Eating at Katz’s Deli. The Most Famous Restaurant in NYC with some of the Best Pastrami 

Another stellar review James. Your straightforward honesty is so refreshing. Being a local I have watched the prices steadily increase over the years, but in NYC, what hasn’t gone up? If you’re going to indulge, it should be from the best there is. Katz all the way.

Enjoy your videos. Man you are living the best life. You can genuinely tell you take a special kind of pride in work.

Thanks James! We love killing our cravings with a Katz's! Wonderful review so true about the 🍟 fries , just one of those things. Most times we just skip em. So glad you took us along 🙋🥪🥒🗽

Excellent camera work, James, in what must have been a challenging environment to film in given how busy Katz is. Sandwich looked delicious - brill review pal.

Great review video! Good shots and precise descriptions... keep it up!

Lived in NYC for over 35 years and yes Katz's is full of tourists but it's one of the few NYC "Tourist traps" that actually live up to their hype and are still frequented by a lot of locals.

amazing review. i appreciate that you include the price and the tip. can't wait to try Katz's.

A superlative review, production and presentation. I live 20 blocks away from Katz's so I often takeout. I agree with your review. And I always avoid fries at restaurants. More often than not I'm disappointed. The price of pastrami is crazy. For comfort I like the 2nd Avenue Deli...and their pastrami is superb. Sarge's is also great, with some comfy booths. Pastrami Queen isn't very comfy, but great pastrami. You're so right about Hometown. Incredible food...but really expensive and a pain to get to. Their brisket is spectacular...and they have the best BBQ Sauce I've ever had. In the end, if you eat in, Katz's is the gold standard. And they give a lot of great pickles...no need for a side. Pastrami and pickles, nothing better. A final note on Katz's. Their seedless rye bread leaves a lot to be desired. Same as 2nd Avenue Deli. Hot pastrami needs to be inside caraway seed rye.

Man that does look good…glad you did this one and it’s def on the menu for when I ever make it that way…good job buddy

The iconic Katzs! Steak fries are one of my favorite cuts, sad to see they fell short this time, great video as always!

Look forward to all your reviews thank you I love Katz"s

I didn't really like the customer experience of Katz if I'm being honest. There were loads of lines without much explanation of what was going on. I think it's fine if you have been there before, but the first time going to Katz was a bit overwhelming. The staff made me feel like an idiot for not knowing the ordering process.

Excellent video. Well-considered and thoughtful analysis.

I don't know how I didn't realize that Katz's was part of When Harry Met Sally before this video. Great review and looks like an incredible sandwich!

Wonderful review as always, James! Although I've been numerous times, it has been years since my last visit. You make me realize it's time for a visit! There's a Ben's Kosher Delicatessen by me in Bayside. While they are very good, it's just not the same. Thanks for another great video!

Nice review James. Katz is indeed a landmark. As a lifetime NYer, glad to see it has survived through the ages.

I cannot wait to go back to NY one day! I will definitely be making it a point to stop at Katz’s!!! 😍 I love pastrami!

Always fun to see your offerings of restaurant reviews...will you ever consider doing a live while you dine out? That would be fun!!!

First time I want was in the 90’s looks like it hasn’t changed a bit. You have to love places like this. A true gem. 🥪

Man enjoys his sandwich. It's been more than 2 decades since I've been to Katz's. It still the best sandwich I've ever had.

Great review James - it is still the best hands down and it’s worth the price!

They use to have a small section of tables set aside for full table service with waiters taking your order if you didn’t want to stand in line. Great place! I always find it very friendly.

Everything in this video,is so mouthwatering … thanks for posting

Agreed that everyone should try Katz's at least once in their lives. It's hard to beat!

I worked in lower Manhattan and used to come here occasionally for lunch. This was around 1960. Not so pricey then and they even had schmaltz (chicken fat) on the tables to replace butter if you were doing kosher. Still looks about the same inside.

Looks delicious, thank you for sharing

Gladly interrupted my "binge" watching of your past works to view & enjoy this new offering. As always, thank you for sharing this enjoyable review. (Also, you really should go to Montreal & try the "smoked meat".)

great quality reviews! keep it up!

We live on the West Coast, but every time we make a trip to NYC we go for a Katz's pastrami sandwich. It's the one and only...and man my mouth even started watering when I saw the pickles.

A very very very good sandwich worth every trip; love coming here w/ family. Worth every cent.

