Katz's Delicatessen

"Katz's Deli" redirects here. Not to be confused with Katz's Deli (Houston).

Katz's Delicatessen
(2021)
Restaurant information
Established	1888 (1888)
Food type	Jewish kosher style delicatessen
Dress code	Casual
Street address	205 East Houston Street
City	Manhattan
State	New York
Postal/ZIP Code	10002
Country	United States
Coordinates	40°43′20″N 73°59′15″W
Website	Official website

Katz's Delicatessen, also known as Katz's of New York City, is a kosher-style delicatessen at 205 East Houston Street, on the southwest corner of Houston and Ludlow Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.^[1]

Since its founding in 1888, it has been popular among locals and tourists alike for its pastrami on rye, which is considered among New York's best.^[2][3][4]

Each week, Katz's serves 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) of pastrami, 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) of corned beef, 2,000 lb (910 kg) of salami and 4,000 hot dogs.^[5] In 2016, Zagat gave Katz's a food rating of 4.5 out of 5, and ranked it as the number one deli in New York City.^[1]

History

According to Katz's chronology, brothers Morris and Hyman Iceland established what is now known as Katz's Delicatessen on Ludlow Street in New York's Lower East Side. Upon the arrival of Willy Katz in 1903, the establishment's name was changed from Iceland Brothers to Iceland & Katz. Willy's cousin Benny joined him in 1910, buying out the Iceland brothers to form Katz's delicatessen. Their landlord Harry Tarowsky bought into the partnership in April 1917.^[6] However, according to food writer Robert F. Moss, records at Ellis Island indicate that Morris and Hyman Iceland immigrated to the United States in 1902. Moss states that the "Iceland Hyman delicatessen" had only opened by 1911.^[7]

The construction of the New York City Subway's Houston Street Line in the 1930s required the deli to move to the present side of the street, although the entrance remained on Ludlow Street. The vacant lot on Houston Street was home to barrels of meat and pickles until the storefront facade was added in the period 1946–1949.^[6]

In the early part of the twentieth century, the Lower East Side was home to millions of newly immigrated families. This, along with the lack of public and private transportation, forged a solid community such that Katz's became a focal point for congregating. On Fridays, the neighborhood turned out for franks and beans, a long time Katz tradition.^[6]

During the peak of the Yiddish theater, the restaurant was frequented by actors, singers and comedians from the many theaters on Second Avenue as well as the National Theater on Houston Street. During World War II, the sons of the owners – Lenny Katz and Izzy Tarowsky – were both serving their country in the armed forces, and the family tradition of sending food to their sons became established as the company slogan "Send A Salami To Your Boy In The Army".^[6] The slogan was coined by Izzy's mother Rose Tarowsky, whose son served in the South Pacific as a bomber pilot.^[8]

The next change in ownership took place with the death of Willy Katz, when his son Lenny took over. In 1980, both Benny Katz and Harry Tarowsky died, leaving the store to Benny's son-in-law Artie Makstein and Harry's son Izzy. In 1988, on the 100th anniversary of its establishment, with no offspring of their own to leave the business to, Lenny, Izzy and Arthur sold Katz's to long-time restaurateur Martin Dell, his son Alan – who was a chef and a manager at a neighboring deli – and Martin's son-in-law Fred Austin. Alan's son Jake joined the business in late 2009 and as of 2020^[update] is in charge of major operations.^[6][9]

In 2011, the U.S. government sued Katz's for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The lawsuit came after federal officials had read a 2011 Zagat guide that ranked the 50 most popular restaurants in New York City and investigated whether they were ADA-accessible; the guide had ranked Katz's 42nd.^[10] The restaurant celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2013 by opening a pop-up art gallery next door. The gallery featured original art by local New York City artists with Baron Von Fancy and Ricky Powell among the first displayed and others rotated on a monthly basis.^[11]

In 2017, Katz's opened its first auxiliary location, in the City Point development's DeKalb Market Hall in Downtown Brooklyn,^[12][13] and also instituted mail-order sales.^[14]

In September 2021, it was announced that Katz's Delicatessen would partner with Hendrick's Gin to make gin-inspired pickles. Master Distiller Lesley Gracie collaborated with Katz's owner Jake Dell to create a brine that featured gin standard juniper and cubeb berries, with an additional emphasis on coriander, a botanical shared by both Katz's pickles and Hendrick's Gin.^[15][16] In December 2024, as part of a settlement with the U.S. government, Katz's agreed to renovate its Ludlow Street building to make it wheelchair-accessible.^[10][17]

