This is a list of notable Jewish delis. A Jewish deli is a type of restaurant serving pastrami on rye, corned beef sandwiches, and other sandwiches as well as various salads such as tuna salad and potato salad, side dishes such as latkes and kugel, and desserts such as black and white cookies and rugelach, as well as other dishes found in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Jewish delis may serve kosher or kosher-style food. In the case of kosher-style delis, they also offer dairy and meat together even though this is against Jewish dietary law. It is these Jewish delis which serve Reuben sandwiches and noodle kugel, among other dishes. [1] [2]
Ashkenazi Jews brought the deli to North America and most popularized it within American culture. [2]
The Reuben sandwich is a North American grilled sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread. It is associated with kosher-style delicatessens but is not kosher, as it combines meat and cheese.
Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a grocery 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 type of cured meat originating from Romania usually made from beef brisket. 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.
Canter's Deli is a Jewish-style delicatessen, opened in 1931 in Boyle Heights, and later moved to the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, near the border of West Hollywood. It has been frequented by many movie stars and celebrities.
Schwartz's, also known as the Schwartz's Deli and the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, is a Jewish delicatessen restaurant and take-out, located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was established in 1928, by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania. Its long popularity and reputation has led to it being considered a cultural institution and landmark in Montreal.
The Carnegie Deli was a 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.
Kosher style refers to Jewish cuisine—most often that of Ashkenazi Jews—which may or may not actually be kosher. It is a stylistic designation rather than one based on the laws of kashrut. In some U.S. states, the use of this term in advertising is illegal as a misleading term under consumer protection laws.
A kosher restaurant or kosher deli is an establishment that serves food that complies with Jewish dietary laws (kashrut). These businesses, which also include diners, cafés, pizzerias, fast food, and cafeterias, and are frequently in listings together with kosher bakeries, butchers, caterers, and other similar places, differ from kosher-style businesses in that they operate under rabbinical supervision, which requires the observance of the laws of kashrut, as well as certain other Jewish laws, including the separation of meat and dairy.
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.
Mile End Delicatessen, is a Jewish deli in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn which opened in 2010 and is named after the neighborhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The deli has been highly rated and is currently run by Joel Tietolman.
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 restaurant that serves various traditional dishes of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Best known for their robust sandwiches, such as pastrami on rye, they also specialize in traditional Jewish diaspora soups, such as matzo ball, and other ethnically-rooted dishes. Betraying their roots as retail delicatessens, most also sell a selection of their products, such as sliced meats by the pound, prepared salads, and pickles, and do a thriving take-out trade.
Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen is a San Francisco-based chain of Jewish delis and bagel shops with 9 locations throughout the San Francisco Bay and in Culver City in the Los Angeles Areas in California, and Japan.
Kornblatt's Delicatessen was a Jewish deli in Portland, Oregon. The business operated from 1991 to March 2023.
Attman's Delicatessen is a Jewish delicatessen in Maryland with branches in Baltimore and Potomac. The deli serves Ashkenazi staples including corned beef, pastrami, brisket, Reuben sandwiches, knishes, latkes, pickles, kugel, and whitefish salad.
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.