Katz's Deli Reviews

The pastrami is NOT worth the price, I get much better from Chompie's Deli. It & the corned beef are sliced way to thick. Everything is kind of bland, won't buy here anymore.

A true landmark, don't be afraid of being too much of a tourist - just go! The food is amazing and if you're vegetarian and/or into sweets, I recommend the blueberry blinches which they make as good as my Jewish grandmother does.

You should at least visit once, just for the tradition of this place. A bustling hall for lovers of salty meat and pickles. We loved it but it's not everyday's food. The most expensive sandwich I ever had. But that's New York.

Rude waitstaff!! Ruins the experience!! Don t waste your time. The food is mediocre. Many other deli s that are far better and you don t get treated poorly. Don t waste your time!!

Still the best pastrami in the city i think must try if u havent!

I would consider a Pastrami on Rye from Katz Delicatessen to be a contender for a last meal if I were ever on death row. It s really that good. Street parking is channeling , garage parking is expensive - but it s worth the challenge or cost to treat yourself to a meal at Katz Deli.

Steak for 4 was great. Sides dishes and salad was excellent. We all had a great dinner. Was a lot if money but for a very special occasion was worth it.

i have a love - meh relationship with Katz's. yes, the sandwiches are huge. Some of them are very tasty like pastrami, tongue or beef. Knishes are good, too. Avoid latkes at all cost.

Love the food and kiosk. Go early so you can savor everything. Pastrami and matzo ball were my favorite.

A NYC must! Just go with the flow and enjoy the experience

Overrated!!!
25$ dollars for not more than an okay sandwich.
I was really disappointed.

Good, but overpriced. I went about an hour before closing time, and there was no wait time!

Heads up, all orders close to closing time are automatically to-go. They will not let you eat inside!

A once in a lifetime trip to NYC from the UK. Not a total visit without calling into Katz. Awesome food.

A classic stop in NY. Best time is after going out, late at night, so you don't have to wait in line. You'll get a ticket when you walk in, and whatever you order will be marked on the ticket. You pay on your way out, showing your ticket. Even if you personally didn't buy anything, you still need to show your empty ticket on your way out. They're very strict on not losing the ticket (because then they can't charge you) so hold tight to it. Pastrami was yummy, atmosphere was great.

Pastrami sandwich was amazing!
A bit expensive I think. 22$

Had been craving hotdog for the past week since i was in the area i figured I'd visit worlds famous katz was served by David who was very friendly and very professional but I've had better hotdogs than what i had at katz

Make sure you dont lose your ticket or its $50.
Which can happen since its kind of an organized chaos inside. Patience and courtesy go a long way here. It took a bit keep track of the signs up on top of where to go.

Also make sure the amount they charge you is what's on the ticket. I ordered a Rueben with Pastrami and my wife just ordered fries and 3 waters but they read the $16.30 for fries/water as $26.30 which is understandable since it gets pretty hectic in there. We ended up just getting a half dozen bagels instead so I saw it as a win/win and they helped us out with it which was awesome

Very crowded, but that's a testament to the delicious food. Prices were pretty good, but I wish the self-serve drinking water provided ice for the glasses.

Always have to grab some pastrami and Latkes! Katz is the best.

Does not disappoint, the pastrami sandwich was delicious.

I cannot recommend this traditional Jewish Deli any more. Forget the "When Harry Met Sally" connection, the food is incredible! Unless you know what you're doing, the pink ticket system is somewhat confusing so opt for the waitress service if at all possible. You can then take your time looking at the menu without the hustle and bustle of being at the counter. Pastrami and brisket sandwich was to die for, the latkes and knish was also delicious

there s no better food or service kosher in the city. Cantor s on Fairfax in Los Angeles 2nd avenue deli 33td here are always good. But Katz still standard bearer in old Eastern European cuisine. I travel there an hour and back at least three times a week and nothing i can see in foreseeable future will slow me down. Three stack pastrami on rye Russian dressing as dying and being simul resurrected

King of meat! Pastrami perfect. Big portions served. We ordered one for each. He warned us that we can not eat it all alone. Thanx guys! Grab the table where Harry met Sally!

you can never go wrong with Katz yes it is a little expensive but the corn beef or pastrami is always spot on. one sandwich can feed two people i always ask for extra bread.

A little pricey but well worth it. Huge portions. Food is great. Long lines but moves fast.

Ohh my god! The Pastrimi Sandwich is one of the best I have eaten here in NY

I ordered a half pastrami half corned beef sandwich which came to $26. Loved the pastrami and the pickles on the side, but wasn't a fan of the corned beef. Even if I did order a full pastrami sandwich, I think it's a bit overpriced. However, the atmosphere and the decorations are cool. Come for the experience if you can afford it.