Early morning at Katz's, before the crowds

Catchphrases

Sign at Katz's encouraging parents to send salami to their sons in the military during World War II

During World War II, Katz's encouraged parents to "Send a salami to your boy in the army" which became one of the deli's noted catchphrases. It is part of the lyrics of a song in the 1950 Martin and Lewis film At War with the Army, and referenced in the Tom Lehrer song "So Long, Mom (A Song for World War III)" in the following lyric: "Remember, Mommy, I'm off to get a Commie, so send me a salami, and try to smile somehow". Katz's continues to support American troops today: the deli has arranged special international shipping for U.S. military addresses only and has been a source of gift packages to troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.^[18]

Another of the deli's catchphrases is "Katz's, that's all!", which came about when a signmaker asked Harry Tarowsky what to say on the deli's sign, and Harry replied "Katz's, that's all". This was misinterpreted by the signmaker, who painted the sign as it stands today on the side of the building.

Tickets

As each customer enters Katz's, a door attendant hands them a printed, numbered ticket. As they receive their food from various stations/areas throughout the deli (separate for sandwiches, hot dogs, bottled drinks, fountain drinks, etc.), employees compute a running total of the pre-tax bill. If several people's orders are combined on a single ticket, a cashier collects the blank tickets.^[19]

Katz's has instituted a "lost ticket fee". If a customer loses a ticket, an additional $50 surcharge is added to the bill. The fee's purpose, as stated by the management, is to encourage patrons to go back and find the lost ticket in the hopes of preventing theft (substituting a smaller ticket for a larger one).^[19]

In popular culture

The sign at Katz's Delicatessen commemorating the film When Harry Met Sally...

Film

• Katz's was the site of Meg Ryan's fake orgasm scene in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally..., followed by Estelle Reiner's line "I'll have what she's having"; the table at which Ryan and Billy Crystal sat is marked with a sign that says, "Where Harry met Sally... hope you have what she had! Enjoy!"^[20][21]
• It was the site of Johnny Depp's character meeting with an FBI contact in Donnie Brasco (1997).^[22]
• Katz's Deli is the site for a scene in Across the Universe (2007), in which Max reveals he has been drafted into the Vietnam War.^[23]
• The deli appears in the 2007 film We Own the Night, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg and Eva Mendes.^[23]
• Katz's appeared in the background of the claymation movie Mary and Max (2009), in most of Max's bus stop scenes.
• In the French film Nous York (2012), Manu Payet and Dree Hemingway visit Katz's, where Fred Austin greets them at their table.
• In the 2001 comedy-drama indie film Sidewalks of New York, David Krumholtz's character Benjamin and a friend wolf down a pastrami sandwich and hot dog at Katz's.^[24][25]
• Katz's is featured in the 2014 documentary Deli Man.^[26][27]
• Katz's appears in the 2004 film Looking for Kitty.^[28]
• In the film Off Beat (1986), a group of police officers enjoy a hot meal at the deli.^[29]
• The contract to kill Frank Sinatra's character in Contract on Cherry Street (1977) was drafted in a Katz's meat locker.^[30]
• In a scene in Enchanted (2007), Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) contacts Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) from Katz's kitchen and then joins Prince Edward (James Marsden) for lunch while trying to silence Pip the chipmunk from spilling his betrayal.^[31]

Television

• Katz's serves as a local hangout for Jim Gaffigan in several episodes of TV Land's The Jim Gaffigan Show (2015).^[32][33]
• Law & Order has filmed outside the restaurant.^[34]
• Impractical Jokers filmed for a season 4 and 8 episode inside the restaurant, as did Man v. Food^[35][36][37] and Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America.^[38]

• Chris a'r Afal Mawr of S4C filmed for an episode on a visit to the Big Apple where Chris 'The Flamebaster' enjoyed a sandwich and met the chefs behind the meat. url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dj5kz4

Gallery

• 
  Front window at Katz's
• 
  Tables at Katz's on a typical Sunday
• 
  Salami
• 
  Pastrami on rye
• 
  Corned beef on rye

See also

• List of Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants
• List of delicatessens