In 1954, 55. With many deli’s too choose from Katz’s was absolutely the best of the best. Being in uniform at the time we were always treated to something a bit extra , lovely people serving wonderful food....Thank God for Katz’s.❤

Bravo James, bravo!

Thanks extremely cute boy! I lived right across the street from Katz's in the bad old good old days of the 80's. It was a great place to pop in for hardy faire or simply to run for protection. I enjoyed the walk down memory lane and so much enjoy watching the happiness on your face when you consume your meals. BTW, I LOVE overdone fries! It's a delicacy that you haven't acquired a taste for as of yet. Cheers!

Love Katz's Deli & Pastrami has much more flavor than Corned Beef so I will definitely be back, thanks James!

I went to NYC with a friend back in July, first time going to Katz deli. The line to get in was long at about 2-2:30 on a weekday which was surprising to me. As we were waiting in line, one of the locals told us that if we tip them good, the person cutting up your food will give you more samples of the meats and that is true. Gave the guy a $10 tip and he gave me three slabs of pastrami. I normally don't waste food but the food was so good, I couldn't even finish my meal. Very much worth the trip to Katz deli!

I'm that guy who, when he sees a Reuben on the menu, stops right there and orders it! EVERYBODY tells me to: At least order "half & half"!! (with pastrami) One of these days I will.... But I always forget hahaha!!?? Cheers!

Thanks for another great review James. Now.. can you tell us your real feelings about those fries? 😉 The pastrami did look amazing! You mentioned that the mustard was really good , and I see a lot of other comments about it - Do you know if they sell it ? Also do they have any good desserts at Katz's ? I appreciate you and your channel !

Love your channel brother!

YUMMMMM ! Looks amazing !

Love it! I was there in Oct 2023, got there at 2:15p, barely a line. 2 pastramis on rye, motz, pickles, a couple beers. Was AMAZING. I've had a ton of pastrami and nothing like that! Yea it's like 27$ a sandwhich, but you literally could share one with someone since the two halves are like two whole sandwhiches. Especially if trying other items.

Truly a great review. I like that you did comparisons and research on quality, quantity, price, and options. More RU-vidr's should watch this to learn how it is done. One thought on your steak fries. I'm not a fan of French fries but I have a friend who said to me as a teen. "ALWAYS eat the fries first. Have you ever waited until the end of meal to try and eat them?" The guy was religious about it. So maybe make a habit to try the fries first? Again, awesome job, good commentary, great editing - thank you for doing it right from start to finish! #Subscribed

Another great video!

Thanks! Good review. I've never been there ,although I live in North Central CT. And used to visit NYC in my 20's. I don't like the prices but here our Jewish deli, is getting up there in prices .BTW ,you're a Handsome guy, who seems to know and love his food.

Awesome review!😊

Great review!

Thank you for sharing a cool restaurant there in NY.😊

After trying Katz’s corned beef or pastrami, now try Schwartz’s Montreal smoked meat! It’s better than Katz’s!

I got the joy of going to Katz's Deli in Austin, Texas. It was an experience

The best! ❤ 💯

One would be wise not to say one so much my one friend once told me lol... other than that I love your vids man, keep on keeping on and find you someone to take with you to those 1 star michelins!!!

Katz restaurant is an Icon of restaurants!

Hi.Katz's food is very good & by skill.thanks

some beef jus or gravy might be able to save the fries. :) Katz never disappoints and the staff is always so hardworking.

As a Foodie myself I really enjoy your videos. One word of advice: eat until your comfortable and then stop and if you really don’t like something, don’t eat it (i.e. the fries).

Great review. I had a sandwich there in 2016 or 2017. Best pastrami ever. When I was in Vegas I had one that was good but it was because it was on marble rye that was made there along with bagels and the best cheese cake ever. The guy who made the sandwich was a veteran of the deli wars with over 30 years in the business and he took over the deli and people noticed right away

