket.

Favorite Dish: I had to try the pastrami on rye. I have to say it was the tenderest pastrami I had ever eaten. I washed it down with a bottle of house seltzer. The sandwich is quite large, so it can easily be shared by two people. Since I was alone, I ordered it "to go," ate half at the deli, then brought the other half home.

When you enter the Deli, you will be greeted with a hearty "How Ya Doin'?" and handed a ticket. Whatever you do, don't lose the ticket, as this is where your bill will be totaled when you exit (lose your ticket, and you pay 50 bucks). As you order your food and drinks, hand your ticket to the server, and he/she will add the appropriate amount to your bill. Even if you don't order anything, your ticket is your exit check.

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I had matzo ball soup which I thought was pretty good, a good pastrami sandwich and an excellent creamy cheesecake. My friend had a brisket sandwich. Unfortunately it was full with many tourists, but is was fun observing everyone including a guy wearing a Hell's Angle leather jacket from Switzerland!

Favorite Dish: The matzo ball soup. Nice and big, and soft, not like my mother's small canon balls!

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My fave deli for BIG pastrami or corned beef sandwiches.
Two can get by on one sandwich they are so huge.Per the waitstaff (I agree): you shouldn't take it with you ... in other words, your sandwich is not nearly as good when reheated later, try & eat it all before you leave.Everyone has their fave NY Deli: Carnegie, 2nd Ave, etc.
Katz is my favorite for both taste and location,
and they stay open late (after 2am on weekends, see website). The sign out front says: - "Katz's, that's all"
per Alan Dell the owner:
“ This sign originated when Benny Katz hired the signmaker to make the sign,” Mr. Dell said. “The signmaker asked, ‘Well, what exactly do you want to have it say?’ and Benny said to the signmaker, ‘Katz’s, that’s all.’
Sure enough he painted that on the sign! ”Here's a good descriptive & current NYTimes piece on the Katz experience.

NOTE: TICKET ALERT - when you enter they give you a "theater ticket" that you must redeem when you exit ( they do this to minimize theft ). Hang on to your little yellow 'theater' admission ticket,
or you will have some esplanin' to do w/ the security guard on the way out.

Favorite Dish: Hot Pastrami w mustard & horseradish.
If I shoot the moon, I start with chopped liver, a pastrami & egg salad sandwich, then cheesecake with either cherry or strawberry topping.

About $19 bucks for a sandwich & rootbeer (that's "tableservice" - it's a couple bucks cheaper if you get it yourself at the counter and sit at a middle table)

Probably $30+ for all the above, but it's enough for 2 and imo some of the best you'll ever eat.
Ess gesunt!

Here's the menu

Kat's Deli is a sort of legend of the Lower East Side, became famous during WW2 with the slogan "Send a salami" because, from there, girls could send a salami directly to their boyfriend at the Army. Actually I went there in August 1999 for the first time, because the most famous scene of "When Harry met Sally" was right here. Besides, my husband felt in love with their pastrami sandwich. It is a 10-inches-tall sandwich, so full of lovely sliced meat (beef), served with gurks and mustard (but I hate both of them, I prefer a plain pastrami, it's full of flavours standing alone). In July 2009 we came back, the place mantains its atmosphere (we recognize some waiters) but found it bloody expensive. For two pastrami sandwiches and two beers, we paid 48 usd!!!! And we waited at counter, so we had not paid the service. Moreover, we were short of cash, at the main cashier credit cards are not accepted, at the 2° cashier they were out of order....I took the risk to stay there and do the washing up! A draft bier costs 6 usd and a pastrami sandwich 14,95 usd. Don't leave NYC without trying Kat's Deli pastrami, but you can find cheaper bier.

Favorite Dish: Pastrami sandwich is a legend; thanks to VT I had read the interesting story of it, brought to US by Jewish immigration, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastrami

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This deli circa 1888 is NYC history between two slices of rye. But before I brag about the food, let me explain the intimidating ordering process. When you first enter you will be handed a ticket while passing through a turn-style. You then head on over to the long counter and place your order. If you're ordering a sandwich, you will be given a small sample of the meat. Make sure you leave a tip in the cup and you might receive a few more slices in your sandwich. At this time the counterperson will ask for your ticket so he can write the price on it. Then slide down the counter to order drinks. When you are ready to leave, you must have your ticket when paying or they will not let you out. Now for the food. You're here for only 1 reason and that's the Pastrami on rye. Thick cut and house-cured, like no other pastrami you've ever had. The brisket and corned beef are also known for causing "orgasmic" (When Harry met Sally was filmed here) reactions. And wash it all down with a Dr. Browns Black Cherry soda.

Founded in 1888, Katz's Deli is an institution and you have not really seen New York until you have tried it. Would you believe many New York residents have never even tried Katz's? We were in New York last November 2008 and we said we had to try this famous deli, made even famous by the film "When Harry Met Sally". The East Village is not exactly the most pleasant place to walk around in, especially at night, but the trip to Katz's is worth it. We came by 6 Train from the Bleecker St. station and walked a bit west on Houston St.. When we got in, the fellow at the door gave us one ticket each and we proceeded to the food counter. We ended up with one of the more "senior cutters" and I ordered a salami to-go. He gave us a choice of bread, pickles etc. and even made us try the salami before he made the sandwich. When he was done, boy was the sandwich big! The VT tip was right, it is made for 2 persons. While we were there, we decided to wander around the deli, looking at the photos. On the way out, we presented our ticket and the paid the cashier. Since everyone else took photos of the place, I decided to post the bag of my salami sandwich for a change.

Favorite Dish: Since we were on the go, we ordered to-go so it had to be a cold sandwich. Otherwise I would have tried maybe the hot pastrami. Thus we settled for the salami sandwich and it's meat was twice as thick as the bread it was on. It was huge too, we split the sandwich and it was just right. But there is always another trip - next time it will be hot pastrami or hot dogs.