Katz's Deli Reviews

This is my favorite restaurant to visit when I'm in NY. The sandwiches are amazing. I highly recommend the Reuben with pastrami.

The absolute best Jewish Deli in the world. If you haven't eaten here, you must put it on your culinary bucket list.

Great Food! Full/Big/Thick Sandwiches. Best Pastrami Sandwich around. Fast Sevrvice and you can get beer there too.

The best pastrami in the city. Classic New York Sandwich especially late night. It's cash only. Don't lose your ticket. They will give you a taste of the meat while to prepare your sandwich.

It's a famous place in NY, so you need to visit! They have a big lines, and in general is totally full. They have a lot of options to eat and to drink. It's not so easy to find a table to seat. I don't like too much, but if you are in NY, you need to go to judge by yourself!

After 35 years I returned home for a visit with my 3 grown children, my niece and my cousin.Sadly most delis have closed but Katz was on my list of course. Pastrami , cole slaw, egg cream ,matzo ball soup etc was calling my name. Food was good and of course pricey. The service was horrid and right out of the Seinfeld soup episode. The waitress doesn't itemize a bill for you and writes just the total on back of a ticket you were handed on the way in.Don't lose it or you pay $50.00. She also strangely gave us instructions to leave her cash on the table.Intending to tip on a credit card I went to the line in front. She came running after me yelling what no cash for me my God. Everyone was looking at us. Confused I was then told that was the pay in cash line and the credit card line was in the back as my cousin's wife went back to give her a 20 tip and my cousin gave her 11 already .Here is the kicker- she gave us the wrong drink, the wrong sandwiches on the wrong bread and never brought the side order.It is wild , crazy and crowded. They need a better system than little tickets and no itemized ticket and a loud rude incompetent waitress.I think they will know who she is too. Another waitress corrected our sandwiches politely.Love the food.

The reason of my qualification is:
1. You have to make a long line to get inside.
2. The food is good, but, not that good to make a line outside.
3. The food is expensive. The quiality of the bread is not so good.
4. Cash only. You can not pay with credit/debit card, thats too bad!!

So, do not spend your time going there in your trip to NewYork.

Not what they used to be I remember the thick cuts of meat they used to give me you can make more than one sandwich out of it I ordered the pastrami sandwich The meat was cut thin And it was just enough for me to eat not enough to take home and share but if you look at their website day show you the sandwich the way they used to cut it and serve it. But the worst part of it all was the price of $22 Which I would have gladly payed to have a sandwich the way they used to give it to you . And the worst part of my experience was I on'y purchased a sandwich and a doctor Brown Root beer in the Can I paid with a credit card and did not look at the bill when I left because I was in a rush to get back to work when I had time to look at my receipt it said $28 Even with tax it should not have came up that high so who got taken for a ride here I guess it was me

Although I came here for the pastrami sandwich (which was delicious), the iced tea was unexpectedly good. I'm sad they do not ship those like the rest of their stuff

Sandwiches made enough for next day, service very pleasant and helpful.

Service was slow,overall experience was very very gooood.

Food looked very good, staff was very pushy, place was full to the brim with tourists. When we found out that a pastrami sandwich was $20 we up n left. Historical delicatessen yes, however they take advantage of there title by over pricing a meal you could get at many other locations in the city.
Ticket system was ridiculous and bouncer was very awkward. Make your determination, but I will not be returning

Going here is like a right of passage, need I say more. Enjoy....

Though tourist trap of Harry met Sally fame, still an authentic Eastern European immigrant food in an increasingly soulless new York. I've spent nights here working on my laptop while working on a Reuben pastrami. One of these bad boys will easily feed two people . Loved everything about it, the food, the ambiance, the late night work sessions (open 24hrs/day on weekends). An institution. Do not miss.

You have to go and see for yourself
Reuben Speciale - One of the best meals in the World!!

I give ***5 STARS** for the SUPERB pastrami/Rueben sandwich!!! The prices are OUTRAGEOUS!!! But, the sandwich is pretty BIG & the QUALITY IS EXCELLENT!! **ONLY GIVING 4 stars bcs, if you're not used to their system, you could waste much time here. Cash only at the front door; credit/debit at the back counter AND a FEE if you lose your green ticket,, even if you DON'T buy anything!! BEWARE newcomers!!!

Fantastic pastrami and the famous location from when Harry met Sally (yes! yes!)

Wonderful pastrami sandwich. So yummy that I went back for a second time. Seems expensive ( over $20) but given its big enough for two, I thought it was great value. If you re a big eater, you might be able to eat 1 whole sandwich by yourself.

