Very authentic kosher deli. My husband wanted a real pastrami sandwich. Served warm. The Cole slaw was lightly dressed and delicious as well.
Julie G.
Absolutely awful! Such a rip off. Ordered a spinach knish, it was stale and like it had been made a week ago. We had to send it back. The manager said it sits in the case and becomes hard and crusty, Huh? And you serve this crap? Then we ordered a pastrami sandwich, also awful, loaded with fat, dry, tasteless, awful. Don't go to this place, it's really terrible food.
Dave I.
Katz is ten times better, the meat is fatty and you have yo pay more just to get it somewhere near the quality of katz's quality.
Michael S.
Awesome experience . A NY tradition everyone should experience for a local deli. Get a knish too!!
Ulrike W.
A total NYC staple. Sandwiches at this place are old school, original and plentiful. No chain store stuff here, it's the real deal. Pastrami is a must here. Old school service, old school decor. This place leaves me nostalgic.
Angela L.
I have always wanted to try this to compare it to other corn beef places. This place is pretty iconic. Inside it looked like an old school deli. The man at the counter happily took my order of corn beef on rye with mustard on the side and he even gave me a few slices of corn beef to try. The corn beef was sliced thin. It was still warm, tender, and juicy. It practically melted in my mouth. They give a generous portion as well. The price however is $28+ with tax. It's a little steep but on par with other places.
John V.
A welcomed time capsule in this ever changing city. You can sit down and feel like you're in Patti Smith or Jack Kerouac novel diner scene. Delicious kosher deli fare. Pickles and side salads a must here! Sandwich's far superior to chain counterparts. A must to your New York foodie experiences.
Anne R.
TOTALLY DISAPPOINTING!!!! We are born and bred in New York City, and we know our deli. We dropped $130 for lunch. The prices are quite expensive even for New York. The tongue was tasteless. The pastrami was dried out and tasteless and if you closed your eyes you wouldn't know what you're eating. The corned beef sandwich was full of crumbs of meat, like they scooped up all the little pieces that fell away. And guess what, tasteless as well. Even the coleslaw was just shredded cabbage with some kind of sweetener - how could you mess up coleslaw? I've eaten at the original deli on 2nd Ave. many years ago and then when they moved to the east 30's and now to E. 75th St. and it seems that they're relying on their sacred name and not on the quality of their food. I wouldn't eat there if you gave me the food for free.
Robert P
2ND AVE DELI HAS THE BEST FOOD !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Randy M.
OMG!! What has happened to this place? We had planned on going there today but my brother-in-law law and his wife, bonafide food mavens, advised against it as they were there twice within the past few weeks and said it sucks nowadays. What used to be a fabulous place has become crappy and way overpriced. How sad
Watery pea and barley soup. Cold fries. Really nice people working there. The felafel looked good.
Natasya J.
The hot corned beef was great! It's tasty without being overly salty. The ambience is great and gives you that retro feeling. Unfortunately, the service was understaffed.
Brenna Dacks
Pastrami on a bagel was delish. Staff were very nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Gabe P.
My food, the pastrami sandwich, was pretty decent, but in no way justifies the $27 price tag (not including tax and tip). The meat often felt stringy--hard to bite and got stuck in my teeth. But on its own outside of the sandwich it was very tasty. I also ordered the potato pancake--It was alright. I could and probably will go my whole life without ever craving another one. The service was acceptable, but nothing spectacular. However, the cookies they laid down at the end of my meal were quite delicious, the deli's take on a black and white cookie. Stop by if your pockets are fat or you really love a pastrami... or don't, it's not that great.
Venus Zhang
After seeing Facebook reviews online claiming that their pastrami sandwich surpassed Katz's, I decided to bring my coworkers here and give this place a try for lunch. Unfortunately, it was a letdown. The sandwich was rather mediocre, and the portion size for the hefty $30 price tag left much to be desired—I barely felt full. For an authentic pastrami experience, I'd recommend heading to Katz's instead.
Very authentic kosher deli. My husband wanted a real pastrami sandwich. Served warm. The Cole slaw was lightly dressed and delicious as well.
Absolutely awful! Such a rip off. Ordered a spinach knish, it was stale and like it had been made a week ago. We had to send it back. The manager said it sits in the case and becomes hard and crusty, Huh? And you serve this crap? Then we ordered a pastrami sandwich, also awful, loaded with fat, dry, tasteless, awful. Don't go to this place, it's really terrible food.
Katz is ten times better, the meat is fatty and you have yo pay more just to get it somewhere near the quality of katz's quality.
Awesome experience . A NY tradition everyone should experience for a local deli. Get a knish too!!
A total NYC staple. Sandwiches at this place are old school, original and plentiful. No chain store stuff here, it's the real deal. Pastrami is a must here. Old school service, old school decor. This place leaves me nostalgic.
I have always wanted to try this to compare it to other corn beef places. This place is pretty iconic. Inside it looked like an old school deli. The man at the counter happily took my order of corn beef on rye with mustard on the side and he even gave me a few slices of corn beef to try. The corn beef was sliced thin. It was still warm, tender, and juicy. It practically melted in my mouth. They give a generous portion as well. The price however is $28+ with tax. It's a little steep but on par with other places.
A welcomed time capsule in this ever changing city. You can sit down and feel like you're in Patti Smith or Jack Kerouac novel diner scene. Delicious kosher deli fare. Pickles and side salads a must here! Sandwich's far superior to chain counterparts. A must to your New York foodie experiences.
TOTALLY DISAPPOINTING!!!! We are born and bred in New York City, and we know our deli. We dropped $130 for lunch. The prices are quite expensive even for New York. The tongue was tasteless. The pastrami was dried out and tasteless and if you closed your eyes you wouldn't know what you're eating. The corned beef sandwich was full of crumbs of meat, like they scooped up all the little pieces that fell away. And guess what, tasteless as well. Even the coleslaw was just shredded cabbage with some kind of sweetener - how could you mess up coleslaw? I've eaten at the original deli on 2nd Ave. many years ago and then when they moved to the east 30's and now to E. 75th St. and it seems that they're relying on their sacred name and not on the quality of their food. I wouldn't eat there if you gave me the food for free.
2ND AVE DELI HAS THE BEST FOOD !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
OMG!! What has happened to this place? We had planned on going there today but my brother-in-law law and his wife, bonafide food mavens, advised against it as they were there twice within the past few weeks and said it sucks nowadays. What used to be a fabulous place has become crappy and way overpriced. How sad
Restaurantji Recommends
Watery pea and barley soup. Cold fries. Really nice people working there. The felafel looked good.
The hot corned beef was great! It's tasty without being overly salty. The ambience is great and gives you that retro feeling. Unfortunately, the service was understaffed.
Pastrami on a bagel was delish. Staff were very nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
My food, the pastrami sandwich, was pretty decent, but in no way justifies the $27 price tag (not including tax and tip). The meat often felt stringy--hard to bite and got stuck in my teeth. But on its own outside of the sandwich it was very tasty. I also ordered the potato pancake--It was alright. I could and probably will go my whole life without ever craving another one. The service was acceptable, but nothing spectacular. However, the cookies they laid down at the end of my meal were quite delicious, the deli's take on a black and white cookie. Stop by if your pockets are fat or you really love a pastrami... or don't, it's not that great.
After seeing Facebook reviews online claiming that their pastrami sandwich surpassed Katz's, I decided to bring my coworkers here and give this place a try for lunch. Unfortunately, it was a letdown. The sandwich was rather mediocre, and the portion size for the hefty $30 price tag left much to be desired—I barely felt full. For an authentic pastrami experience, I'd recommend heading to Katz's instead.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3