The 12 Best Places To Get Pastrami In NYC

Every big city has its own culinary specialty that is something of a local must-eat. London has its fish and chips. Tokyo has sushi. And, in New York City, pastrami is king. This delicious type of cured meat was invented in the Big Apple, but its history spans back to well before the inception of the deli. Pastrami actually started out as a Romanian dish called "pastirma," which was made from goose. When Jewish immigrants fled religious persecution in Eastern Europe in the 1800s, many of them settled in New York and opened Jewish delis. Several of these business owners brought their penchant for pastirma to the U.S. along with plenty of other iconic recipes. 

Unfortunately for pastirma lovers, however, its key ingredient, goose, was rare in the city. Thus, deli owners decided to make a pastirma-like dish using beef, instead. To achieve this, cooks would brine a tougher cut of beef for at least a week. Then, they would season the beef with salt and other spices, before dry curing and smoking it. This would leave them with a tender meat that was both flavorful and succulent. Sold alongside salami, the name of this dish was shifted to rhyme with the other popular deli option. Pastrami was born.

These days, pastrami continues to be an iconic part of the New York City culinary scene. From the classic Katz's Delicatessen to the newer Dickson's Farmstand Meats, here are the top places to eat pastrami in NYC.

Opened in 1964, Sarge's Delicatessen & Diner will serve you the kind of New York City pastrami that takes you back a few decades. Founded by retired NYPD sergeant, Abe Katz, the locale was originally created to give his buddies on the force a place to hang out. That being said, the restaurant quickly gained popularity with much of the local community, thanks to its amazing homemade corn beef and pastrami. Unlike many surviving delis, which have resorted to selling factory-made meats, Sarge's continues to prepare 99% of its own goods. The deli even uses Sergeant Katz's original meat rub recipe to cure its pastrami, giving it a unique flavor that you won't find at any other establishment. 

Interestingly, though, Sarge's origins as a place for people to relax after work remain evident in the type of sandwiches that it serves. The portions are notoriously generous, so if you order a pastrami on rye bread, prepare to receive two slices of fresh bread that are stuffed to the brim with meat. The restaurant also tries to remain inclusive of the diet diversity that has emerged in the 21st century. Therefore, it has added vegan meats to the menu, including a plant-based version of corned beef. Because of this, anyone who is traveling to New York with their vegan friends should swing by Sarge's. After all, the eatery offers something for everyone.

Just because a restaurant is a Brooklyn newcomer does not mean that it cannot perfect a NYC classic. Although it's only been open since 2016, Frankel's Delicatessen & Appetizing seeks to give its patrons the classic Jewish deli experience. Its founders, Zach and Alex Frankel, opened the establishment because they felt that their own family recipes were not being represented in the current restaurant scene. As Alex told Pitchfork, "The brisket we grew up on is nothing like what you see in restaurants." To fix that, the Frankel brothers decided to serve a variety that was partially inspired by their own grandmother but also by Ashley Berman's.

Their pastrami is just as traditional and just as good. Unlike many modern venues, which rely on mechanical meat slicers, Frankel's serves pastrami that is cut the old school way — by hand. The locale also sets itself apart by allowing patrons to order their pastrami sandwiches with plenty of toppings, like sauerkraut or Russian dressing. Folks who truly love pastrami for pastrami's sake, however, can ask for their meat to come doused in its own flavorful juices. This meat is so good that Frankel's includes it in breakfast fare too, offering an egg and cheese sandwich that's loaded with pastrami. 

While the classics are, well, the classics, it's no secret that New York City is always changing. And, one of the newer establishments that arrived to transform the Big Apple is Hometown Bar-B-Q in Industry City. This restaurant plays with the concept of traditional New York City pastrami but adds an intriguing twist, using barbecue tactics to smoke this classic meat. And, fascinatingly, this plan seems to be working. Although Hometown Bar-B-Q remains somewhat controversial — after all, it's hardly an NYC institution — the restaurant is already gaining attention for its innovative approach to pastrami.

Unlike traditional pastrami joints, which brine and then boil the meat, Hometown Bar-B-Q skips this second step. Instead, the restaurant pulls its beef straight from the brine and throws it onto the smoker, creating a BBQ version of pastrami. The final product is tender, smokey, and soft with a ruby-red color. The pastrami is cut in thick hunks that allow you to enjoy each piece of sandwich meat as a delicacy in its own right. Although it is served on slices of rye bread with a touch of mustard, this meat is so delicious that you might decide to eat it straight. As an added bonus, you can order your pastrami straight from the restaurant's take-away counter and enjoy it from the comfort of your own home. 

While some businesses survive by adapting their business models, others do so by simply beating out the competition. That was certainly the case for Liebman's Kosher Delicatessen — which started out in competition with more than 100 other Bronx delis back in 1953. It is now the only one of those original establishments left standing. And, the reason that it has survived for so long pertains to the unmistakable quality of its eats. 

Just like many of the best delis in town, Liebman's makes its own pastrami right there in the restaurant. As a result, when it hits your plate, the meat is both succulent and fresh. It is served in multiple fashions, with open-face sandwiches being one favorite and pastrami-topped burgers representing a fun twist on a New York classic. For many Liebman's patrons, however, the best part of the restaurant is the fact that it's still local. Never mind the long lines at popular spots, like Katz's. Liebman's offers some of the best pastrami in town minus the Manhattan tourism rush. 

Sometimes, change is necessary — especially in a multi-national city like New York. And, although it is important to preserve traditional pastrami-making methods, it is just as essential to welcome new pastrami iterations to the NYC food scene. One such type of pastrami was invented by Kwame Onwuachi, the Nigerian-American chef who opened the ever-successful restaurant Tatiana. At Onwuachi's establishment, classic New York City pastrami is blended with West African cooking styles to create the uniquely flavorful short rib pastrami suya.  

This dish is a far cry from your typical deli sandwich. Instead, it consists of a foot-long short rib that has been brined for days in a mixture of mustard seed, garlic, and juniper. The meat is then rubbed with yaji, a Nigerian seasoning known for its powerful aroma and unforgettable taste. Onwuachi allows the short rib to sit in the yaji overnight in order to ensure that it really absorbs the flavor of the rub. He then cooks it slowly over the course of three hours, creating a dish that is both flavorful and tender. Speaking to the New York Post, Onwuachi explained why he decided to add this item to Tatiana's menu: "I wanted to do a special beef dish. I was like, why don't we do a play on pastrami as my ode to New York with an African twist?" The results were so spectacular that the Post called it the "best pastrami in NYC."

Dickson's Farmstand Meats is a different kind of NYC deli. If anything, it is actually a butcher shop. Located in Chelsea Market, this establishment specializes in procuring high-quality, locally-sourced meats for New Yorkers. Even so, it offers many traditional deli services, such as house-made salami, jerky, and sometimes also pastrami. Because Dickson's is so careful about the quality of meat that it buys from nearby farms, it is ultra-fresh. Thus, their pastrami meat is extra flavorful.

Interestingly, however, Dickson's does not try to replicate the old-fashioned NYC deli experience. Rather than offering classic sandwiches, like the Reuben, the eatery sells modern versions of past favorites. For example, the restaurant serves its pastrami on multi-grain bread, which is toasted under the heavy iron of a panini machine. The sandwich is also dressed with unconventional toppings, most notably cheddar and apricot chutney. Although the most traditional pastrami fans might not be impressed by these new ideas, Dickson's is certainly worth a try. Ultimately, the restaurant serves some of the most popular flavors in new and delicious combinations.