Katz's Deli Reviews

I was very impressed with Katz's Deli in the lower east side part of New York City. It is a no frills deli that has been in operation since the 1800s. There is a walk up order line where you order your food and then choose a seat at one of the open tables. Items are very a la carte so the price can add up if you order quite a bit. I tried one of their famous pastrami sandwiches and was more than satisfied with the amount served. Paired with mustard it was a very filling dish. I would definitely recommend this establishment for anyone wanting to experience a traditional deli while in NYC.

Pastrami is the best on planet Earth. Pastrami on white with Russian dressing. Do it.

Just as expected from the Iconic New York Deli. Ordered the Pastrami sandwich on rye, and got what I expected, a good sized sandwich from an Iconic tourist location within the city. The meat on the sandwich was thin, and a little bit soggy, but the sauce made up for it. The sandwich was also on the more expensive side, but I got what I expected from coming to Katz, a great memory from a famous deli in NYC.

I'm a big fan of the sandwich but talk about really rude customers services!

We had their classic beef sandwich and pickles. It was just pure artisanship. We loved it! The bouncer had unnecessary attitude that we found quite unnecessary tough. Anyways I don't care if it's a touristy place, you ought to check out Katz's if you are in NYC.

You just gotta go here! Best pastrami you can imagine, in an ageless iconic setting. $22 for a sandwich is a bit pricy, but it's a massive amount of perfectly spiced meat and can easily be shared by two.

Extremely expensive but worth the annual treat. Sandwich certainly got smaller and price certainly increased so my visits declined but I still return to again an overly satisfying treat. Best of Jewish delicatessen specialties.

Excellent Pastrami and Corned Beef sandwiches couldnt ask for anything better and havent found any better as yet just love Katz

It was a little to much meat for me. I'll take half the meat for half the price :)

Fantastic food! You need to try pastrami sandwich before you die.

Terrible system and lousy service.

Gotta love this piece of history! Will go back for more next time I'm in New York

Didn't really live up to the hype. The corned beef and pastrami were pretty good, but not great. Didn't like the potato salad, too sugary.

Pros: Massive portions are very good. Meat is cooked perfectly. They make a pretty good sandwich. The cons: Layout of service is very confusing and prices are a little bit high. But all on all it was good.

Long line! But it goes fast. If there is a wait, just wait, it s worth it. A must go to if you re not from NY

My favorite food, done to perfection, with good atmosphere.

Believe the hype. One of the best sandwich I ve had. You walk through the door, grab a ticket, you wait in one of the many lines, and to order. After getting your meal, you try to find an open seat and enjoy your meal. I had to try the pastrami since all the photos of it looked amazing. Pricey, $22 dollars for the sandwich and the side of pickles was included. Over all, fantastic meal.

What can I say! The food is great!
Can be a long wait to be seated if you eat there & you may be seated next to complete strangers at the same table... didn't care for that...

Service was great, they serve with respect,The Food was Good as well. The price is just to Dam High. I found a place on 1st ave between 33 and 34 st that taste just like Katz and Give a lot of meat the same way like katz,they price is right $8.00, im a stick to that. Panini cafe yal on point

Chaotic, confusing (keep all your entry tickets and hand them all in when you leave, even if you don't use them all), but amazing pasttami on rye.

Delicious pastrami sandwich matzo ball soup and many more dishes to enjoy. I ordered several sandwiches for 2 more . One suggestion to the servers: ask people if they would like sauces or sides like Sauerkraut or onions sauce, etc. When I was there, the cutter did not ask anything if I wanted any of them. They did not have Rugelach or Hamentashen for dessert either .

Yikes! What can be said about Katz s deli that hasn t already been said. They make the greatest pastrami sandwich in the world.

Food is delicious. Worth the wait. A little pricey but no worries, because the service, ambiance and crowd make up for it.

I enjoy an occasional corned beef sandwich here. As stated in other reviews, this place is quite expensive and touristy. However, the meat is still quite good and comes in a huge portion in any sandwich. I often share a sandwich and pickles with another person, and take my time soaking in the environment.

Such a long wait, and for what?! The pastrami is tasty but has too many chewy parts that are hard to swallow + it s fatty as hell, which doesn t stop the sandwich from being super dry. Corned beef is even worse. The only salvation is the superb Matzo ball soup
We made the mistake of waiting to be seated! If you order at the cutters you can seat at any of the available seats in the designated tables.

