Katz's Deli Reviews

Despite there being an option for waiter service, sandwiches that are made for you are only as good as you'd wish it would be. Honestly, this is a New York deli, you don't need waiter service at a deli. Or maybe I'm just the only one.

Though the iconic pastrami and corned beef have a distinct taste that you wouldn't typically find in NYC, the lack of prep or even attention that's put to your sandwich is understandably disappointing. I mean, its always too busy. BUT-

For my fellow New Yorkers, save ya dollars and cop a chopped cheese from the corner deli. Save the time, money, and effort. This spot is strictly for tourists on a "first and last time" basis.

Avoid the turkey as they ONLY put turkey between two dry pieces of Rye bread.

I don't mean to bash the place but my experience wasn't good, and I was a party of 7. I know I'm not the only one.

Absolutely loved this place, best Reuben I've ever had in my entire life. Nice sized, definitely one of those places you gotta try at least once in your life. Came from Miami, had the Reuben and a cherry coke. The pickle was the icing on top!

amazing pastrami and gorgeous employees #LAlovesKATZ'S

Pastrami sandwich & corned beef those are really good !

One of New York city finest Deli. Cash only that sometimes can be a bit with there prices, but what a sandwich! We stop everytime we are home

Tried their salami sandwiches for the first time with spicy mustard. Great smoked flavor it had and served with juicy pickles.

Very busy place with no BS efficient service. The lines move very fast and the sandwiches are huge! You will stand in line to a cutter which will cut your pastrami and make your sandwich right in front of you. You will get a hearty helping of pickles with it.
If you are lucky or wait a bit you can get a table, and eat while enjoying the dozens of pictures of all kind of celebrities who visited the place. This is THE Deli to go to if you are visiting NYC.

Good deli style food, nice and busy NY setting. Wish it was a bit cleaner. Flooring had a sandy feel and needed upgrading. However you won't be disappointed in the food (maybe the price lol but you pay for quality)

Was so excited to go there and to try the beef id seen so many videos on. Got in there and tried to line up but only one guy serving so line was getting long. I moved to the side so we didnt block the path for people to walk past. After 5 mins got told i was in the wrong spot and needed to go back of the line. I apologised and tried to explain but the guy serving was so rude it suprised the sh&@ out of me from all the great reviews ive read. Guess ill never know if they are the real deal but to be treated like that aint worth paying for

Focus on what they do best and you can't go wrong. The Pastrami is by far the best I've had. It's hand cut and piled high on 2 slices of Rye Bread. It totally lived up to the hype for me.

Simply the Best..... it doesn't get any better than that

This place is an institution, it wouldn't be fair to compare it to any other restaurant, it's something between a museum, cultural experience, movie scene and a restaurant. Even the ordering process is unique!
You are given a card that you must never lose, then you stand in a queue waiting for your very friendly meat carver to prepare your sandwich. Pastrami is a must, and yiu should try the corned beef as well. The Matzo soup is an experience on its own.
The place can get busy but tables get cleared fast and yiu will never be bored waiting with the interesting photos on the walls and the unmatched opportunity for people watching.
Katz Deli is the single place I will miss the most in New York city.

Hot dog, fries, and canned soda for $15!!! but it's "historic" so they get away with the unmatched prices. Buy a salami for your boy in the army! I have no idea what it means but people seem to like it. They also do this very strange thing where they give you a tag when you enter and you use it to pay and get out otherwise they will make you pay $50.

Meat is amazing but service and other food isn't great

Not a big fan but it was a good try for me. Very friendly staffs and good food here. I was surprised by its establishment time.

the spectacular pastrami something expensive only attention is good Although it is full if you go at rush hour the tables are a bit complicated if you are new a little confusing .

The best pastrami there is in New York the price is expensive decoration Maybe a little old But there are many pictures of celebrities like Bill Clinton like Don Francisco but it is so crowded that it is difficult.

The food was ok but overpriced.The environment was great.I think you should go 1 time

Amazing food, great place well worth the trek to find it.

Sandwiches are always on point. I ordered three pastrami on rye and a three meat platter. Awesome

New York Pastrami Perfection! With mustard please. Great Meal and no paparazzi. Awesome!

We just tried their pastrami sandwich and it was enough to fill us for a month. Very tasty!

Best pastrami sandwich switch I've ever had! The line was long, but it was extremely efficient. We were able to get a food very quickly.

Nice food. One person can eat a sandwhich without help. Some of the staff people could be more friendly. A confusing way of paying

Meat very well, a minus for the bread (pastrami sandwich)

A must visit when in NYC, sure it's a well known tourist icon, but the experience and food make up for that

Worth the visit. Katz's deli definitely has theatrically cranky service. The ticket system is a pain in the ass but given the crazy amount of people that come in, they know what they are doing with that. The sandwiches are huge. My one miff is the applesauce that comes with the latkes is small af. But, it was a good meal! I'd definitely be back.

