Katz's Deli Reviews

A fine sandwich. Very pricey starting at $22 but substantial and delicious

Dirty; cutters are rude. The pastrami is not bad, but had better!

Best Reuben I've ever had. Texture and flavor unmatched. Pickles are fun too, get a few extra for the road, or the other half of the sandwich! Bring cash for easier checkout.

The best pastrami we have ever had. The best matzah ball soup we have ever had. This is a must go to place!

Complicated ordering system drove tourists away as we sat there... food, like the venue, could do with a makeover

Still the best Jewish deli after all these years with the same old crazy ticket system

Unbelievable food. Turkey sandwich was unreal. I finished it, but it was that big it nearly killed me. great job these guys are doing

Meat was lean and delicious but line was out the door but don t let it discourage you. Only waited about 15min to get in and it was worth it

the best pastrami that I ate. Awsome service, thanks Eddie

We visited on Saturday at 2:00 PM, and the line and crowd were outrageous. It was an hour after we arrived until we had our order. The seating was cramped and we were constantly jostled by others trying to either order at the counter or find a seat. The food was outstanding, we split a pastrami Ruben, the $26.00 sandwich. Anyway, it's probably best to visit on a weekday.

Friendly with great cooked meat, well worth a visit. I'm a sauce and spices man so a little lacking for me, but that's not what they aim for. Great quality and perfectly cooked though.

Historic, not what it used to be. It is now a tourist trap

Worth a special trip to visit. Just as good as you hope, and easily the best pastrami and corned beef I've ever had.

Unforgettable .
The pastrami sandwich is simply glorious. And those pickles are perfect.

Iconic pastrami restaurant on lower East side. Get's crowded and touristy, but worth a stop. They keep up their quality despite the crowds.

Katz s is King! This has always been the BEST Deli in NYC. Carnegie was good but is gone, Stage is gone, 2nd Avenue is good, Katz s is KING of the hand carved meet. Don t do waiter service, get there before rush hour lunch and dinner and take a number and wait online at the counter, when they wait on you throw a couple of bucks in the tip jar and the slicer will give you some meat at the counter. pastrami is great, if you don t like it fatty then order 1st cut lean on pastrami, corned beef and brisket. The knishes and fries are always a great side dish BUT THER POTATOE LATKES ARE THE BEST!

It s no different than any corner deli s sandwich for about 15 times the price. If it wasn t that this was a tourist attraction, this place wouldn t be in business from their prices to the the service to the miserable people who work there. I ve had better pastrami in subway and better roast beef in Arby s. Do yourself a favor yuppies, I know you people love to spend money so you can feel lavishly and important but save yourselves the money and go to an actual local deli that would appreciate you more and needs your support more than this place for a cheaper price.

Meat falls apart in the best of ways. The ordering system can be confusing for first timers.

Best pastrami on rye you'll ever have. At a current $20, it's worth $30. Get a house lager and some pickles to go. Don't lose your ticket. Afterwards, either grab a slice of cheese cake or go next door for some gelato.

There is only one place that gives you such diversity..Its Katz I have been fancying this place for at least fourty years or more smile you wont be disappointed eat till your heart is content chow

My friends from Canada actually brought me to this famous Jewish deli. And Omg!! The most delicious pastrami sandwich ever! I didn t even know I like pastrami sandwiches! And SO big! I ate half and saved half for later. Server was super funny in a rude, sarcastic kind of way. What an awesome historic little spot to visit. Read the wiki page on it. It makes it that much more special to experience. I liked the WWII posters/sayings all over saying, send a salami to your boy in the army. Kinda takes you back to another time. It s super cool that it s been around for over 125 years!

Huge portions and great taste, just budget a bit more cash when eating here.

Bring cash, because the sign that says "no credit cards" isn't on display until you get to the cash register. Katz's has been slinging cured meats in NYC for nearly 150 years, so they are doing something right. the line is total chaos, the seating has no order, and the full-body tattooed folks behind the counter clearly get paid by the hour. When it comes down to it, though, you won't find a better corned beef sandwich anywhere in the city. Don't come here in a rush--enjoy the people watching because all walks of life come through Katz's.

This is the world's most famous place for pastrami. The pastrami is delicious and tender. It is very pricy but the portions that they give you can feed two people. It can get really crowded. The wait time is approximately 20 to 25 min. Not bad. My server had a stone face and no expression at all. His mood was unpleasant and had 0 work ethics. Overall pastrami is on point 9/10.

It's so great to return to an original. Best pastrami ever. Portions are always generous! Makes my day when in NYC!