Best pastrami you'll ever eat. Make sure you get the sour pickle too.

Quintessentially a New York place to go when you're famished for a big, hearty pastrami sandwich. They have other meats available, too. It's a self serve concept, so you line up, get a ticket, order, pay and enjoy your sandwich at any available seat. The guys behind the counters are the best, although you have to order fast if there's a crowd, they will answer your questions, and even give you a free sample. Perfect spot to bring your friends to when they're visiting the city for the first time.

Every time I am here in NYC I must visit this shrine. The pastrami sandwich in heavenly and divine. Do yourselves a huge favor, go and eat there. Yes, wait WILL be long, but worth every minute.

Really crowded for lunch on a Monday, but that's part of the experience. Pastrami and corned beef are good size portion and live up to expectations. Matzo ball soup, pickles and french fries were the stars of the show! Table service is slow to get seated, but the waiter was really friendly.

This place is the holy grail for pastrami, corned beef and reuben sandwiches. Hand cut and fresh. This is THE place to visit if you want a great sandwich. You might even meet one or two celebrities here.

Great pastrami sandwich; long line. Worth the wait if you enjoy heavily seasoned meat. If not, go elsewhere.

Meat was pretty bland and had too much fat. I was highly disappointed.

VERY HIGH PRICED "HASH HOUSE"...THREE SANDWICHES, TWO PLATES OF COLD-SLAW AND TWO SODAS...$90.53!!! THE SANDWICHES WERE VERY MEDIOCRE, COLD-SLAW WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY UNEATABLE AND THE SODAS WERE NOT EVEN COLD! I THINK MOST PEOPLE SAY "OF COURSE IT'S GREAT" BECAUSE YOU FEEL SO STUPID FOR SPENDING SO MUCH ON A BAD MEAL! HERE'S A TIP...EAT AT TRUMP TOWER IN A BEAUTIFUL RESTAURANT COMPLETE WITH GREAT SERVICE AND WHITE LINEN TABLE CLOTHES. AND BY THE WAY...THE FOOD IS GREAT AND YOUR BILL WILL DEFINITELY LESS THAN AT KATZ!!!

Loved the pastrami and corned beef. Long lines for service but they move folks thru efficiently.

The best pastrami on club you'll have in your entire life.

Melt in ya mouth Pastrami.

I suggest table service because my ADHD ain't built for self service.

Tight seating for self service.
Roomy for table service, well worth it.

$26 for one sandwich and it was terrible. Roast beef was stringy and tasteless. Staff was not friendly either. For what is supposed to be a world class deli they do not hold up to their bargain. I wouldn t return.

The deliciousness, great Katz's atmosphere, pickles, dr. Brown's, soup, and a sandwich.
So fulfilling!

Definitely yum-o! I'll admit it's intimidating seeing a sea of people waiting to order at the counter. Highly recommend the Pastrami sammich, it is soooo awesome.

Dirty lil crowded place...sandwiches r very good...20$ for a sandwich but piled high with quality meat stacked high...our sandwich dude was super cool...other staff there was a little rude that we should know or understand their system...but end of the day worth the 30 min wait...lots of history and pics on the walls...if ur a clean freak...choose the place x the street...if u don't mind clutter...and want a huge excellent sandwich...it's ur place

It is one of the older Diner's in New York and is somewhat an institution. You will have to come here at least once for the experience. When you come in the doorman hands you a ticket which you must not loose. You are then free to get anything from the menu straight from the cooks or you can choose to sit at a waited table and have it brought to you. The interaction with the cook is an experience I personally wouldn't miss out on. Everything you order gets noted on your ticket and as you leave the diner you pay the ticket by the cashier.

Get the pastrami LOL add advertised and still great

A must try if you are visiting NY... Try the pastrami

Coming from Los Angeles, my pastrami sandwich bar is set high with Langer's no. 19. Sadly, Katz's comes nowhere close (hot take) in all categories - the bread, the meat, the price, etc. I honestly don't think it's worth your time to come here, unless you're starving and it's an off hour. The portion is big, yes, but for upwards of $30 it just is incredible hard to justify in my mind. This is the only pastrami I've had here in NYC so far but hoping there's better to be tried

Pastrami on rye $20.00 it was good but $20.00 good i don't think I'll be back

GET THE PASTRAMI SANDWICH!!!!
The lines can be long and the service rushed. But thats a side effect of being one of the most famous deli's in the world. Use your head and go outside of peak times and its not to bad. But this is the case for a reason. A katz deli pastrami on rye with mustard and side pickles is definitly in the top 5 meals ive ever had. And its perfect every time

What an absolute waste of money and terrible service for sure. $85.00 for two sandwiches. Salt and pepper came in a Fast food generic tiny little packet. Sandwiches were not remotely worth the price. You are buying the experience and I get that value but if you want a good sandwich look elsewhere in my humble opinion. I accept that I am the outlier and I hate leaving bad reviews but getting taken for $85.00 is BS to say the least. Celery soda is disgusting.