When I was just a little girl, my Grandma Sadie, who lived on the Lower East Side, would buy me a huge garlic sour pickle for 10¢ from the brine-filled barrels at the sidewalk vendors. And jars of sour pickled green tomatoes. That was the candy of my childhood. They were so sour the memory of them still makes my mouth water. But they weren't crisp, like they are today. They were sink-your-teeth-in soft and luscious. Also when I was a kid, rye bread was a lot sturdier. It had a thin hard shiny crust. It was never seedless, it was chock-full of my belovèd caraway seeds. It never ever disintegrated while I was eating a sandwich, like bread does today. So several years back I continued my traditional no-turkey-for-Thanksgiving ritual by ordering online from Katz's Deli. I got pastrami, a half loaf of rye bread, bagels, bialys, kishke, sour garlic pickles and pickled green tomatoes, and their deli mustard. I made my own egg creams to go with. The rye bread was dry and fell apart; besides which, it was soft like Wonder Bread and didn't have that hard shiny crust. It barely had caraway seeds! The bagels were, weirdly, sweet and had a cakey texture. The pickles weren't sour, and they weren't soft. THEY WERE CRUNCHY!?!?! The pastrami tasted watered down, not as powerfully flavorful as it used to, but lots fattier. The kishke was okay, but it didn't have the finger-licking goodness of yesteryear. It was bland. Maybe it was inferior schmaltz or using beef casing instead of goose neck skin? Idk. The best of mail-order Katz's was the bialys. Of course, they couldn't match the floury-crust deliciousness of fresh-baked bialys right out of the oven - they were frozen. Once reheated, they were good but not great. The deli mustard was ... deli mustard. Thick and grainy and yummy. So my mail-order Katz's experience was basically feh. And I spent a whole lotta cash for that feh feast. You live and learn. One last thing that really drives me crazy - if you insist on putting the equivalent of a pound or more of fatty meat between two slices of what amounts to refined flour and cotton, whaddaya expect except bread that falls apart in your hands? But it's no big loss, 'cause that bread doesn't taste like much of anything anyway.

We visited my son and family at Brooklyn in August of 2023. They order from Katz’s and had it delivered. The best corn beef and pastrami.

I'm a huge fan of pastrami Ruben with melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Yum! Totally sublime and with Jewish deli-style garlic pickle spears. Too bad Stage Deli closed after starting in 1937. My dad would treat me there years ago and their prices were much better. I remember the first time I saw my pastrami sandwich piled thick! They served crazy good, giant onion rings with a thick, crispy batter!

He says “iconic” every episode but he said it six times here. He loves, loves that word.

Love Katz!!! 🍾🍾

I love your reviews - honest but balanced. I'm a native New Yorker. The first time I ate at Katz's was amazing. This was several years ago. I went again this year and the sandwich was sub par. They throw away all the fatty juicy pieces. Those are the best bits! Don't know why they do that...anyways Katz's is a place you have to visit at least once. It's an experience 😊

Wow that looked so delicious! Do they only use rye bread or can you get it with bread made from wheat?

I ate there in 2007 and it was so crowded! I wanna say we got there around 2pm. It was rather confusing, stressful, and hectic trying to figure out what line I was supposed to be in. Of course the restaurant was much less crowded by the time we finished and were leaving. I would have much preferred if I had gotten a table with table service to avoid all the chaos, though maybe the chaos is just part of the overall experience.

Hi James, that's a lot of meat, enough for two people, so the price is quite reasonable. There's something about the look of their pastrami which makes it stand out from their competitors. Fries looked good. That's a lot of pickles ! Growing up in Australia, I first heard of Alka-Selzer which is a US product, and seeing all those pickles on your plate, I can understand why the US led the way with antacids for heartburn ! Very good episode, James, all the best !

There are sadly fewer delis in the New York area than 20 years ago. But Katz's is still a great place to visit. It opens at 8:00 am, so get there before the rush. There are also many great delis (and cheaper) in the outer boroughs. Of course, fish delis and meat delis are two separate entities. I also like visiting food places in Ultra-Orthodox communities. They have amazing food at affordable prices.

I visited Katz's a few weeks ago again as well as Hometown BBQ, just a few days ago. I'm still working on the Hometown video. I was disappointed to learn that they only sell Pastrami at Hometown on weekends so I didn't have a chance to try it. Tourists or not, Katz's is great. I think locals don't like the fact that so many tourists venture there, but the quality of the food doesn't suffer for it. The Matzoh Ball soup is excellent, and they offer some really high quality Salmon lox, on par with Russ and Daughters. Their hotdogs are also really above average. My dad did indeed complain about the rye bread, for the same reason you did. I think you can choose rolls or Italian bread as substitutes. It looks like the rye bread looked a bit different in your older photos, and that it was seeded on the edges. Next time I visit I plan to ask the cutters why they discard so much of the Pastrami meat bark when cutting it.