My favorite deli anywhere ever. My dream sandwich is chicken liver and their roasted turkey. Yummy matzo ball soup. Busy but clean and fast service.

The legendary Katz's is no more.

It is now mostly what one would call a tourist trap with absurdly overpriced food ( $32.50 for a pastrami sandwich, matzo ball soup and a can of Dr Brown's!!!. Excluding tip!!!).

It is also far too crowded with tourists lingering over celebrity photos and undecided about their choice of food. (A Scot sitting next to me put mayo on his pastrami; I got queasy on seeing it and had to leave.)

I also found the pastrami to be considerably more fatty than it was just a few years ago when sandwiches were more reasonably priced and frankly quite a bit better. The matzo ball soup seemed to be a frozen matzo ball served in clear brown beef broth. Not at all like they used to make.

Nice place for tourists to say they were at the place where "Harry Met Sally", but for those of us who remember it's pre- Hollywood days, it's a good place to avoid. There are better choices.

1 sandwich is enough for 2! Good and interesting place

Came there on a coldest Saturday before 11am. No need to wait outside that day, TG , but yet the waiting was still a long journey before we got our order - 1 hour in line inside the restaurant- pls be alert if someone in front of you is order a lots of takeout, you can switch lines. Me and my gf ordered one sandwich and a matzo ball soup. They give meat samples while your sandwiches is making. Anyway, great place but do come early to avoid the long waiting lines specially in bad extreme weather conditions. BTW, the ticket the doorman hands out to you is the receipt for checkout and EXIT permits.

If you saw central park, ESB, Brooklyn Bridge, WTC Memorial and you didn t taste food here... well... you haven t seen NY...

The best corned beef and pastrami in the City, although you have to fight the crowd to order it.

The sandwiches are delicious,and their Knishes are very good,nothing like a cornbeef or rueben

Absolutely amazing. Whatever you choose, you cannot go wrong.

It's totally different from when I was a child. Just make sure you have the money before you step in their. It's worth your dollar. It's New York..

always an amazing experience. I love how you are given pickles instead of the traditionl bread to start your meal. totally kosher. great sandwiches! benn here tons!

The food is without doubt the best!
Their lemonade is homemade & smoooooooth!
Service can be tricky as it is crowded.
If you are in NYC & love beef, must go here.
Be mentally prepared for long line but doesn t happen always.

Beef on rye, where quality and quantity have not changed since day one.

Sandwiches are huge, fresh cut beasts. Service is fast considering how busy they are. It can be a bit pricey for "just a sandwich" but the amount of food that ends up on your plate is well worth it. Brisket and gravy was great, and the pastrami was to die for.

What a place. If you want the REAL DEAL this is where you must go. Pastrami better than anywhere else. The atmosphere is pure New York which is perfect a deli.

Great food lines and waiting for a table are crazy long but well worth it very expensive but well worth it

Unfortunately, quality appears to have gone down. The pastrami sandwich didn't taste as good as I've had before at Katz.

Amazing place
Great food
Not cheap
You have to wait in a long line to there but worth the wait

I can't believe some of the nonsense I read here. A tourist trap? Confusing menu choices?

Katz's is a New York institution that has hands down, beyond question, THE best pastrami and/or corned beef sandwiches on the planet. And it is a staple for real New Yorkers who eat real food every day. Yes there are tourists who go in there because of how famous it is and how great the food is but as I said, plenty of us locals go there to eat whenever we find the time to. $20 for a sandwich? Worth every freaking penny.

Confusing menu? The menu is posted on large signs right behind the guys who make your sandwiches. Not sure why choosing corned beef on a roll (with mustard) is so confusing. You want cheese on that? Ask for cheese. If you are one of those people who wants mayo on your sandwich, just ask for mayo but please don't sit near me because it's a crime to put mayo on pastrami or corned beef. Mustard. Period. Reading the sign is not much different than reading a menu except that the signs are bigger. And if you really need a menu and a waiter do exactly what the guys who give you the tickets at the front door tell you to do...go wait to be seated at an actual table with an actual person there to serve you.

Katz's has been around for a hundred years for a reason...they ARE the best and if you go there you will be treated exactly the same way that everyone else has been treated there for a hundred years.

It a time tested and proven place.

The guys behind the counter are rude? I've been there 200 times in my life - that's 500 pounds of food and I've never once been treated with anything less that kindness. Never once. In fact I have to tell them to hold the 5 pickles they give away with the sandwiches because I generally am stuffed and don't eat them.

And don't even get me started on the fries. You think you've had good fries before? Go to Katz's.

To sum up, anyone giving this place less than 4 stars is not being honest. And in my book it's a 5 every single time.

