2nd Ave Deli

I tried their pastrami sandwich, and potato kugel. I was satisfied with both the items I ordered. The pastrami was thinly sliced, and the rye was soft and fresh. I also love the thickness of the potato kugel. It was so good and so satisfying. On top of that, the pickled cabbage and the pickles were sooo good as well. The food itself was a bit salty, however, with the pickled vegetables it just balanced out. I also like the blue and white cookie they gave me after the meal. Overall, it was a very nice experience and I will definitely come back again and try their other sandwiches!

I ordered the 1/2 sandwich and soup combo. I was really disappointed with the size of my 1/2 sandwich. It was about half the size of what I have gotten at Katz's delicatessen. In their favor, the meat was tender and juicy and very tasty. Just wish it was a larger portion as it's not exactly cheap.

i went there alone. I ordered two dishes, but it was enough. Great food and service. I really liked pasta. I recommend you to share.

Located in the Upper East Side, this traditional deli serves Kosher style specialties such as Stuffed Cabbage and Pastrami Sandwiches. Lately however, when you ask for some classics, like Chopped Liver, are not always available. Service can be improved.

This place, while maybe appearing like an overpriced tourist trap, is one of the best Jewish diners I’ve been to. I split both the matzo ball soup and pastrami sandwich with my mother. The presentation of the soup was a nice touch, but what I really loved was the food itself. The broth was a bit light but very enjoyable, the carrots were perfectly steamed to a balance of crisp and mush, and the matzo ball was buttery and soaked up the flavor of the soup very well. The pastrami sandwich came with a generous portion of pastrami, which was juicy and flavorful. The rye bread was nice and the challah bread the matzo ball soup came with was perfectly fluffy and just a little sweet. Aside from the amazing food, the service and atmosphere of this place is also incredible. I only wish the prices were lower so I could come more often!

Delicious food even though the bread was dry. We would definitely be back to give them another try, and I would recommend asking for the bread to be toasted. There are plenty more options to choose from, and they looked pretty good. We got the pastrami sandwich and a tuna and coleslaw sandwich. The tuna and coleslaw were much better and tasted delicious. The pastrami was great, but the sandwich was ok, nothing more. Overall, I would recommend trying it out and asking for the bread to be different from white or toasted.

i haven't been the 2nd Ave Deli in years I was hoping for great experience. The prices are really high. A half sandwich and fries are $25.I asked the waiter for pastrami and fries. I asked for roll instead of Rye Bread. I got surprise when check included $1.50 for a roll. At these prices that pushing the envelope

Food is ok it was better a Few years ago, the biggest trouble they have is how they treat their customers Really bad attitude the host completly disrepectufull

The first thing I encountered was a step which made me sad that this wasn't an accessible place. I hope I'm wrong and that there's another way in because everyone needs to have access to this delicious food served by these very nice people. The hot pastrami sandwich here is the best I've ever had. The rye bread is not dry at all and it's just a lovely texture. The pastrami is from another planet. It is SO next level. Get the regular not the lean. It needs the fat to be so amazing. Don't eat it every day but cmon....eat it! One bite of the chicken liver and I burst into tears. It tasted so much like what my mother in law used to make. It made me miss her and remember so many fond memories. I love when food acts as a portal to love and other times. The people were so nice and, well, it was a great time. Don't walk by!

I'm a fiend for pastrami, so I had to try this place out. What we ordered: Latke with apple sauce- nice and crispy on the edges, but a bit mealy on the inside in my opinion. Lox omelette- good, but not remarkable. Pastrami sandwich- the pricey but delicious Katz's rendition of this sets the bar for me, and 2nd Ave's version falls flat in comparison. Pretty pricey, but not a ton of meat, and super thin sliced (I prefer thick cut). I like that they give you complementary pickles and slaw. They also gave us free cookies at the end. But overall, Katz's is still king in my book.

A Classic Jewish Deli. Everything was as you would expect. Service was great and prices were OK. Obviously not cheap, but nothing ridiculous. Pastrami doesn't compare to Katz in absolute quality but is a better representative of a classic ashkenazi pastrami sandwich.

Walked down from the Met for a late lunch. It was nice and quiet, with few tables seated at 2pm. We were brought assorted pickles right away, including dills and half sours. We ordered a corned beef sandwich on rye, pastrami on wheat, and a side of latkes to share. We were told by the waitress that the latkes come as a serving of 3, so we were confused when it came out as one large latke. No matter, we cut it into 3 pieces. Unfortunately it lacked flavor, and came with a hyper sweet cinnamon applesauce that I personally did not enjoy. On a positive note, the pastrami and corned beef were both delicious. As you would expect at a Jewish deli, the price tag is large but so are the portions. We were offered Russian dressing for the table and served complimentary cookies at the end, which was a nice touch.