If you ever travel to Montreal…in the suburbs there is Smoked Meat Pete…a true gem…all made in house and sooooo tasty

Hi James,Katz's is another NYC treasure I never made it to. My partners in NYC were more of the Harry's at Hanover material. Our NYC HQ was just across the street from Harry's Hanover so we lived there in our free time. I know they're two entirely different animals, but what's Katz's like compared to Manny's here in Chicago? That's still my personal favorite deli in town. Cheers my friend. I'm really glad i found the channel. We need to get your subs way up. You do a really great job.

Man I live in South Dakota and am so jealous that we don't have that deliciousness here!!

The only tourist trap I recommend to folks who visit the city. It's consistent, delicious, and portions are huge. Well worth the price.

You should have more subscribers....great food reviewer. ❤

(10:12) "I still ate all my fries. I despise wasting food". I'm the same way 😁. Nice review. Thanks.

My friend brought me there, late 90's. The environment for takeout sucked, but food was amazing and I had enough to build a couple extra sandwiches out of the largess. (College days)

In Seattle unfortunately we don't have a Katz's Delicatessen. But we do have Dingfilder's Delicatessen. And believe it or not it beats Katz's in taste. That's just my opinion. And for only $21. So not overpriced and no long lines either. I guess it's still a hiden gem 🙂 Love your videos James. Im a new subscriber since I'm hooked on your videos.

Kat’z deli was a must go to place when I was in NY from Australia in September of 2019. We enjoyed it but $60 Australia was over the top.

Love my lunches at Katz❤. Giant Ruben’s

Not sure why I get this urge to watch your videos when I’m hungry. Which is followed by the realization that I’m nowhere near NY to satisfy my hunger 😢

I enjoyed this video. If you go to Berlin then try Mogg and their Reuben pestrami sandwich. I say that’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted. They worked on the pestrami for 6 years they said. I’d love to see your views. I haven’t been to Katz’s yet. I’m sad I didn’t know about it when I came to NY in 2018. Next time…

The price of beef has increased a lot in the last ten years. That's a major reason why sandwiches at Katz's are so expensive.

He should have gotten coleslaw in addition to the fries and pickles!!

I am craving a Pastrami on Rye and get there early and my wife and i always sit at the When Harry Met Sally Restaurant table

I wish I went when I was in NY! The queue was so long...next time.

I have eaten there many times, usually around 6 or 7 pm never waited outside to get in. Always a great meal, coleslaw and a dr. browns cherry soda. may have to have them ship, I'm in hawaii go there if you like pastrami

We used to have a Katz's here in Austin in the 90's. Their tagline was "Katz's never closes." We would party on 6th street, and then eat at K's. All of that is gone now.

In London's East End, also try 'Maureen's' for pie and mash!

If I wanted to piss away $28… I’d drink 3 beers instead. 🤣

Best chili dogs🌭🌭🌭 egg cheese n pastrami on a hero for breakfast so good.

That sandwich looked incredible. What it like a pound of pastrami? I would have to toss some thousand island on it though despite that being sacrilegious. There is nothing like a Jewish deli for a good crunchy pickle. Thanks for the review !

Love the review brother. But the real question on everyone’s mind is: how does it compare to Arby’s Reuben sandwich?

Great review - as always. Def a top three pastrami sandwich but not a def best. 2nd Avenue Deli and Pastrami Queen are as good or better on any given day. As for the french fries, soups,... I would say 2nd Avenue and Pastrami Queen are better than Katz's Deli. Across the entire US, the best pastrami sandwich I've had is at Langer's Deli in downtown Los Angeles.

Its literally worth going there just for the mustard

There’s a Katz location in Downtown Brooklyn. It’s part of a food court and seating is plentiful. Rarely has this location much in the way of lines.

James, nice upfront review but as the 1,345th vlogger to visit & review, what's new? Hometown BBQ pastrami ($28)has a lot going for it , as well!

The pro move is you order two more slices of bread. You get 2 sandwiches that way!!!😋

I hope you and ua can do a collab, I know you are both reserved and have your own youtube style, but it would be awesome to see you both enjoy a pastrami sandwich together

Katz............ those were the days !

I love the fresh roasted Turkey sandwich they have !

Taking those tiny bits so funny.. man bit that sandwich

How busy is it if you show up at 8a - is it one of those places where people are waiting in line when it opens?

Dude, your watch. Cool.