Katz's Delicatessen, Lower East Side, Manhattan

I have hesitated to write about Katz’s because it seems that every tourist to New York City has no difficulty finding it and there are many other delis in the city. But after eating there for the first time in a number of years, I decided that it definitely merits being included here.

Be prepared for lines to get in and the sandwiches are really big and yummy. Bring a good appetite.

In their own words “In 1888, a small deli by the name of Iceland Brothers was established on Ludlow Street in New York’s Lower East Side by the Iceland brothers. Upon the arrival of Willy Katz in 1903, the name of the store was officially changed to "Iceland & Katz". Willy’s cousin Benny joined him in 1910, buying out the Iceland brothers to officially form Katz’s Delicatessen. Their landsman Harry Tarowsky bought into the partnership in April 1917. Katz’s Deli was moved across the street, to its present location, during the construction of the subway system. The vacant lot on Houston Street (pronounced "House-ton" after a Dutch emigrant of the same name) was home to barrels of meat and pickles until the present storefront facade was added between 1946-49.”

Katz’s Delicatessen, 205 East Houston Street at the corner of Ludlow