A great experience and tasty sandwiches but it s not cheap, we had a reuben sandwich and a brisket sandwich with two beers and it was $72 . But the atmosphere was great and it s a must see even though the line was long we managed to get a seat after waiting for our food.

Know that this will be crowded, but the food is delicious. Best rueben I've ever had.

Amazing food but incredibly Spenny. Definitely ask more questions than "which is the best sandwich". Work out what your preferred combo would be before you get there. Also make sure you bring cash as it's cash only pretty much.

Yummy very soft meat. The place is always full and loud and it's a bit of a mess but I Def appreciate the style!

Very good food! Quite Crowded, probably needs more help but the food was Very Good!

Pastrami sandwich was the best I've ever had! No wonder there's a line up half a mile long for a $21 sandwich.

Iconic New York establishment. Great Pastrami Reuben!

Have been coming here since 1996 with a great friend/father figure food has gotten better and the service as well. Love the brisket and black cherry coke

Great place! Its where Harry met Sally and many, many VIPs, presidents, actors, and regular Joes come for amazing pastrami, and ruben sandwiches and a lot more. (Just hold on to your ticket, ok?)

A very good pastrami sandwich, but honestly way overpriced. It's worth it once to say you've been, but not more than that.

Very disappointed. Very expensive. For d was good but too touristy for me.

Very over priced and the food was not that good. They give you a ticket when you walk in, and you cannot leave without showing them the ticket. If you lose it, they charge you $50. That is insane. The manager was rude, and the customers are treated like we are a bother .There are better delis around than this one

Our experience was ok. We were hungry but there is just way too much pastrami in one sandwich. I ate almost the whole thing but didn't feel the best after it. Wasn't very happy having waited in line for a considerable length of time. It wasn't amazing, a lot of hype over this place and it's average.

World famous for a reason !!! It was everything i expected and more, a great place to eat !!!! Thank you Katz !!!

There's probably better pastrami sandwiches in NYC but it's just something you've gotta do

Their pastrami is the best ever!! When we went we had a Reuben but instead of corned beef we had it made with Pastrami, and I don t even like Reubens but it was unlike any other Reuben sandwich I ve ever had!! Get the pastrami! This is the only place I would ever get a Reuben from. Instead of thousand island it comes with something called Russian Sauce and it s so delicious!! I could eat a plate of the pastrami just by itself it s so delicious. After we got back home from NYC we ordered everything from their website to make the exact same sandwich. It was THAT GOOD!! When you go expect a line outside but it moves fast. And once inside be prepared to be in a tight crowd while waiting in the lines to get to the counter to order. It s all 100% worth it though!! Can t wait to go back to NYC just to eat at Katz s!!

Best deli in Manhattan. Be ready to order, and come hungry. I had the Reuben and it was the best one I ve ever had.

The food is out of this world. The lines are immense. But is it worth it? Yes!

Quintessentially New York. This was one of the first places I visited when I landed based on word of mouth, and I was not disappointed. Amazing sandwiches and a solid menu of classics. And the cafeteria feel of the venue gives you that big city rush when ordering. I wish I had had time to visit this restaurant again before my departure.

The Pastrami sandwiches are a treat. If you come to NYC you have to go to Katz Deli!

We hit this place about 4pm on Saturday. Hadn't eaten since breakfast & just biked all over lower Manhattan and Williamsburg, so my three companions were exhausted and cranky and none too pleased to see me queue up in the long line at Katz's. This was at least my 4th attempt to eat here during trips to NYC, either getting lost or plain losing my nerve to wait in that line the previous times. I was staying regardless. The line moved fairly quickly though, and we got in the door, given the infamous ticket, and the option to order at the counter and find a seat on our own, or wait in another line for about 20 minutes to have wait service. I decided for the latter option since we were beat and starved. It may have been 20 minutes or slightly less, but we were seated and given the pickle platter. Our waiter seemed to immediately sense our exhaustion and misery so I think he took it easy on us but still had enough snark to perk us up & get us going. My son took one bite of the pastrami and said "this just made our trip!" and it did. The corned beef was supreme. I picked up some black & white cookies to go - I'm sure they're not made in-house, but nevertheless, they were perfect. I will definitely make the trip back! When we were leaving, maybe a little after five, there was almost no line and plenty of seats available in the back corner. Not sure if that is typical for Saturday late afternoons but something to keep in mind. I've read many places "cash only" but we were given the option to use a credit card with our waiter.

