Katz's Delicatessen

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Template:Short description Template:Redirect-distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox restaurant

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.<ref name=zagat>"Katz's Delicatessen" Template:Webarchive on the Zagat website</ref> Katz's Delicatessen is not a kosher restaurant,<ref>[1] Template:Webarchive on the Katz's Delicatessen website FAQ's page.</ref> although its menu is inspired by culturally Jewish foods.

Since its founding in 1888, it has been popular among locals and tourists alike for its pastrami on rye, which is considered among New York's best.<ref>New York City Travel Guide: Katz's Deli Template:Webarchive, accessed September 24, 2006</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Each week, Katz's serves Template:Convert of pastrami, Template:Cvt of corned beef, Template:Cvt of salami, and 4,000 hot dogs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2016, Zagat gave Katz's a food rating of 4.5 out of 5, and ranked it as the number one deli in New York City.<ref name=zagat />

History

According to Katz's chronology, two brothers named Morris and Hyman Iceland established what is now known as Katz's Delicatessen on Ludlow Street in New York's Lower East Side. Upon the arrival of Willy Katz in 1903, the establishment's name was changed from Iceland Brothers to Iceland & Katz. Willy's cousin Benny joined him in 1910, buying out the Iceland brothers to form Katz's delicatessen. Their landlord Harry Tarowsky bought into the partnership in April 1917.<ref name=katzstory>Template:Cite web</ref> However, according to food writer Robert F. Moss, records at Ellis Island indicate that Morris and Hyman Iceland immigrated to the United States in 1902. Moss states that the "Iceland Hyman delicatessen" had only opened by 1911.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The construction of the New York City Subway's Houston Street Line in the 1930s required the deli to move to the present side of the street, although the entrance remained on Ludlow Street. The vacant lot on Houston Street was home to barrels of meat and pickles until the storefront facade was added in the period 1946–1949.<ref name=katzstory />

In the early part of the twentieth century, the Lower East Side was home to millions of newly immigrated families. This, along with the lack of public and private transportation, forged a solid community such that Katz's became a focal point for congregating. On Fridays, the neighborhood turned out for franks and beans, a long time Katz tradition.<ref name=katzstory />

During the peak of the Yiddish theater, the restaurant was frequented by actors, singers and comedians from the many theaters on Second Avenue as well as the National Theater on Houston Street. During World War II, the sons of the owners – Lenny Katz and Izzy Tarowsky – were both serving their country in the armed forces, and the family tradition of sending food to their sons became established as the company slogan "Send A Salami To Your Boy In The Army".<ref name=katzstory /> The slogan was coined by Izzy's mother Rose Tarowsky, whose son served in the South Pacific as a bomber pilot.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite magazine; see also New York Historical Society video Template:Webarchive</ref>

The next change in ownership took place with the death of Willy Katz, when his son Lenny took over. In 1980, both Benny Katz and Harry Tarowsky died, leaving the store to Benny's son-in-law Artie Makstein and Harry's son Izzy. In 1988, on the 100th anniversary of its establishment, with no offspring of their own to leave the business to, Lenny, Izzy and Arthur sold Katz's to long-time restaurateur Martin Dell, his son Alan – who was a chef and a manager at a neighboring deli – and Martin's son-in-law Fred Austin. Alan's son Jake joined the business in late 2009 and Template:As of is in charge of major operations.<ref name=katzstory /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2011, the U.S. government sued Katz's for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The lawsuit came after federal officials had read a 2011 Zagat guide that ranked the 50 most popular restaurants in New York City and investigated whether they were ADA-accessible; the guide had ranked Katz's 42nd.<ref name="Shanahan q021">Template:Cite web</ref> The restaurant celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2013 by opening a pop-up art gallery next door. The gallery featured original art by local New York City artists with Baron Von Fancy and Ricky Powell among the first displayed and others rotated on a monthly basis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2017, Katz's opened its first auxiliary location, in the City Point development's DeKalb Market Hall in Downtown Brooklyn,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and also instituted mail-order sales.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2021, it was announced that Katz's Delicatessen would partner with Hendrick's Gin to make gin-inspired pickles. Master Distiller Lesley Gracie collaborated with Katz's owner Jake Dell to create a brine that featured gin standard juniper and cubeb berries, with an additional emphasis on coriander, a botanical shared by both Katz's pickles and Hendrick's Gin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2024, as part of a settlement with the U.S. government, Katz's agreed to renovate its Ludlow Street building to make it wheelchair-accessible.<ref name="Shanahan q021" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Early morning at Katz's delicatessen.jpg
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Catchphrases

File:“Send a salami to your boy in the army” sign.webp
Sign at Katz's encouraging parents to send salami to their sons in the military during World War II

During World War II, the sons of the owners – Lenny Katz and Izzy Tarowsky – were both serving their country in the armed forces, and the family tradition of sending food to their sons became established as the company slogan "Send A Salami To Your Boy In The Army".<ref name=katzstory /> The slogan was coined by Izzy's mother Rose Tarowsky, whose son served in the South Pacific as a bomber pilot.<ref name="auto"/> It is part of the lyrics of a song in the 1950 Martin and Lewis film At War with the Army, and referenced in the Tom Lehrer song "So Long, Mom (A Song for World War III)" in the following lyric: "Remember, Mommy, I'm off to get a Commie, so send me a salami, and try to smile somehow". Katz's continues to support American troops today: the deli has arranged special international shipping for U.S. military addresses only and has been a source of gift packages to troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Another of the deli's catchphrases is "Katz's, that's all!", which came about when a signmaker asked Harry Tarowsky what to say on the deli's sign, and Harry replied "Katz's, that's all". This was misinterpreted by the signmaker, who painted the sign as it stands today on the side of the building.

Tickets

As each customer enters Katz's, a door attendant hands them a printed, numbered ticket. As they receive their food from various stations/areas throughout the deli (separate for sandwiches, hot dogs, bottled drinks, fountain drinks, etc.), employees compute a running total of the pre-tax bill. If several people's orders are combined on a single ticket, a cashier collects the blank tickets.<ref name="ny.eater.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Katzs Delicatessen Ticket 114-388.png
Katz's Delicatessen Ticket 114-388

Katz's has instituted a "lost ticket fee". If a customer loses a ticket, an additional $50 surcharge is added to the bill. The fee's purpose, as stated by the management, is to encourage patrons to go back and find the lost ticket in the hopes of preventing theft (substituting a smaller ticket for a larger one).<ref name="ny.eater.com"/>

File:Harry und Sally bei Katz' Deli.JPG
The sign at Katz's Delicatessen commemorating the film When Harry Met Sally...

Film

Television

Advertisements

  • In February 2025, Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal appeared in an advert for Hellmann's mayonnaise, which was filmed inside the restaurant and first aired during Super Bowl LIX. The advert parodied the deli scene from When Harry Met Sally, with Crystal commenting "I can't believe they let us back in here!". The "I'll have what she's having" line was delivered by Sydney Sweeney.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

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References

Notes Template:Reflist

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Template:Restaurants in Manhattan

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