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NYC's Best Kosher Delis Still Serving Old-School Pastrami
NYC's best kosher delis still hand-cutting pastrami — Katz's, 2nd Ave Deli, Liebman's, and the classics worth the trip.
The best kosher delis in NYC are running on the muscle memory of a food tradition that’s been getting quieter for decades. There aren’t many left. The ones still open are open because a specific family or business decided the tradition was worth the work, and every one of them is worth eating at while you can.
Katz’s Delicatessen: the loudest institution
Katz’s on Houston is the deli everyone knows and the deli you should still go to. The pastrami is hand-carved off the brisket at the counter, and if you tip the cutter a few bucks he’ll cut it thicker and hand you a piece to taste before it goes on the sandwich. Get the pastrami on rye with mustard. Get a Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray to drink. Sit anywhere that’s open. The line looks intimidating and moves faster than it looks.
2nd Avenue Deli: the East Village anchor
The 2nd Avenue Deli moved from its original East Village home to Murray Hill and then opened a second location on 75th, and the pastrami and corned beef are still cured in-house and cut properly. The chicken soup with a matzo ball the size of a baseball is the specific comfort-food order. The pastrami reuben — pastrami, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, Swiss on grilled rye — is what to order if you can’t decide between two things.
Liebman’s Kosher Deli: the Riverdale sleeper
Liebman’s up in Riverdale is the oldest kosher deli in the Bronx and one of the last surviving ones outside of Manhattan. The pastrami is proper — cured in-house, steamed to order, cut against the grain. The prices are Bronx prices, not Katz’s prices. The 1 train to 231st and a short walk gets you there.
Frankel’s Delicatessen: the newer entry keeping the tradition
Frankel’s in Greenpoint is the deli that opened in the 2010s and immediately joined the conversation. The pastrami here is dry-cured, smoked in-house, and served on a hand-rolled bagel or seeded rye. The smoked fish is the other reason to go — the whitefish salad is one of the best in Brooklyn. Smaller room, no line most weekdays, worth the L train.
Ben’s Best: what we lost
Ben’s Best in Rego Park closed in 2018 after 73 years, and it’s worth mentioning because it’s the pattern — these delis close, and once they close they’re not coming back. Eating at the ones still open is the best form of respect you can pay to the ones that have gone.
What to order at a kosher deli
Pastrami on rye, fatty or lean (fatty is the answer), with brown mustard, a half-sour pickle on the side. Corned beef is the alternative — leaner, less peppery, more grandmother-approved. A knish is the starter — potato is the classic, kasha is the deeper cut. Matzo ball soup is the medicine. Chopped liver on rye is the acquired taste that pays off. Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray, black cherry, or cream soda is the drink.
What not to order
Don’t order the pastrami sandwich with mayo. Don’t ask for cheese on a corned beef reuben at a kosher deli — kosher means no meat and dairy together, and asking is a small insult. Don’t ask for a pastrami wrap. It’s a sandwich.
The dying art of hand-cutting pastrami
Machine-sliced pastrami is a different food than hand-cut pastrami. Hand-cutting gives you thicker, more variable slices that hold their juice; machine-slicing gives you paper-thin, uniform slices that dry out on the grill. The remaining hand-cutting delis — Katz’s, 2nd Ave, Liebman’s, Frankel’s — are the ones where the sandwich still eats the way it’s supposed to. It’s a labor thing. It’s why the sandwiches cost what they cost.
What a proper deli reuben looks like
Sauerkraut warmed, not room-temperature. Russian dressing that’s actually Russian dressing (Thousand Island is a compromise). Swiss cheese properly melted. Rye bread grilled with butter, cut in half, held together with a toothpick. The pastrami or corned beef should still be the star of the sandwich, not buried under everything else. If the sauerkraut is dripping and the dressing is puddling, the kitchen has overdone it.
When to go
Weekday lunches are the peak deli meal — regulars, businessmen, the counter working like clockwork. Weekend dinners are the tourist meal and the lines get long. Katz’s at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday is the best version of Katz’s you’ll ever eat.
If you’re building a downtown eating day around old-school Manhattan classics, our cheap eats in Manhattan under $15 guide covers the same neighborhoods from a different angle. Every deli mentioned above is on the NewYorkEatsguide map.
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