Where Harry Met Sally, there is a table with the movie scene. Good sandwich.

We were ordering around 10:30 am on a Saturday; not busy at all. During our meal it started to liven up. Great pastrami and matzo ball soup. Some of the best food around

I got a pastrami on rye which despite costing $20 was actually superb. Just be prepared to come hungry because the sandwiches are huge.

OMG! BEST pastrami EVER! If you are visiting NY, you must come here and try it! Even you need to wait in line. We were so glad that the line was not wrapping around the block like yesterday on New Year s Eve afternoon. New Years Day was much better. The line was short and the food was OMG!

Amazing! I will never be able to eat another pastrami sandwich anywhere else again. Absolutely mouthwatering and utter perfection!

Long wait, authentic experience, good food. Pastrami was too fatty but everything else was excellent!

Easily the best deli in all of NY.

Be prepared to wait to get in and then on line to order. Best way to get extra meat is to tip your chef before he starts slicing. A few dollars goes a long way! Don t lose your ticket or it will cost you.

Grab your food and sit at the middle tables or skip this (quintessential NY) experience and just sit along the wall for waiter service.

Sandwiches are great to split (or eat on your own if you are shameless). Everyone still needs to leave with their own ticket. Go pastrami or corn beef on rye (I like to mix the two). My go-to is Russian dressing, sauerkraut, and mustard but live your dream. Can t go wrong with a classic like the Reuben or Rachel.

Grab some pickles to take home and pay with card in the back or cash up front.

There you have it. The NY and American Dream all in one meal. Congrats. You did it.

Seriously overpriced but utterly delicious tongue omelette at Katzs Deli in Manhattan, New York, New York. Don't ask me why I didn't order the brisket on rye. Keto shmeto.

The Best Pastrami on Rye in the city! Worth waiting in line for!

The line is usually pretty long but moves fairly quickly and the food is definitely worth the wait! The decor is simple but fun to see the many many photos of people who have enjoyed a meal here on the wall.

Food was out of this world ,staff was friendly and helpful.,I will be back

Sandwiches were great. But the whole ticket system and sit your self thing just doesn't work well. Took us a few minutes of walking around with our tray looking for a place to sit cause most of the tables were either full or dirty.

Best place for traditional deli sandwiches. Best pastrami I've ever had

This is a very very popular sandwich spot in New York City. We had to wait in line for two hours in the middle of winter to get sandwiches. We accidentally got the cold sandwich instead of the warm. The quote sandwich was still good but I bet the warm would be even better. The fries though, were the best friends I have ever had in my life. I will probably go back here again and give their warm sandwich a shot

NYC traditions ... what s more to say ... stuff your face ... be happy ... tip the man behind the counter ... and don t drop your ticket

The food is great, the service is a true NY experience - friendly and direct to the point waiters will give good hints on what to eat, but without all that fancy way. You will be treated like a friend - the environment is extremely informal.

This place is like a NYorker theme park in Lower Manhattan, and as any other theme park, is not recommended for those in a diet.
The pastramy sandwich with cheese and hot dog are very good. Potato fried cakes are also a must have.

It has been popular among locals and tourists alike for its pastrami on rye, which is considered among New York's best. Artisan-style bread loaded with thinly sliced pastrami, swiss cheese, and the BEST coleslaw made with a tangy homemade Russian dressing. This place is definitely worth the hype and waiting in line!

There is nowhere in the world where the pastrami, corned beef and chicken liver can even come close to Katz's.

What else could be said for the New York Institution Katz Delicatessen is the place where true New Yorkers go to get traditional hot pastrami on rye. A couple of things to know one you're better off going in with somebody because they make sandwiches as big as your head the free sour pickles and tomatoes that come on this side or like no other that you ever had anywhere the sandwich makers are friendly helpful and let's just cut to the chase their hot as well. So no you have not had a full trip to the city of New York unless you've gone to Katz Delicatessen. Couple of notes one is a cash-only business into you want to be hungry when you go there.

Now I know why this place is so famous... I had the BEST Pastrami on Rye bread with pickles from here. The guy who served me was a pro! The sandwich was so good it's a must try. Very Happy Customer.