Katz Deli
★★★★★ 5.0 / 5
“Better than the hype”
The review
There are places you visit because they’re famous, only to leave deflated, wondering what all the fuss was about.
Katz’s is not one of them.
As fate would have it, although being on the ‘must go’ list for our trip to New York, I hadn’t planned the trip to have a visit to Katz’s, however a post helicopter ride on my fiancée’s30th birthday had us walk literally right past their door.
So, without hesitation, I went for the pastrami on rye with cheese, and calling it a sandwich almost feels like underselling it. The amount of pastrami is ridiculous, it’s the amount I’d give myself when no one is looking, to be served this portion size is something else. It’s not just the volume though, it’s the quality of it that makes it. It’s fatty yet ridiculously tender and literally dissolving as you eat it.
Despite how stacked it is, the rye actually holds its own rather than collapsing halfway through, a perfect pairing. And the generous amount of cheese works perfectly with all that rich, salty pastrami.
The deli itself is chaotic, loud and properly busy, but that’s part of it. It feels like exactly what you want an old-school New York deli to feel like. There’s a vibe of them wanting you to know your order from 3 blocks away, through the door, grab a ticket, queue at a cutting station and order clearly, tip the cutter for a slice of meat in return, take your food and ticket to cash out and either brave trying to find a seat, or venture back out the door to try and eat it standing (Impossible).
There’s obviously a huge amount of hype around Katz’s, but this is one of those places where I completely get it.
It’s expensive for a sandwich, no question. But it’s no sandwich. It’s one of those meals I still think about months later and has me searching for flight prices regularly.
★★★★★ 5.0/5
Order again? Couldn’t come soon enough!