References

Notes

1. "Katz's Delicatessen" Archived March 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine on the Zagat website
2. New York City Travel Guide: Katz's Deli Archived September 3, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, accessed September 24, 2006
3. Schmalbruch, Sarah; Dreyfuss, Jeremy (January 9, 2016). "Katz's Delicatessen serves New York City's best pastrami sandwich". Business Insider. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
4. Levine, Ed. "Katz's Deli: Beyond the Pastrami". seriouseats.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
5. Schapiro, Rich (May 31, 2013). "Katz's Deli celebrates 125 years of doing sandwiches right". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
6. "Our Story". Katz's Delicatessen. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
7. Moss, Robert F. (May 9, 2017). "How Old is Katz's Deli?". Robert F. Moss. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018.
8. Hamburger, Philip (March 18, 1944). "Profiles: The Bard in the Delicatessen". The New Yorker. pp. 32+. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.; see also New York Historical Society video Archived May 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
9. "Meet the 29-Year-Old Running New York City's Katz's Deli". Vice (video). Retrieved November 14, 2020.
10. Shanahan, Ed (January 1, 2025). "How Katz's Deli's Legal Woes Started With the 2011 Zagat Guide". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
11. Leveritt, Tom (November 25, 2013). "Classic New York: Katz's Delicatessen". GrandLife Hotels. GrandLife Hotels. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
12. Settembre, Jeanette (June 12, 2017). "Katz's Deli to open first-ever outpost in Downtown Brooklyn's DeKalb Market Hall". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
13. Sportelli, Natalie (February 13, 2017). "How The 29-Year-Old Owner Of Katz's Deli Is Bringing The NYC Landmark Into The 21st Century". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
14. Passy, Charles (May 10, 2017). "Katz's Delicatessen to Launch World-Wide Shipping Service". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
15. "Pickles". www.hendricksgin.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
16. Fabricant, Florence (September 27, 2021). "Two Institutions Come Together for a Briny Collaboration". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
17. Asbury, John (January 1, 2025). "Feds: Katz's Deli agrees to make Manhattan deli ADA compliant". Newsday. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
18. Severson, Kim (May 31, 2006). "For Soldiers' Appetites, Reinforcements". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
19. Morabito, Greg (May 17, 2010). "Katz's Management Explains the $50 Lost Ticket Fee". Eater NY. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
20. Penenberg, Adam L. (May 22, 1991). "Salamis to Fend Off Military Blandness". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
21. Mackie, Drew (July 11, 2014). "'I'll Have What She's Having!' See 'When Harry Met Sally...' 's Deli Scene Through Pop Culture History". People. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
22. Porter, Monica (July 28, 2011). "The deli that became a film star". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
23. Schonfeld, Zach (July 14, 2014). "Twenty-Five Years After 'When Harry Met Sally,' People Still Fake Orgasms in Katz's Deli". Newsweek. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
24. "Sidewalks of New York". popmatters.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
25. "Sidewalks of New York Film Locations". onthesetofnewyork.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
26. Levin, Robert (March 6, 2015). "7 things 'Deli Man' taught us about a fading NYC institution". amny.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
27. "DeliMan - The Official Movie Site copy". delimanmovie.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
28. "Looking for Kitty Film Locations". onthesetofnewyork.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
29. "Off Beat Film Locations". onthesetofnewyork.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
30. Morgan, Richard (October 24, 2013). "Paintings Pop-Up Next to Pastrami". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
31. "Photo of Deli". MovieMaps. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
32. "Jim Gaffigan Shows Lower East Side Love in his New TV Land Sitcom". boweryboogie.com. August 4, 2015. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
33. Niemietz, Brian (June 19, 2016). "Eat like Jim Gaffigan: the comedian's top 10 restaurants in NYC". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
34. "Let's Talk Food: Katz Deli completes Big Apple experience". Naples Daily News. December 5, 2012. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
35. "Pranks At The Pastrami Shop". trutv.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
36. "The NY Definition of Deli". travelchannel.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
37. "New York - Man V. Food". travelchannel.com. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
38. Sidman, Amanda P. "Adam Richman returns with another gastro-quest on 'Best Sandwich in America' on Travel Channel". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.

External links

• Katz's Delicatessen New York (official site)
• Anthony Bourdain's Guide to Disappearing New York