Top 9 NYC Delis: Ultimate Guide to Authentic Sandwiches and Jewish Cuisine

There are thousands of reasons visitors come to New York City from around the world. Broadway theater, the Statue of Liberty/Empire State Building/Times Square, and other iconic sights, to attend a sporting event at Yankee Stadium or Madison Square Garden, shopping, world-class museums, and of course, the amazing variety of food from the city’s more than 25,000 restaurants.

Aside from perhaps pizza, New York food is best known for the incredible Jewish-style delis that have been serving neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs since the 1880s. Originating in France as a delicatesse, which means ‘specialty prepared foods’, the idea crossed the border into Germany, becoming a delikatessen. The wide array of foods, and the name, traveled the Atlantic Ocean as millions of Europeans emigrated to the U.S. late in the 19th century.

Over the years New Yorker’s have embraced the cuisine of immigrants who continue to arrive from around the globe. But the tried and true delicatessen, or deli for short, has survived albeit with fewer restaurants.

Here are some of our favorite Manhattan delis. If your travels take you to other boroughs, there will be no shortage of fabulous delis to tempt you.

Katz’s Delicatessen $$

The most widely recognized name in delis, Katz’s was the location of the deli scene that had audiences rolling on the floor during “When Harry Met Sally”, the 1989 film that starred Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. If you are too young to remember this, be sure to Google it. The scene is a classic.

Early in the 20th century when the Lower East Side (LES) was home to millions of immigrants who had passed through Ellis Island upon arrival in America, Katz’s Delicatessen was a central part of the community. The deli had opened in 1888 as Iceland Deli, becoming Iceland & Katz in 1903 when Willy Katz became a part-owner. In 1910 the Iceland brothers were bought out and the name became Katz’s alone.

Today, more than 135 years later, Katz’s is a legendary dining spot where thousands of visitors to New York, as well as New Yorkers, come to feast on humongous Reuben, Rachel, chopped liver, corned beef, brisket, turkey, tongue, and pastrami sandwiches. As you might expect, they also serve matzoh ball soup, knishes, latkes (potato pancakes), bagels and lox, and so much more.

205 E. Houston St., (at Ludlow), Lower East Side (LES)

Russ & Daughters Café $$

Open daily for breakfast and lunch, the dine-in only café is a five-minute walk from the Russ & Daughters Appetizers Shop. The restaurant opened in 2014 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Russ & Daughters. After a century where customers would line up inside the store and out the door, the owners determined that it was time to offer a menu with sit-down service.

Choose from your favorite nosh (appetizer), soups, salad, open-faced sandwiches, platters, eggs, caviar, herring, and delectable desserts, too.

While Russ & Daughters does not accept reservations and there is frequently a line to be seated, be sure to give your name to the host upon arrival. Your name will be added to the list, and you will receive a text when it is your turn to dine.

127 Orchard St., (Rivington-Delancey St.), Lower East Side (LES)

Russ & Daughters Appetizers Shop $$-$$$

The late, great Anthony Bourdain said it all: “Russ & Daughters occupies that rare and tiny place on the mountaintop reserved for those who are not just the oldest and the last - but also the best.”

When it opened in 1914 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the specialty appetizing store owned by the Russ family created an experience that would serve to define New Yorker’s diverse international tastes. Now run by the 4th generation of Russ’s, the original landmark shop on Houston St. (pronounced How-stun) offers a vast array of foods from around the world. The appetizer shop is available for in-store shopping, take-out and delivery, and nationwide shipping, but does not have table seating.

179 E. Houston St., (Orchard-Allen St.), LES

Sarge’s Delicatessen & Diner $$-$$$

Since 1964 Sarge’s has been serving New Yorker’s memorable deli and diner food from its location in Murray Hill, a neighborhood on the east side of midtown Manhattan. Featuring an enormous menu of more than 200 items, Sarge’s is popular for breakfast (starting at 10 a.m.), lunch, and dinner. Portions are large, and the atmosphere is comfortable, New York, at its best.

While tourists do dine here regularly, it is the locals who feel at home at Sarge’s that lend a neighborhood vibe to the place. It’s easy to see that there are people in the dining room who are there day-in and day-out. Sarge’s is part of their routine, which clearly tells guests that the food is worth coming back for.

