I remember the Katz's of my childhood - the deli looks much the same as it did four decades ago and I appreciate that Katz's interior, unlike the surrounding neighborhood, has not been gentrified. I consider the lack of ambiance to be charming - in the true tradition of what delis used to look like. There are few old time Jewish-style delis left anymore. What has changed, along with the neighborhood, is the prices. A corned beef or a pastrami sandwich is close to $15 and you will pay $1 more if you want your sandwich lean. Sandwiches are a good size. One sandwich and a portion of fries($4.50) can feed two average eaters. While the sandwiches are not the very best I have ever eaten, I found the meat, the pastrami in particular, to be quite tasty. The meat was warm and thickly sliced - not like the pastrami you buy at the deli that is cold and sliced thin on a machine. I believe Katz's cures its own pastrami and it certainly tasted that way. The corned beef was good too but a bit dry for my taste - maybe because I ordered it lean. Good enough for me not to have felt like a fool for spending approximately $34 for two sandwiches. The pickles that accompanied the sandwiches were excellent. Although I didn't enjoy my bill, I did enjoy the sandwiches. We were three people and two sandwiches (no sides) was more than enough for us. Katz's does not accept credit cards - cash only. It seemed to me that Katz's attracts a good many tourists but this native New Yorker will still occasionally return to Katz's when I am feeling nostalgia for some tasty, old time deli.
Pros: very good pastrami, good corned beef
Cons: High prices
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