Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessens originated in Germany during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the mid-19th century. European immigrants to the United States, especially Ashkenazi Jews, popularized the delicatessen in U.S. culture beginning in the late 19th century. Today, many large retail stores like supermarkets have deli sections.
Pastrami is a food originating from Romania usually made from beef brisket. Later recipes use lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. The raw meat is brined, partially dried, seasoned with herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed. Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before the invention of refrigeration. One of the iconic meats of Eastern European cuisine as well as American Jewish cuisine and New York City cuisine, hot pastrami is typically served at delicatessen restaurants on sandwiches such as the pastrami on rye.
The cuisine of New York City comprises many cuisines belonging to various ethnic groups that have entered the United States through the city. Almost all ethnic cuisines are well represented in New York, both within and outside the various ethnic neighborhoods.
Katz's Delicatessen, also known as Katz's of New York City, is a kosher-style delicatessen at 205 East Houston Street, on the southwest corner of Houston and Ludlow Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
The Second Avenue Deli is a certified-kosher Jewish delicatessen in Manhattan, New York City. It was located in the East Village until December 2007, when it relocated to 162 East 33rd Street in Murray Hill. In August 2011, it opened a second branch at 1442 First Avenue on the Upper East Side. In November 2017, it opened a cocktail lounge called 2nd Floor above its Upper East Side branch.
The Carnegie Deli is a small Jewish delicatessen, formerly a chain, based in New York City. Its main branch, opened in 1937 near Carnegie Hall, was located at 854 7th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. It closed on December 31, 2016. There is one branch still in operation at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, and the deli still operates a wholesale distribution service.
Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen was a Jewish delicatessen in Portland, Oregon serving primarily non-kosher foods. The restaurant closed permanently in November 2023.
Montreal-style smoked meat, Montreal smoked meat or simply smoked meat in Quebec is a type of kosher-style deli meat product made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices. The brisket is allowed to absorb the flavours over a week. It is then hot smoked to cook through, and finally is steamed to completion. This is a variation on corned beef and is similar to pastrami.
Brent's Delicatessen & Restaurant is a Jewish deli and restaurant located in Northridge, California. The restaurant was opened in 1967 and purchased by Ron Peskin in 1969 for $1700. The deli has expanded to a second location in Westlake Village, California.
Pastrami on rye is a sandwich comprising sliced pastrami on rye bread, often served with mustard and Kosher dill pickles. It was popularized in the Jewish delicatessens of New York City and has been described as New York's "signature sandwich". It was created in 1888 by the Lithuanian immigrant Sussman Volk, who served it at his deli on Delancey Street in Manhattan.
American Jewish cuisine comprises the food, cooking, and dining customs associated with American Jews. It was heavily influenced by the cuisine of Jewish immigrants who came to the United States from Eastern Europe around the turn of the 20th century. It was further developed in unique ways by the immigrants and their descendants, especially in New York City and other large metropolitan areas of the northeastern U.S.
Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co. was a smokehouse and delicatessen located in Alphabet City, Manhattan, New York City that operated from 2015 to 2019.
A Jewish deli, also known as a Jewish delicatessen, is a delicatessen establishment that serves various traditional dishes in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. They are typically known for their sandwiches such as pastrami on rye, as well as their soups such as matzo ball soup, among other dishes. Most of these establishments are traditionally considered Ashkenazi. Like much of the Jewish cuisine stemming from the period of the Jewish diaspora, the emergence of the Jewish deli developed in accordance with local culture. These days, Jewish delicatessens serve a variety of Jewish dishes. While some delis have full kosher-certification, others operate in a kosher-style, refraining from mixing meat and dairy in the same dish, despite potentially using non-certified ingredients. There are also delis that serve food without adhering to any traditional Jewish dietary restrictions, offering non-Kosher dishes such as the Reuben sandwich.
Sarge's Delicatessen & Diner is a Jewish deli and kosher style restaurant in Manhattan. It was opened in 1964, on Third Avenue in Murray Hill, by Abe Katz, a retired New York City Police Department sergeant. Eater NY named it one of the 19 Vital Jewish Delis in NYC.
The Pastrami Queen is a Jewish deli on the Upper East Side of Manhattan which opened as Pastrami King in Williamsburg, Brooklyn before moving to Kew Gardens, Queens in 1961. The kosher restaurant opened in 1956. They've since opened (2020) a location on the Upper West Side considered their flagship location. They took over the former Fine & Schapiro, a long-time kosher deli in the space.
Loeser's Deli was a defunct Jewish deli in the Bronx, New York that closed after 60 years citing a non-compliant gas line. Founded in 1960 by Freddy Loeser and Ernest his father, a Holocaust survivor, their origin story is that they used Freddy's Bar Mitzvah money to open the business. The corner of West 231st St and Godwin Terrace, was renamed Loeser's Deli Place by the city in honor of the deli. The city found issues with their health regulations and their plumbing, leading to the shutdown of the operation. They were known for knishes and pastrami.
