Katz's Famous Freshly Smoked and Perfectly Sliced Pastrami Sandwich
Katz's Famous Ticket. Don't lose it or you'll have to work off what you ate!
Katz’z Deli was opened in 1888 by Russian immigrants. Katz’s Deli stays true to the culture of the immigrating Russian Jews that spoke Yiddish and settled in LES. If you take a look at the menu, quite a few Eastern European foods pop out. Foods like the classic Knish and Kishka all represent the immigrant culture that remains to this day.
Knishes and Hot Dogs from Katz's
When we interviewed the owner’s son, Jake Dell, he explained to us how they retained the original ways of handling the meats. All the recipes and the food remain the traditional way as done in 1888. Their old world traditions of pickling cucumbers and smoking meats came from the Russian European immigrants. Through the years, not much has changed because “there’s a nostalgia and tradition aspect that people go there for”. They still carve their meats by hand, but some things have to be updated, like refrigeration.
Our first impression was the countless amount of pictures of celebrities on the walls. There were hundreds of pictures covering the walls of the store, each showing a different celebrity that has eaten at Katz’s Deli.You automatically get the feeling that you have entered a must-see attraction in NYC!
History and Fame on Katz's Walls