The Jewish-style restaurant serves up large omelets, French toast, and pancakes in the morning, or any time of day. Dozens of sandwich options may keep you reading the menu for longer than usual, including tantalizing combos like corned beef/pastrami/Swiss, turkey Rachel, and “The Robin” which consists of pastrami/Swiss/sauerkraut and is grilled.

Aside from deli sandwiches Sarge’s offers burgers, salads, matzo ball and kreplach (dumpling) soup, borscht, latkes, knishes, and, well, you get it. Plus, an amazing selection of desserts. There’s so much to choose from here.

While Sarge’s prices are not inexpensive, keep in mind that two people can share a sandwich and knish, or bowl of soup, and both leave stuffed to the gills.

548 Third Ave. (36th-37th St.), Murray Hill

2nd Avenue Deli $$-$$$

A long-time favorite of celebrities and residents of the east side neighborhood, the2nd Avenue Deli has been serving New Yorkers and visitors since 1954. Originally a ten-seat luncheonette at 2nd Ave. and 10th St. in the old Yiddish Theater District, the larger and by now popular restaurant moved uptown to 33rd St. in 2007. A second location on the Upper East Side opened in 2011, with both spots now run by nephews of the original owner, Abe Lebewohl.

Known for its thick deli sandwiches stuffed with meats, the deli is highly regarded by its Jewish patrons for continuing to serve traditional appetizers including chopped chicken livers, gefilte fish, and stuffed cabbage.

The menu has expanded over time as New York City further diversified with immigrants from around the world. However, the 2nd Avenue Deli knows its roots well, as they continue to provide delicious Jewish cuisine with huge portions. Being a kosher restaurant, this is not the place to ask for a ham sandwich or regular bacon, though turkey bacon may be an option with your breakfast order.

Specialties include three-egg omelets, various kinds of knishes, matzoh ball soup (listed in the menu as Jewish penicillin), beef frankfurters, potato and noodle kugel, potato pancakes (latkes), burgers, hot brisket-pastrami-corned beef, Nova Scotia salmon, chicken cutlet (schnitzel), and enormous triple-decker sandwiches that should be shared given their size.

Their most famous sandwich is the “Instant Heart Attack” which is served on bread or a roll with two large potato pancakes, and you then choose either corned beef, pastrami, turkey, or salami to finish it, and maybe you, off.

You can be pretty sure that there will not be room for dessert, but consider taking some rugalach, babka, seven layer cake, or apple strudel home or to your hotel.

162 E. 33rd St. (Lex-3rd Ave.), Murray Hill, and 1442 3rd Ave. (at 75th St.), UES

PJ Bernstein Delicatessen $$

Just one-half mile from the Frick, one mile from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a mile and one-half from the Guggenheim Museum and Jewish Museum on Manhattan’s east side, PJ Bernstein is a perfect place to enjoy a Jewish-style deli after touring any of these phenomenal museums.

Opened in 1965, word spread quickly about the delicious meals that so many locals had been enjoying. Before long, guests from other parts of New York and out of town visitors were making the trek to try out this highly regarded deli. Word was out that PJ Bernstein served up traditional food that reminded many patrons of growing up in a Jewish home.

While several other Jewish-style delis in New York make it a point to serve gargantuan sandwiches that even two people have a hard time finishing, PJ Bernstein more than ample sandwiches are intentionally smaller than the competition. This means you can order what you want without having to decide between the two of you what you would like to split, and more importantly, it means lower prices, too.

The quality of the meats here are second to none, with superb cuts of brisket, corned beef, pastrami, roast beef, and turkey being served. Not being a kosher deli, PJ does serve ham, shrimp salad, and BLTs. But bagels and lox, white fish, sturgeon, kasha, stuffed cabbage, incredible pickles, and other Jewish-style foods are central to the restaurant’s success.

Breakfast is available anytime, and matzoh brie is always on the menu.

1216 Third Ave. (70th-71st St.), Upper East Side (UES)

Pastrami Queen $$

Home of “the real deal pastrami sandwich” according to the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, Pastrami Queen is the place to devour a classic New York pastrami sandwich in Manhattan. And don’t forget your side of garlicky pickles which come as sours or half-sours.

From its opening in Brooklyn in 1956, moving to Queens in 1961 and relocating again to the UES in 1998, Pastrami Queen has served kosher certified sandwiches that are indescribably delicious. A second Manhattan location opened on the UWS in 2020.

