16 New York City Deli Sandwich Spots Worthy Of The Same Love As Bagels
Start with pastrami on rye, add a pickle, chase it with an Italian hero, and let the city decide your favorite. New Yorkers guard their food rituals closely, and delis sit right beside bagels in that hierarchy of devotion.
Step past the counter and the air greets you with smoke, spice, and the sharp crack of knives against wood. The sandwiches come heavy: rye bending under pastrami, mustard biting through fat, turkey layered so high it feels like defiance.
Every visit tells you something about the city: the stubbornness of tradition, the joy of excess, the way strangers share tables and stories as if pulled together by bread. Sixteen delis stood out, each with its own flavor of argument, memory, or revelation.
Bring a strong appetite, because these aren’t meals you leave unfinished. There’s a pulse in the room; tourists snapping photos, regulars cutting straight to the counter, and cutters moving fast behind glass.
The stubbornness of tradition, the joy of excess, the way strangers share tables and stories as if pulled together by bread.
Author's summary: Discover 16 iconic deli sandwich spots in New York City.