Katz's Deli

The next morning, a couple of us headed down to Kat'z Deli on the Lower East Side for some Jewish deli goodness. Opened in 1888, Katz's is a New York institution. It's also the site where "the famous scene" from When Harry Met Sally was filmed. One of the most overrated films in history, but I'll save that diatribe for another time.


In line. You go in through a turnstile, and take a ticket. Be sure not to lose it, or you'll be $50 lighter in the wallet. Order your food and they'll write down the price on the ticket. You pay when you leave.




Potato Knish $2.75

One of the things I had to do on this trip was to try a knish. Now what is a knish you ask? According to Wikipedia, a knish is an "Eastern European snack food popular in Jewish communities. A knish consists of a filling covered with dough that is either baked or fried." That said, the knish wasn't very good, but never having had one, I don't know if it was just this knish or knishes in general. The crust was too hard, the mashed potatoes too dense, and the filling needed more salt though it was seasoned too pungently with a peculiar spice.


Matzoh Ball Soup

One of my friends ordered this, and she said it was good.


Pastrami on Rye ~$12.75

Now for the main course. It's hard to tell from this picture, but this sandwich is HUGE. The amount of meat is overwhelming, and I had the hardest time keeping the slices from falling onto the plate. The pastrami was great - juicy, nicely flavored, and not too salty. I did take issue, however, with the meat to bread ratio. There was just way too much meat! I would have been quite pleased if I had 2 more slices of rye to go with it. The sandwich was good, but not mind-blowing.

Katz's Deli
205 E. Houston Street
New York, NY