In addition to pastrami, corned beef, brisket, turkey, burgers, etc., you will find matzoh ball soup, multiples types of house-made knishes, stuffed cabbage, franks, fried chicken, and hot open sandwiches.

Pastrami Queen, while highly recommended for the quality of their food, is best experienced by taking out or having your food delivered. The dining areas are quite small, so unless you are dining hurriedly, decide to bring your food to Central Park as the UWS location is just a block and a half away, and the UES store is three blocks from the park.

138 W. 72nd St. (72nd & Bdwy.), UWS, and 1125 Lexington Ave. (at 78th St.), UES

Barney Greengrass $$-$$$

Dating back to its first location in Harlem in 1908, Barney Greengrass is clearly a unique New York City institution that is well worth heading uptown to experience. By the time the store moved to its current location on 86th St. in 1929, Barney was widely known as “The Sturgeon King”. The food quality was superb, and Barney’s long-time customers followed him as his popularity blossomed.

Still dedicated to serving the finest foods available, the famous “Greengrass” feel prevails throughout the store as the third generation of Barney’s family continues to run the show.

Speaking of shows, the store has been the site of several film and television shoots, with scenes from “Sex and the City”, “Seinfeld”, “You’ve Got Mail”, “Deconstructing Harry”, “Law and Order”, “30 Rock”, and others being shot here.

The extensive array of menu items at Barney Greengrass is beyond belief the first time you see it. Hot egg sandwiches, imported cheese sandwiches, and of course, smoked fish sandwiches take center stage. Sturgeon, Nova Scotia salmon, lox, kippered salmon, herring, sardines, pastrami salmon, gravlax, whitefish, sable, and tuna aren’t daily specials. They are the everyday menu stars, in this unique establishment.

But that isn’t all. Meat lovers are more than accommodated here, too. Delectable sandwiches piled high with pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, turkey, chopped liver, and even pastrami Reuben’s are offered at Barney Greengrass. And if you do not see anything yet to your liking (highly improbable), there is a myriad of triple-decker sandwiches to check out.

Keeping with the Jewish-style history of the restaurant, they also serve various kinds of knishes, borscht, matzo ball soup, and noodle pudding. And what’s a New York deli without amazing desserts like black and whites, babka, rugelach, Halvah bars, and cheesecake?

A final word to the wise when planning your visit to Barney Greengrass. Come hungry.

541 Amsterdam Ave., (86th-87th St.), Upper West Side (UWS)

Zabar’s Deli $$-$$$

Another New York City culinary landmark, Zabar’s opened in 1934 as a 22-foot-wide shop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Known for his penchant for perfection, Louis Zabar required quality products for his customers and even roasted his own coffee nearly 100 years ago.

Along with his wife, Lillian, Zabar refused to cut back on quality as he searched the world for the best foods that he could sell at reasonable prices. Zabar’s is known for introducing the U.S. to Brie, sun-dried tomatoes, and gnocchi.

Focused primarily on take-out and shipped foods, Zabar’s Deli offers limited space to sit and enjoy their coffee and pastries but does take some time to sit and relax a bit. The store’s old-fashioned vibe is something special to observe. Over the years the store has expanded exponentially to occupy nearly the entire block from 80th to 81st streets and is still a family operation.

Customers seeking smoked fish can still view it being hand-sliced behind the counter while being offered complimentary tastes of some of the latest artisanal chesses arriving primarily from overseas. As Jewish immigrants to New York, the Zabar’s have long been known for their amazingly fresh rugelach which continues to be baked daily using their grandmother’s (Bubbe’s) recipe.

Other popular Zabar products range from bagels to cookies, and caviar to their still in-house roasted coffee. They sell more than 400,000 pounds annually! Pre-packaged kosher corned beef, pastrami, and salami are also a big seller.

2245 Broadway, (at 80th St.), UWS

There may not be as many Jewish-style, or kosher delis remaining in New York as there were in the early to mid-1900s, but those that remain are without question the cream of the crop. Ranging from full sit-down restaurants to primarily take-out shops and hybrids, visitors can easily find matzoh ball soup, knishes, a mouth-watering pastrami on rye or beef brisket sandwich, and to-die-for desserts at numerous Jewish delis throughout the city.

L'chaim!