Katz's Deli & Bar (CLOSED)

Best Experience - any restaurant ever- so far! \r -GREAT Service\r The BLINTZES are OUT OF THIS WORLD!\r THE -BEST- POTATO SALAD EVER!\r The CHEESE STUFFED POTATOES SLATHERED IN SOUR CREAM------ \r \r I'm on the floor under the table - falling out of seat!\r \r \r AND BESIDES ALL THAT - MR. KATZ HAS ----NEVER----FLIRTED WITH ME ------& I'M A DEAD RINGER FOR MARILYN MONROE - BASICALLY - ------I THINK THE WOMAN BELOW IS SIMPLY FULL OF WISHFUL THINKING!\r \r PEOPLE WHO DON'T CARE FOR THIS RESTAURANT -------OBVIOUSLY------ HAVE NO TASTE FOR DELICACIES!----Delicatessen is a term -----meaning----- ""delicacies"" or ""fine foods Pros: Perfect Place more

The food was mediocre at best, and overpriced. Mark Katz is a drunken fool and ruined our dining experience...he kept flirting with me at my table in front of my husband! And I'm supposed to hand over money to this guy for making us both very uncomfortable?!? Never again! more

WOW, I was there and they were out of corned beef, roast beef, rye bread (actually most of the breads they were out of) not to mention all of the desserts were not in stock. Honestly if you expect to run a deli, you MUST have the meats and breads to do so. I was disappointed ! Also, I heard they just lost their best manager, things are really going down hill now. Time to pack it up Mr. Katz, you're time in Austin is done! I advise everyone to take the extra time and go on up to Manny Hattans or if you must be downtown, go to another deli ( even Jason's deli kicks Katz' **) I know there is also a murphys deli on 5th and congress! Happy Eating Pros: Downtown Cons: Too many to list more

I haven't been to Katz's for a while. I usually go there on my birthday as a place of choice, and when I'm in the mood for some kosher grub. Anyway, we had some company in town so thought we'd go this past Saturday night. It was my first Austin (well, US dining experience actually) and I have loved it since day one.\r \r Not sure what's going on there but it wasn't the same experience I came to love and appreciate since moving to Austin. The head waiter was quite rude to one of my children when she was having an issue getting comfortable in her seat, there was no sense of fun and liveliness (staff were quiet, not really ""into it"" as other staff have been in the past) and hey, where's the free pickles??? The food was okay, but the lack of energy in the place made it not quite the same fun place it used to be.\r \r Please fix it! make it how it used to be! Manny Hattans is getting the edge over you guys! Pros: Good menu Cons: Ambiance lacks these days, not as lively as it used to be more

Service sucked, food was nothing special, Great location and set up but lacked everything else. We live close by but a friend told us about Manny Hattans up north which we love. People watching is fun there.. Pros: Location, design Cons: food, service more

The next time you think about going to Katz's Deli you might want to consider commiting a crime in Fayette County. ""Why? "" you ask. Two reasons, really. The first is that Katz's food stinks. The corned beef is chewy, the bread is soggy and the fried pickles are an abomination. As a matter of fact, the food tastes like it was made from ingredients bought at a convenience store.\r The second, spending a night in Fayette county jail is far more pleasant than dining at this so called ""deli"". I don't know about you, but having to endure rude an indifferent waitstaff is about as pleasurable, to me, as scrubbing toilets. Oh yeah, paying the fine for whatever crime you committed will be far less expensive than dining at Katz's. Pros: Are you kidding me? Cons: Where do I begin? more

I went to this little deli the other day. Our server was rather nice, but the food was not. I ordered a patty melt, and it was so dry I couldn't even choke it all down. Also, we ordered a slice of cheesecake to go, granted its a huge portion, but it was not cooked all the way, and just had a horrible taste. I was very dissapointed by this dining experience. Pros: Great for people watching Cons: Food was just ok! more

