Katz’s Delicatessen
There are many notable delicatessens in New York City, but there’s only one Katz’s.
You know that scene in When Harry Met Sally? It starts with another verbal back-and-forth between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan and climaxes with…well, you know.
That takes place at Katz’s. And unlike the possibility of someone looking like Billy Crystal ever being able to get someone who looks like late 80s-era Meg Ryan, the setting is still true-to-life over a quarter century later. Yes, there are staff members who wear the jackets. Yes, the wood panels surround an efficient assembly line of beef and pork products.
Katz’s offers more than a mouth-watering pastrami sandwich. It offers an experience the moment you enter the door. You’re greeted with a raffle-like ticket that you hand to the sandwich artist (and unlike the employees at Subway, these people are truly artists when it comes to crafting a sandwich). Once you place an order, the artist provides a small sample of the meat you’re going to ingest. The sandwiches are simple (meat, mustard, rye, possibly lettuce or tomato), but they come packed with meat spilling out of the rye. And if you have the stomach space for it, order a square potato knish to accompany your sandwich, along with an assortment of sweet and sour pickles.
Before You Go
Katz’s is open from 8:00 am – 10:45 pm (Sunday-Wednesday), Thursday: 8:00 am-2:45 am, open all day Friday and Saturday. Make sure you have cash before you order—they don’t take credit or checks and the sandwich artists have tip jars in front of their station.
Bottom Line
There’s a reason Katz’s has been around since 1888. Even if you’re not of the heavy sandwich persuasion, Katz’s will make you a believer when you’re there!
Published on Jun 21 2013
By Nathan