Oh my god. We had a rueben and i have not had better corned beef anywhere else. Sandwiches are huge... Get one to share. My only regret is that the serves are so huge I could not try more of their offerings. The slicers are hilarious. Seating is chaotic who cares! Everyone is goodnatured and happy to share tables.

A perfect piece of American history with out of this world food.

Had a pastrami sandwitch and it was excelent -maybe a little bit oversized. Coffee was not that good. Service was unfriendly but it fits to the whole picture. Oh and they take no credit cards. Nether the less a place you have to go and judge for your self.

It's a classic, but hard to say it's worth it. Go for the Reuben if it's your first time.

It s basically an NY institution worth at least one visit by anyone in town. Ask for an extra juicy cut of pastrami.

Famous deli. Great sandwiches, well worth the visit.

Been here plenty of time n it's an experience everytime

Fun experience. The meat is fantastic and loaded onto your sandwich.

A must. The classic Lower East side Jewish-style restaurant. You must go for the experience - then order a corned beef sandwich and french fries with a Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda!

Super busy but amazing food and you actually get served pretty quickly

I was excited about visiting the new Katz location in Brooklyn. What a horrible experience. While waiting for my food I thought my number was called and when I asked the employee she looked at me angrily and with a bad attitude said " no one took your food your number wasn't called" and I sat there silently. Once my food was ready she held up the bag and when I grabbed it and she held it from me as if we were playing tug a war. After I took my bag she started mimicking me repeating my question about the ticket and as I walked away started making more remarks. I called the dekalb market hall and made a complaint and when Josh from operations told me he would call me back ( which he did not ) he told me he had the managers go over customer service again and asked me what I wanted because no one would lose their job over this. I told him that I don't wish badly upon others and to be brutally honest I just want to be treated as a human being nonetheless a customer who just spent $35 on lunch. DO NOT SPEND MONEY AT THE DEKALB MAKRET HALL OR KATZ IN BROOKLYN.

Best corned beef and pastrami
Come from long island and it worth it

Love love love the food here! There's always a crazy line and quite pricey but well worth it. It's very cute inside.

Huge portions, go with a friend and share. Its all delicious, Pastrami on rye with mustard, the hotdogs, the sides! A true New York Institution

The sandwiches here are HUGE!!! I ordered the 1/2 pastrami sandwich with matzo ball soup and it was more than enough to fill me up. The flavor was great too! They take pride in what they make. I would come back again because the meat was so tasty and this was my first time trying matzo soup and I loved it. You can either get table service or you can wait in line at the counter and then find a seat. Waiting at the counter tends to be a shorter wait time. When you walk in you are handed a yellow ticket and you give that to the carver behind the counter who marks it up with what you ordered. You dO that at the drink station as well and then pay at the final counter. They take cash or card.

Great pastrami, NYC style. The staff can be friendlier, but i guess that is the charm of the place.

Pretty good but expensive. Give it a shot. Split a sandwich with someone.

Very, very expensive. Cool atmosphere and awesome food though.

We waited in line and started tasting those slices of meat. More than 20 chefs cut like a machine preparing a sandwich every minute. Perfectly sharpened knives and wooden boards... Tak, tak, tak...
The sounds open your appetite.
As the sandwich approached my mouth it was as if all my senses were awakened! Oh my God! Oh my God! A gigantic sandwich filled with a dozen layers of finely sliced pastrami.
Juicy meat with black borders, a fatty meat embraced by a moist bread spread with mustard, a fine one.
A sandwich of dreams if I may say.

The one and only. Slabs of juicy salty meat. Great pickles. Chili described by staff as 'not great today'. My son ate the brisket and the pastrami (desperate trips - don't call Child Protection) and went the full Meg Ryan. Great atmosphere. Queue moves slowly so be cUtios at busy times. OMG but they deliver

The pastrami is worth the wait! The brisket is not bad either.

No surprise here, this place is such a gem and everything I d ever heard.

You've got to love this place; old style New Yorker food, albeit with a huge tourist contingent eating there as well now, whilst retaining its authenticity. The waiter was an absolute stereotype with a wicked sense of humour.
Definitely try it.

Amazing pastrami that more than managed to live up to the high expectations I had of this place after hearing about it so much in best of New York lists! I came hungry after a long day and got a classic pastrami sandwich, fries, and a Pepsi. It was all great but definitely not cheap and come hungry or you won t finish it all

Very hectic environment, newcomers are just walking around unsure of how to proceed. The portions are decent but extremely overpriced for a decent tasting product.