I've been to the Katz's in Houston and loved it, so I went to this one thinking it would be the same. I was so wrong. The food was not good, and the atmosphere was dingy and not comfortable at all. Also, I was looking forward to eating dessert here but their dessert menu is so short!!! There were hardly any choices and frankly, I couldn't wait to get out of there. Parking was hard to find (we ended up paying $6 for valet), prices are way too high for what you get, and the wait staff is extremely slow & not that helpful. NOT recommended! Cons: Parking, Expensive more

Great little deli. Nice place to dine at for lunch or unwind at after a long day at the courthouse (convenient downtown location). Great soups (mazoball ? sp) & sandwiches (Ruben & tuna) as well as their fruit salads (taste yogurt sauce) .\r My only complaint is that it can be noisy at times & parking is a problem. Otherwise, Katz?s gets my recommendation.\r Pros: Taste sandwiches, soups & fruit salads Cons: Difficult parking & noisy more

The Worst Deli I have EVER been to. I have been to Deli's in NY, CA, IL, FL, Israel and more and this has them beat as the worst hands down. The Corned Beef is chewy and the wait staff said they don't make it but rather buy it and just slice it. Their Matzo Ball Soup tastes canned and the owner had the nerve, after I sent back the corned beef, to come over and argue with me in front of all of his patrons. I guess he has the room to do that since he has no competition yet in this city. My only guess for the reason anyone patrons this place is due to the bar which is an unusual site at a deli. Traditional Jewish Deli's have wonderful authentic food made right there. They usually always have a bakery which this one does not. I would say that Mr. Katz couldn't make it in New York and had to go somewhere where he wouldn't have a lot of people used to real Jewish Food to serve his slop. If you like very average coffee shop food, rude people, cramped surroundings and are willing to pay for food you send back and have an argument all in the same place, this would be it. Enjoy! I sure didn't. If there is anyone out there willing to put a real deli across the street, I'm in so we can put him out. This city deserves far better than this. Let's send him packing. Cons: Terrible Food, Rude Owner more

I go for the reuben since it has lots of meat and it’s greasy! Fried pickles are in spears but they... more

I go for the reuben since it has lots of meat and it’s greasy! Fried pickles are in spears but they don’t quite have the crunchiness as Plucker’s ... more

I go for the reuben since it has lots of meat and it’s greasy! Fried pickles are in spears but they don’t quite have the crunchiness as Plucker’s ... more

To sum things up: Our waiter Robert was a very rude inconsiderate dolt. We were visiting from Dallas and having dinner with about four friends. We LOVED the food, and were by no means 'problem' customers..just easy going and not demanding in the least, said please and thank you, etc. Our waiter OFFERED to split the check, so we said ok. He didn't barely turn around before bad-mouthing us to another waiter right behind us. He called us 'difficult' and whiny?! I was really dissapointed that my only experience here was ruined by this guy. The hostess and everyone else we dealt with was great. I think this was an isolated incident. As far as our waiter goes, ROBERT, you need to find a new line of work. Pros: unusual menu, alcohol, place has history Cons: late night spot-so drunk girl passed out on toilet, rude waiter more

I dont mind this place when the bar crowd isnt in full force. Its cozy and I really enjoy the waiter I usually get with the amish style beard. The entrees are usually tolerable, I do enjoy the appetizers and the cheesecake. Ok, I gotta admit, the cheesecake is worth it all together. This is the real stuff, not the soggy pudding type. They bake this monster and its worth the 8 bucks a slice. Good place to relax with a cocktail at the bar too. Of course it tries to pull off the NYC theme, and among the overpowering Texan themes its a nice get-a-way from the Armadillos, Stars and walls covered in farm equipment and filthy cowboy boots. Pros: nice place to enjoy a light meal, snack or aperitif Cons: bar crowd late night more