DO NOT be discouraged by the line outside! It moves quickly and you can get in the oldest restaurant and the best sandwich in New York. Excellent experience, steeped in history (not just Harry met Sally) I urge everyone to make a visit here

I love the sandwiches. Yes its a long wait but what do you expect from a famous restaurant. I never eat inside, to many people. I take my food to go.

Always busy but worth the wait. If anyone has time in NYC please make a quick pitstop here to Katz Deli

Very crowded and expensive. Big portions but not worth the chaos.

Great place, delicious pastrami sandwich. Recommended.

Went first thing in the morning so there was no queue. Excellent pastrami sandwich. I wouldn t have it anywhere else. Big enough to share.

Love this place!! Reuben sandwich is awesome! So good i went back a couple of days later.

Too expensive for just a sandwich. It's no worth it.

A religion could be formed upon their pastrami sandwich. Great atmosphere. The iconic NYC deli.

Rated 6+. This is the finest Pastrami sandwich in New York. It is spendy, but worth it. I will always come here.

Great 1888 deli. Great sandwiches in a crowded and a little dumpy location. However that is part of the experience.

Fantastic, excellent service as usual. I was in and out.

Best pastrami in the world taste better than you can imagine

Well worth the wait, which wasn t long at all! Delicious food, awesome service, and great atmosphere!

Awesome Pastrami. Lots of people, but everyone is very efficient. Lines moved quickly.

Yes, it's a tourist trap; but it's a legit tourist trap. A group of us on a business trip stopped in for dinner since none of us had been there before. Literally everything I had was awesome. The house ale was pretty good, the latkes and matzo ball soup were very good, and the pastrami sandwich was super juicy and flavorful. But my favorite was actually the cole slaw -- I was shocked. Our waitress was awesome. Just a serious character and not afraid to speak her mind -- funny as hell. Just go...

Fast service and good sandwiches. Take the pastrami

Do I really need to review Katz's?? I'm not worthy to review them... But for what it's worth, There is no better ... By far the best pastrami knish coleslaw pickles matzo ball soup in the world... Worth whatever trip and crowd it takes to get some... It's a must have at least once a year treat for me. There was also knish but it didn't even make it the car ride home!! If there was ever a picture worth 1000 words it's right below...

Amazing pastrami sandwich! We had the traditional and one with cheese and sour cream. Very classic and traditional place with helpful people.

Every New Yorker has to go to Katz's at least once. I always bring tourists here as well. A throwback to better days.

Probably the best food i had during my visit to New York. This is the only place I could say I wouldn t be able to find better in LA. I ve never been the biggest fan of pastrami but it s obvious why We don t have a place like this in LA.

Amazing place to visit with the BIGGEST sandwich I've ever had... so tasty!!! A must visit!!

Love the beef sandwich and large dish of pickles come with it. Portions are really big. It's a must try when come to NY.

Pricy, long lines, rude server in the back... I think he was.... prejudice . But the corn beef was Great!

Biggest pastrami and brisket I've ever had! Have a ticket given to you upon entry ($50max if you lose it), and the history is OOZING out of the walls of all the famous people who have frequented Katz's (and the juiciness of that pastrami, I'm NOT shocked)....a REQUIREMENT upon visiting NYC to stop here !!

It was everything I was expecting. The craziness the great smell of the meats and the food... WOW! The pastrami on rye with mustard beyond reach for words. Loved every minute of being in and around this place

This place has the best sandwich ever. The service in this place is awesome

A New York tradition. The food here is unbelievable. I had the pastrami Reuben and a side of matzo ball soup. The pastrami was tender and delicious, the matzo ball was lite and fluffy and the broth was so flavorful. The crowds can be overwhelming but worth the wait. The only downside is the prices are a bit steep even though the portions are generous.

I used to come here for years. I felt that this is the best pastrami on this planet. But this year I saved it for the last day to leave with something special. It ended up realizing that you have tons of tourists that come in because your place is in any tourist guide. BUT that now the pastrami really sucks and can not even compete with Arties, Ben's Best or Carnegie was a shock for myself. 2015 I did my personal pastrami tour in New York and tested any Deli offering Pastrami (23 Places). You were Number 2 on that list. Today I must say that your Pastrami is "usual" the pickles are watered out and I realized that you don't even serve cole slaw with the menu for almost $20. I am very disappointed and sad about the fact that the last quality on your place is the name and the fame. And not the food itself. At the same time I am happy that my favorite place is not full with tourist and I can really relax and enjoy my food without being yelled and disturbed. Your restrooms are a mess and disgusting and the place was dirty.

Mind blown. Its known pastrami was absolutely as advertised. Juicy and tender while being full of flavors. Pickles and cucumbers on the side for bites. Portion was great (Pretty full for one guy and good for two ladies). The ticketing system at the gate was confusing at first, but once you saw how busy it was inside, you would appreciate the process. Cutter was smiling the entire time while preparing my portion. 5 stars no doubt.