Only reason I give 3 stars is the Pastrami is great, Delicious! Other than that, Katz is nothing special. A bit over priced, place is usually over crowded and instead of employees helping form lines or organize they sit around and yell "keep moving". The night we went the employee making sandwiches was cursing throwing things around talking to me with attitude, then got angry when I didn't drop a tip in his cup. He literally picked up the cup and cursed at me. I was going to add the tip to card since we had no cash on hand.

Best pastrami!!! Customer service 1 star. But best pastrami!!! Price 2 star. But best pastrami!!!. I guess overall 4 star for having the best pastrami I've tasted so far in my life time.

World famous landmark. Food is all right, the bread for their infamous pastrami on rye is grocery store bread. Very disappointed with that.

NOM! Don't expect fancy restaurant service here, go for the awesome food and fun canteen vibe. A must for anyone visiting NYC

Spectacular meat! One od The best thing i have ever eaten. Very "american" style place;)

Nothing short of amazing... the pastrami sandwich is the best sandwich I have ever had in my entire life.

Nice and classic, good organization, not that nice bathrooms...! When Harry Mets Sally!$$$ get the pastrami!

Didn't understand this place you go inside get a ticket the don't tell where to go next nothing so I left upon leaving they took their ticket back, but couldn't provide proper direction. I wasn't the only one to leave, money must just walk out the door everyday but they didn't seem concerned.

This has been a bucket list restaurant for me, but the huge touristy lines caused me to avoid it on prior occasions. The pastrami (juicy) on rye with mustard is divine. I had some pickles and potato salad on the side - unfortunately both were mediocre. At $22 USD for the sandwich... I just don't know if it is worth the hype. If you ever find yourself in Montreal, try Schwartz's for a $8 USD sandwich which is superior IMHO. That being said, Katz's has a really excellent pastrami sandwich and it is an institution in NYC.

Great to have warm Deli meat, but pretty primitive toppings. Personally think it's a bit overrated

Loved every bite. The taste makes up for the confusing payment system, zero service and messy environment.

The absolute best! Go for the brisket sandwich, it's MASSIVE! stay for the nostalgia.

Used to frequent back in da day. Came back after over a decade only to still have googly eyes for a hot pastrami. Yum

The only place me and my family default to when we want to have those warm pastrami or corned beef sandwiches. My father has been taking me here since I was a child. The hot dogs are awesome too. The same taste, the same quality meats, but the sandwiches have shrunken by a 1/3 since back in the day. I remember used to getting more meat piled on. Still love them though. I truly recommend this NYC landmark.

I went with the classic pastrami on rye and mustard.....It was awesome as usual.

The pastrami sandwich is expensive, the place is packed and busy which equals long waiting times. But good damn it is worth it all. So flavorful, juicy and tender! Wauw!

An iconic and traditional deli in the middle of Manhattan. If this wasn t enough to convince you that this place is worth the trip they also have one of the best pastrami I ve had.
Portions are huge, be careful with ordering, especially the sides. Prices are a bit high for a deli but this isn t a regular place and the walls do remind you how many places have passed through.

I travel for more than 12 hours flight to get NYC, the experience as a tourist was good, but I just feel realize that my money and time wort it when I was eating my pastrami kat's sandwiches, such amazing Experience. It was not like I imagine because they have this strange cantina way to buy, anD the store was a pretty bad damage, but was so so so cool

Very good brisket of beef sandwich! Worth the price and queue and effort to get here!

A must do if you are in NYC. Quick tip, one sandwich is more than enough for two people. The pastrami literally melts in your mouth.

Most organized chaos I've ever seen! Very impressed with the system and of course the food is just as impressive! Everyone was very friendly and the gentleman making my sandwich was so helpful and kind to this particular tourist!

Fast service, make sure to take advantage of the 7 lines available for sandwiches.

Best sandwich I have ever had. They call it corned beef and in the UK we call it salt beef. Recommend the mixed pickles as well.

Katz...a New York tradition never disappoints. Best damn sandwiches in the city hands down!!! Always busy which should tell you something!!

New York, Lower East Side doesn't get any more iconic than Katz's. A must visit for anyone in New York...

Best pastrami I've ever had. Hands down one of the most amazing delis.

Sad, to much hype. Sandwiches where so tough made them uneatable. Bring a knife and fork.

Wow. The pastrami is otherworldly. Matzahs the size of softballs. We will be back.

Pastrami is really delicious!!!! What else? It's the place with a great atmosphere. Must be in NYC

Ordered 3 course dinner for 4 delivered to my house.
Two thirds of the corned beef I got was virtually unedible. So chewy you could blow bubbles with it. If I was served this at your restaurant I would have returned it. Very disappointing.