The place had a nice atmosphere but the patience the employees had was short fused. If you plan on going then you better prepare yourself and learn how they take orders. Seems complicated in the crowds of people.

Very picturesque and good food but service and prices are not great. Totally a must go at least once.

I love coming back to this place, the pastrami sandwich is s winner

Whats with kats? you pay $20 bucks and feel like your on a lunch line in jail! i'd pass on that. Try This little piggy!

Awesome.. not cheap... But worth it... And you won't need to eat again for the rest of the day... Great experience...

Highly recommended to anyone planning to visit the big apple.

It s the serendipitous meetups. It s the hustle the bustle it the anxiety as you inch closer to the door. Your time is next. The sights the sounds and oh the smells of your first time or your 100th time in this marvelous polychromatic eatery. Sumptuous sandwiches abound made just for you. Age and antiquity slicing the best pastrami and meats right in front of you.
Can t join the party in person? Then don t forget you can join in the story by mail order too.

Food is great. Usually packed and hard to navigate inside. Parking is really bad and it's very very very expensive. For 2 hotdogs a kinish and a can of soda it was $18.00 and there was nothing special about the hotdogs or the kinish.

If you decide to go eat here stick with the pastrami and you won't be disappointed just be prepared to pay...

It's iconic, but they live on their reputation and default popularity. The service is a little rushed and the ticket/token system is insane (ie, they fine you if you lose your paper slip). The food is good but not worth the wait or the price.

Despite this being a tourist destination, it has amazing food. The corned beef and pastrami sandwich here is crazy good

Pastrami sandwich was good... Would have been better if the waiter had brought it to us rather than letting it sit in the counter for 10 minutes and disappearing.

Great and flavorful pastrami. A NY staple. Best pastrami I've ever had.

Long line but worth the wait. If there s two of you, just split a sandwich. Follow the directions they give as it s a ticket system...you re giving a ticket, order and eat your food in various lines (1-7 is all the same), then pay as you exit!

The place is a classic arguably the best deli in NYC. Unfortunately, for us great for them has become a tourist spot (with tourist prices). Be prepared for some sticker shock but bottom line its worth it..

Fantastic experience! Go hungary and leave fully satisfied!

Visit this if you are in NY!! Food is awesome. went in around 8pm and no need to line-up to get in.

Half pastrami on rye with mustard, side salad, and Frankfurter was the perfect quantity. Melt in mouth pastrami. Brilliant sandwich!

Great food, huge portions. It is pricey and slightly stressful I'm the atmosphere.

I am quite disapointed by the restaurant, I tried the pastrami sandwich which was good but the price is too high for what it gives, though the staff was quiet friendly. Tried once but I won't do it again

Authentic NYC deli. Best pastrami I have ever eaten

Pastrami sandwich... enough said! Im pretty sure you can get other things but why mess with perfection. I will most certainly get the pastrami if I make it back!

Delicious, but overpriced. Not particularly worth a repeat visit.

Great pastrami. Service was fast. A must go in NYC. A bit expensive tho

Omg the best sandwich place expensive but worth it i try the french fry they were good not oily at all

Amazing atmosphere although you kind of get herded like cattle. The smoked meat sandwiches and dill pickles are incomparable! Plus if you're a cinephile like me you can spot the table from the famous scene in When Harry Met Sally!

Super expensive but the largest and best pastrami I have ever had. It was a great experience. I don't recommend the corned beef, pastrami is definitely the better option (they let you taste it there). Things do get a little salty so be careful.

If you're visiting NYC and are on the LES, you've gotta have a sandwich here. Bucket list stuff.

No one could deny the authenticity of this place in New York City folklore... and it's hard to top the crowd pleasing signature dishes. A local might know other places that deliver better this or that, but for us it was magnificent... they had me at the pickles!

We had a pastrami on rye, a lox bagel, mixed salad plate and potato latkes. Most people around us ate half the pastrami, and bagged up the rest for later, but not me. I chewed my way through the whole thing. The coleslaw and potato salad were both delicious. I also have to give a nod to our waitress for the service. We lost one of our tickets somehow, which seemed like it was going to be a big problem. Nearly walked out at that point. She sorted it out and we were happy to give a generous tip. 5 out of 5 for quality, ambience, authenticity, service and overall experience.