There are reasons to go to Katz's and reasons not to, admittedly. The secret is in managing your expectations. As a regular Katz's customer for 10+ years, I will be the first to admit that the food is not as consistent as it was in the late 90's. But there are still numerous reasons to go there:\r 1) There are very few places to eat late at night or early in the morning that have a full bar.\r 2) I like the atmosphere. I always sit in the bar side and I love the vibe there.\r 3) I'm tired of the complaints about it not being a ""real"" NY deli. Of course it isn't. There are so few ""real"" NY delis, even in NY the ""real"" delis are fading away--R.I.P. 2nd Avenue Deli. Manny Hattans has good grub but it is not a NY deli. The nearest one I know of, with all the authentic delicatessen items AND guys behind the counter shouting at each other in Yiddish, is Kenny & Ziggy's in Houston. Katz's is a NY-inspired restaurant with reasonably good (sometimes great) deli and standard American fare. \r 4) They cut their own fries, which so few places do these days. (P.Terry's is another) When you bite in to them they actually taste like potatoes. They are not uniformly golden and crisp because they did not come from the freezer.\r 5) I am an evening-to-late night diner at Katz's and the sevice suits me just fine. If I want to linger, chat and nosh, they leave me alone. If I'm in a hurry, they accomodate. Regarding the wee hours, the reality is that late-night service in Austin is ""urgent"" at best (Katz's) and snarly at worst (Kerbey Lame, magNOlia). I choose the frenetic energy of Katz's any day over the apathy of the other home-grown late night eateries.\r 6) I dig the food. Stick with the grilled sandwhiches, a side of fries and a beer and you can't go wrong. Then in the morning go back for some corned beef hash & eggs and a Holy Mary.\r 7) Marc's schtick is part of the place. Ok sometimes he needs new material but the gregarious deli owner/huckster makes a deli. Abe Lebewohl, anybody? Pros: fun, hip location/atmosphere; good food and service Cons: occasionally inconsistent food but good on average more

It seems I hear about this place from the same people that like things that have the same words hovering around them, such as ""institutions,"" ""a must!"", or that are just plain popular.\r \r I took a friend there when he came to visit. The time we went could be considered a late dinner. The server was nice, and the place wasn't crowded. Overall the service was the best thing.\r \r I had the Reuben, and it had no taste. I try not to compare this with sandwiches I have had in NYC (and I try not to be pompous), but oh man, should not even call itself a deli when compared to actual delis. Back to our order...we ordered the friend pickles that apparenty are ""a must!"" Digusting. I don't know how they managed to ruin ice tea, but it was...greasy?\r \r Also, not that it bothered me much, but if you are going with friends or meeting a group, they don't accept separate checks.\r \r I guess when you have a monopoly on certain genre of food, you tend to get sloppy and just start making cr@p. \r \r Boo I say, boo. Pros: That one nicer server guy Cons: Everything else more

The Owners Schitck is a Problem 2\r \r who is mark katz anyways? \r \r love new york\r \r hate katz\r \r get a life ! more

The food is ok, the service is ok-nothing special here. If you've been out on the town and had alot to drink you may find it ok.\r The lunch crowd doesn't seem to care what the quality is like, not the most descerning customer base.\r And the owner hovering around, like he is somebody. Sad. Pros: When have a few too many, their open Cons: Service, food quality and the owner hovering around. more

The service at Katz's can vary from overwhelming to nonexistent. On my last trip, we waited almost 10 minutes just to have our drink order taken, only to have the server rush off before I could place an order for appetizers. When I did finally get to order, the appetizers where brought out with the other food and were cold. The server never bussed the table and we sat there with a pile of dirty dishes for most of our visit. I could understand if they were really busy, but this was in the middle of the day during the week and at the time there were only 3 other tables seated in our section. Previous visits have been better, or worse depending on when we went in. Other than the service issues, the increasing prices and shrinking portion sizes were my other major complaint.\r \r The good side is that it's open 24/7 so after a long night of bar hopping, it's a great place to either stop in between bars or a great place to wrap up the night and just hang out. Some of the late night customers are the most interesting people in Austin making for great people watching, and with lots dedicated just to Katz's customers around the area, there's always parking available. Pros: Always open, people watching, parking Cons: Poor service, high prices/shrinking portions more