Genuine New York experience. Get it while it still exists

The best old school kosher style deli you'll ever visit, hands down. During peak hours, lines can be obscenely long, but once you're seated, be gracious and straight to the point with the notoriously temperamental staff, and soon you'll experience the meal of a lifetime. The pastrami is the best house-cured meat. Try it on rye and I guarantee you'll crave it regularly. The Reuben is also second to none. Worth the wait, Katz lives up to all the hype.

Pretty dang good, atmosphere is really cool with all the history, really good meats,

Pastrami sandwich,big portions and pretty expensive. Probably I had really really high expectation before I came here so I wasn t impressed a lot. In general, the food is good.

YO Katz's is so good. Pastrami will seriously never be the same after Katz's. I don't even know why I'm writing this because they have a sea of good reviews. Its only downside is kinda stressful trying to order but totally worth it.

If there was a restaurant that was ever severly overrated then Katz Deli would be the one. I believe the high reviews are mostly derived from the the nostalgia of the place. From people having the expectation that they must love it, and as such you end up rating their experience on the higher side. I mean come on, your in the world famous Katz's Deli. A New York City institution, a must visit if you are in New York! Or so we been told. Katz's has been around for so long that it popularity has been well documented to the point where even Hollywood has done it's fair share. So I was deeply disappointed when this deli severly failed my most minimum expectation. My rating is solely on the food as I will not rate it on it's long lines, which are separate for both food and drink. If waiting in line once is not enough for you, then get back in line while your food gets cold as you wait to order a root beer. But hey come on, this is Katz's and I figured this is part of the experience, no biggie! Then I finally got to taste New York's and by some accounts the worlds greatest deli. After spending $50 plus for a cold sandwich which only flavor profile I can only describe as salty. I've had better pastrami and corned beef on my corner deli in Virginia and have had enough left over to fill my gas tank. Needless to say my meal went in the trash almost as soon as I got it. The sandwich was mediocre at best. The whole thing was just a big disappointment, which I really hoped would be a a great experience and one that I would look forward to repeating in the future. Unfortunately, for me this was not the case. I really wanted to like Katz's, but now I can at least say that I tried the place.

Oh my goodness! As a fat guy you can believe me that Katz Deli serves the Best Sandwiches in the world!!! I had the pastrami on rye, my sons had the Reuben sandwich (ask for lean cuts off meat or it may be too fatty) and my daughter had the pea soup.

Horrible waiters and service. Food is not worth all the hype.

There's no better place to get a pastrami sandwich in Manhattan. Katz's is classic, and always very busy. Prices aren't cheap, but, besides the bottled water, you get what you pay for. Too much of a tourist destination to be anyone's home deli. I'll be going again next time I'm in Manhattan!

The best pastrami I have ever tried in my life so far!! It is expensive but what it s not expensive in NYC.
The decor and the ambiance are just amazing with a lot of pictures of personalities who came to the restaurant.
Keep in mind that it is always busy, we where queuing outside of the restaurant and it took more than 45 minutes to get a seat but it was worth it.

Definitely worth going to say you ve been but in my opinion it s very overrated and expensive for what it is. Taste good but not great.

Wait was a bit long but worth it. Amazing food and great service.

Excellent NY deli but not as good as Liebman's deli in the Bronx.. Has been eating there for 50 years.

Excellent corned beef sandwich as always. On principle, kind of disappointing that the sandwiches are like 1/2 the size you got years ago (in reality not like you can finish the sandwich anyway). Best of the dying breed of jewish delis!

This is a good place but I think it's a bit overrated. The pastrami sandwich was good but too plain, that is, only meet and bread. The Reuben was more flavourful as it had some sauce over it.

An absolute classic in the city. With a scene from When Harry Met Sally, and delicious food, the great environment can do no wrong.

The rumors are true! This place is so fantastic and the pastrami cannot be beat. Ask for juicy on rye with mustard find a table and sit back and enjoy a place of which few still abound. Lots of people, lots of noise, fabulous old-time deli food

The hype is real. Best pastrami and corned beef ever. Well worth the price.

Amazing deli, they have everything your heart desires. Put in for a table, must easier then trying to find one yourself.

Superb. Yeah, the sandwhiches are roughly $20-$22, but theyre massive and made w quakity meats. ABSOLUTELY try them

Best pastrami in the whole world! Sandwiches cannot be matched. Lots of meat, delicious mustard and that pickle.... Well let's just say there's a reason it's amazing and you'll want more.