A trip to NY, NY is not complete without a stop at Katz. We stuffed ourselves, then bought the next meal's food and brought it to the hotel! THE BEST!!

Incredible service. Queue looked really long but they have the place running like clockwork so we were in really quickly. Worth waiting for waiter service if you can, as we only waited about five minutes. Staff were incredible, food was unreal, atmosphere is great. The people in the queue were all New Yorkers and super chatty to us.

Really fun, but a bit chaotic for first-timers like us. We opted for waiter service. Loved the pastrami sandwich. Best we've ever had. We got the cheese blintzes and latkes too. Blintzes were a bit heavy on the cheese, but the fried dough was delicious. The latkes definitely fit more of the pancake mold than shredded potato latkes I've had before. Loved all of it. Would highly recommend for the food and experience.

Love their Pastrami; i was here 4 days ago and did not care for the whining one if the servers was doing. Dave, is my favorite! Gracias chico.

I guess I expected more from the place. It's an average deli. It's a nice atmosphere. Prices are over the top, though.

It's like you expect it with plenty, really plenty of pastrami. The amount of pastrami and pastrami loving regulars might just be a tat too much for the light hearted person. Still, try it. A lot of famous people's pictures on the wall.

Amazing pastrami sandwiches, come with an empty stomach!

This place is very touristy and crowded. But it totally worth the wait. Pastrami to die for!

Best pastrami sandwich in the world. One may even see a celebrity having lunch.

I've been going here for years. The prices have increased tremendously over the years but it's still worth it.

The experience alone is great, the food is the cherry on top.

Best pastrami sandwich ever ! It's a bit a mess to understand how it works to order, get the food and pay but it's the game.

Redefines the meaning of pastrami. One Reuben is more than enough for two people. Come by 11am to avoid the crowd.

I'm a 36yr old male from Brooklyn and I have heard about the pastrami there for years but never had the opportunity to enjoy any. After all my years, I finally had the chance to eat there and honestly...I'm glad I waited all those years cause its the best pastrami ever...hands down.

Thank you Jim Gaffigan. This place really lived up to my expectations and was as exactly as good as I imagined it would be.

I had to try this place s Pastrami after watching Mark Weins video food tour of NYC, it really lives up to the hype, glad I got to try it for myself.

Best corned beef in the observable universe! Pastrami is excellent too.

Food was great but ordering and looking for a seat was a mess

Pricey, but sooo worth it. I have tried pastrami from other locations in the past and never liked it. All other restaurants have been so bad I figured I just didn't like pastrami. My friend REALLY wanted to go try this place, but I was REALLY hesitant. I did not think I was going to fall in love with their food.

I have to say... this is the only place I will ever get pastrami sandwiches from. I will travel all the way from California again just to have it. The food was AMAZING. It needs to be tried no matter what. Do not avoid this place!

It is really busy and gets super packed. Prices are also more that what I typically am able to spend, but (again) I believe it's really worth the wait and price.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Not only is this deli historic and a landmark, they're serving up some great grub. The system was a bit daunting to a newcomer (you get a ticket at the front, everything you order is written on it, then you pay as you leave) we figured it out with the help of the friendly and personable staff. They also recommended to us a pastrami sandwich that rocked my world. Would recommend to anyone looking for a genuine NYC lunch.

First time at Katz's. Been there, done that, won't return. Very good fresh pastrami sandwich. Must say I had great kosher pastrami sandwich yesterday for first time in Queens and it was better. Katz's was a zoo inside maybe because it was Presidents Day.

Corned beef was a bit tasteless but hands down one of the best pastrami sandwiches I had. The decoration inside is very retro-American which makes it an interesting experience in the middle of New York. The waiting time is too long to justify the sandwich though, took me an hour outside, and another half an hour inside to get a table. Being so busy, it is not the cleanest place unfortunately and the service was extremely slow, waited around 40 minutes to get our sandwiches. You might be better off going for the no table service route if you can find a place to sit in the common seating area.

Amazing pastrami on rye with mustard & pickles as always, however, be sure to place your order from a "well-seasoned" cutter!

This was no mere sandwich ladies and gentlemen, THIS WAS ART!! And maybe one of the best things I've ever eaten. Delicious, fresh, tender, warm chunks of pastrami, topped with melted swiss, a perfect amount of deli mustard all sitting between two soft and fresh slices of rye bread. The square knish was also excellent as expected. I cannot wait til my next visit!

Unbelievably delicious, no frills, Jewish deli serving up all the favorites! Come early or wait in massive lines! Lunch time is better than early dinner for a quick in and out.

The best pastrami corned beef I've ever had. The price is worth it since it was a memorable experience!!