Kat'z Deli: Ain't Dat Some Meat

Katz's Delicatessen is famous for two things. The first being their amazing pastrami sandwiches. The second is for "that one scene" from When Sally Met Harry. And c'mon seriously...who can't tell.

That being said, I've never even heard of this place until a few days ago when I was craving a Reuben sandwich and decided to some research. Well today, I had the pleasure of venturing out with a group of friends and try it. There were a few let downs here and there, but it really was everything I expected it would be.

I think I saw a guy on Yelp with the exact same photo. This is the entrance, you can't miss it, there's neon lights everywhere, and a big sign that reads...well you can read it.

Those photos are all celebrities that have visited this joint, and believe me there's a lot. According to their site they've been around since the early 1900's. This is by far the most largest venue I've ever seen in New York, especially in Manhattan. Despite being in Manhattan, I get a very Brooklyn vibe about this place, probably because its a deli.

Look at all that sausage.

That's what she said.

When you walk in, you will be greeted with a "Please hold on to that ticket, you need it to pay." So don't lose that ticket. One waiter tried to tell an elderly couple this and the man replies, "I know, i was here before you were born." I love NY.

The next thing after being seated, you will be presented with a plate of pickle wedges and tomatoes. I thought they were a little salty, but my friend Hyorin, liked them so much she insisted on ordering a second plate.

We ordered fries with our meals, and the server looked at us and smiled, "I'll bring ya back one plate, and if ya want more you can order more and I'll em right to ya." He clearly knew that the sandwiches are so overwhelming packedwith meat that fries are entirely unnecessary. He came back with a small plate of fries, but one had fallen off the plate as he was serving us. Hyorin, being the slightly intoxicated girl that she was, screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" with arms stretched as if she was catching a falling child. No fry was wasted that night.

I didn't particularly like their fries in all honesty. They were really under-seasoned, and sort of cold when they got to us. Decent at best.

This is the pastrami sandwich that Ben ordered. Of all of their meats, I thought their pastrami was the best, and it was quite possibly the best pastrami I've ever had. The server assured us that everything in the store is beef, which is a nice tidbit to know.

This is the corned beef Sana ordered. I wasn't a fan. Cold, dry, flavorless. Sana had to request mustard, and heavily seasoned it with salt, pepper, and mustard before being able to actually eat it.

The Reuben  This is what I got, the mixed Reuben with Pastrami. You can mix and match sandwiches (they call it the combo sandwich) where you get half of one and half of another, and I was really tempted to try two types of meat, but I figured why not combine those two with some sauerkraut, cheese, and a bit of relish. AMAAAAZING. Probably one of the best sandwiches I've ever had in my life, no joke. It was so dense though, I only managed to eat half. I blame the fries. The bread is rye, but it's so thin it might as well not be there. It's barely prevents your hands from getting dirty and crumbles from the moisture of the meat/kraut. 

That my friend, is a lot of meat. It was delicious. Please don't order anything but the Reuben, but if you insist on eating something else, get the Pastrami. 

Yeah I did, in my mouth.