Yes, 15-20 years ago I'm sure this place was still holding onto the fact that it was a NYC institution, with decades of history and being proud. And surely the Long Islanders and B&Ts huddle in here like they do to Little Italy, even though Little Italy is almost fully Chinese. The ambiance, yes it's cool and I wish more places like this still survive (my lament over Chumley's goes here). I rated decor as average because it's a great place to see, but it's still rather grungy and dirty. If you think it's supposed to be grungy and dirty, then you've seen too many movies from the 70s and it is distorting your memories. Your grandfather would never walk into that place when he was younger if it looked like it does today. But the food? Completely gross. Sad. Insulting. They have some salvation in their pastrami, and if you notice how much it's mentioned in every single discussion about Katz's, you realize it's the only thing worth mentioning. And that means mentioning, not going out of your way for. The the corned beef is a slab of unsalted beef fat. Their sides are mounds of grease. They should be ashamed that this is how they treat traditional Jewish food.
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