Really lives up to it's name. Great food, huge portions, lovely service and clean toilets!

Pastrami sandwich is nice but burgers under seasoned

The line is crazy and all the poll. However its worth the wait for the sandwich..A lil river priced

Best chopped liver and pastrami I've ever had! Our waiter, Dave, made the experience a fun one!!

A New York tradition and in every New York City guide book. Yeah go and visit it, buy food if you like but we thought the food was way over priced and very basic. We've had better food elsewhere
Much cheaper. But like I say it's a New York experience.

Good food, good portions but the requirement to hold a paper ticket for each person is annoying. Restrooms are atrocious.

Yes, the food is expensive, but it's good to go just once, at least. I had a half-pastrami, half-corned beef sandwich with my dad. Very delicious, even at our Jewish/Irish standards.
Just this week I took my boyfriend for the first time and we had split pea soup and homefries (not very traditional; we're on a budget). Generous portions and very friendly service. The total was $11 for a pretty tasty "brunch" snack between the two of us.

A NYC institution! You cannot visit the best city in the world and not eat a pastrami sandwich. Pick a lane and tip your meat slicer. Don't order silly things, there are other lines for that. No cash? They have a credit station in the back by the salami.

Overwhelmingly awesome. A must stop for anyone wanting a great sandwich and experience. Steep learning curve for ordering but they'll make you remember for next time.

Very good sandwich. Staff are all pretty nice as well.

The meat is very juicy and flavorful. It just fell apart in my mouth. I've seen pictures and thought I could easily finish it, but I was wrong.
It was pretty fatty so I had to have a pop to help me with it, and i still didn't finish it.

Never really had a pastrami sandwich, but this sets the bar high for me.

The best sandwiches , the best portions.I am trying too get them to find a place upper Manhattan because I live West ninties

Horribly crowded and for what? Stood close to an hour in line to get a sandwich. Not really worth the time, money or effort.
Much better and worthwhile food places in town.
Don't think we will be going back.

Was looking forward to my first trip to a real NY deli but left with a bad taste in my mouth and not just because of the food. After waiting 10 mins to get in (not really a problem) we were greeted by the front of house gorilla who, rather than welcoming us in a friendly tone and explaining the set up, basically said "You get a ticket here, you lose it you come and see me & you don't want to come and see me" I kind of took exception to that and told him where to go. He looked genuinely shocked that someone spoke to him like that and backed off.
Then had to queue at a booth and order food. Once you had your food you then had to find a table, needless to say there were no tables available. After waiting a while we got a table but the food was cold by then. Had corned beef with fries-corned beef was tasteless and fries were soggy. It was like school dinners and that is a compliment. Rubbish food, horrible people. Will never go back and would never recommend.

Not what I remember, went today, the pastrami was very salty.

Wonderful place for sandwiches, we got there and we got a table really quick, (keep in mind this is late afternoon) service was fast, sandwiches we're well prepared and delicious and the place has the charming of the old NYC, a must see place!

Go in. Get your ticket. Order pastrami on rye you'll thank me later ;-)

Delicious. They are quite large. Should splitter between two people

A MUST in New York City. A bit unfriendly people, but it does not matter. The best pastrami sandwich in the City.

Stood in line for a hour but let me tell worth every minute waiting great staff even better food

The sandwich was great and the pickle was off the chart. I d recommend to experience it once; just an overpriced great sandwich

The food is great (except the neon green pickles), the wait is legendary & they ordering/payment system is the craziest I have ever seen. It is pricey but what do you expect from a NYC landmark. It's a must if you're in the area & have never been. One visit was enough for me.

The guy who made our sandwich was super nice. Don't forget they have a tip jar.

From Maine and have heard how great nyc delis are! It's true! This is the best pastrami imaginable. There are seven cutters and about a 10 minute wait in line.The cutter slices the pastrami and gives you a taste while he prepares your sandwiches. Served on the best rye bread with their mustard and I can say this is the deli of all delis!! Would not go to nyc without going to Katz!! Bucket list worthy! Check!

Absolutely delicious sandwiches piled high with perfectly cooked meat. New York classic and a must check out. I highly recommend checking the business level and going during off hours to fully be able to enjoy it with out a large crowd. Expect to pay a bit more for everything but in the end it's worth it.