LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN

Katz's Delicatessen

The Lower East Side's 1888 deli — house-cured pastrami on rye, hand-carved at the counter.

Illustration of an American table: a burger, fries and a pickle — Illustration · not a photo of this venue

Katz's has been on the corner of Houston and Ludlow since 1888, and it still feels like a room built for appetite: long counters, cutters working the meat by hand, and tables packed with people who came from every borough and several continents for the same sandwich.

That sandwich is pastrami on rye, house-cured and hand-carved, piled high enough that two people can share and still leave full. Corned beef is the other house classic, and a bowl of matzo ball soup or a three-meat platter rounds out a table. Come hungry and in no particular hurry.

Editor’s tip

Split one pastrami on rye and a bowl of matzo ball soup between two, and go mid-afternoon on a weekday.

Make an evening of it — beautiful stops nearby

EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN

Tompkins Square Park

The East Village's shaggy living room, under some of Manhattan's oldest elms.

Park & Garden · Free

~11 min on foot

EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN

St. Marks Place

Three loud, layered blocks where the East Village keeps its receipts.

Beautiful Street · Free

~11 min on foot

Also in the neighborhood

Illustration

LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN

Dhamaka

Provincial India, loud and uncompromising, inside Essex Market.

Indian · Special Occasion · $$$

Google rating & reviews ↗

Illustration

LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN

Bar Goto

Kenta Goto's Japanese cocktail bar — yuzu highballs, shochu, and the city's best-known okonomiyaki.

Japanese · Cocktail Bar · $$

Google rating & reviews ↗

Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 14, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.