I hate to leave this poor review but my husband and I were so disappointed when we ordered. $40 for a sandwich with pastrami that looks like Boars Head? Also $14 for a slice of cake the size of a deck of cards when the picture showed it much larger. It's a shonda. I will say the pigs in a blanket were phenomenal and saved this review from being 1 star.

I called ahead for a table of 8 for Sunday lunch, and they fortunately had space for us. I saw reviews complaining about the service, but we had a fantastic waiter. The pickles/coleslaw were delicious and plentiful, and I only wish I could have packed the leftovers too. The pastrami is indeed delicious here. Only complaint would actually be the bread in that it doesn't live up to the meat. My friend got it with sauerkraut which elevated it even more. I got the corned beef, which while good, was a distant 2nd from the pastrami. We also got the chocolate babka which they serve warm. While I liked it enough, it was a bit more spongy(?) in comparison to Breads Bakery. I still prefer Breads' version.

This business puts in the minimal effort: From the $16 you'll pay for matzo ball soup without even half a coin of sliced carrot and no parsley or dill whatsoever to the trash situation that they create on E. 75th St. On the side street around the corner from the main restaurant entrance, the black garbage bags are piled high. The business volume and trash generated by this business has doubled, tripled, quadrupled since last fall yet this business uses 4 tiny trash receptacles that do not fit even a small fraction of their trash. The trash is piled high over open containers with bags throw in every direction (including into the street) and at times THEY USE NO TRASH CANS (photo take at 9:30pm 4/21/24). I have seen an uptick in rat sightings on the block (feeding on 2nd Ave Deli's trash) the more unruly the trash situation has gotten. UPDATE: As of the evening of May 7th, the Department of Sanitation visited this business and started the ticketing process due to their improper trash storage. Since I first starting reporting on the surplus trash situation last fall, 2nd Ave Deli purchased 2 additional 32 gallon garbage containers but this is still wholly insufficient for taking out their trash. They still have a mountain of black trash bags out every trash day. In addition they have now CHAINED the trash receptacles to the poor tree on the sidewalk which means they are not storing the trash bins inside at all. 2nd Avenue Deli breaks every one of these laws: NYC law: "Bins should be stored inside or in a rear yard if possible, when not set out for collection. If space is not available, bins can be stored within 3 feet of the building line. Bins must be covered at all times with securely fitting covers/lids. Bins much be maintained in a neat and orderly manner and always allow for a clear path of pedestrian travel on the sidewalk."

2nd Avenue deli is the best deli in Manhattan, maybe even all of NYC! Their portions are plentiful and delicious. We ordered more than the pictures have, we were too excited to eat it all to remember to take the pictures! Their soup portions and sandwich portions are huge. Everything is fresh, and the pastrami is especially good and made in house. The waiters are always so pleasant and attentive, great service. Lots of space in the restaurant meant no long waits for seating or food. We also loved the complimentary blue and white cookies meant to support Israel. We love this place and plan to come back at least weekly or biweekly.

I ordered delivered tonight. It has been years since I've physically been to the deli. I ordered the matzah soup, baked potato knish and the kasha varnish. The matzah was very fluffy, the carrots were fresh and the broth was delicious. The size of the soup was small for $12 but overall it was one of the best matzah ball soups I've had in a while. The baked potato knish was ok. It was very salty. It wasn't very flaky. It wasn't the worst knish I've ever had but it was far from the best. The kasha varnish is nostalgic for me. I found the kasha varnish to be very tasty but, if again for the price, the portion was small. The delivery came quickly but I did add the 2.99 fee to expedite it. Overall all it was a 3-3.5. If I were to order again I would stick to the soup.

Absolutely positively not kosher by any real standard. No mashgiach, open on shabbos. Very expensive. Mediocre food. Pastrami was dry and unispired. Knish was dry, mealy and served luke-warm.

Picked up 2 hot pastrami sandwiches. $60+ and no more than 5 slices of actual meat. Most of the rest were fatty trimmings and edge pieces. Didn't expect that since I've been going here for decades. Clearly the quality has declined and I need to find a new sandwich spot.

Very good corned beef sandwich and pastrami, love it so much ! Service just okay ! Old building look like in the 1950

Meh. Was craving some homemade high quality latkes so I thought I was going to the 'best of the best' on the Upper East Side. An old school Jewish deli in Manhattan should be able to hit the mark, especially during Hanukkah. Not so much. They have one Pastrami sandwich on the menu that has *latkes in place of slices of bread* to fully drive home the name of the sandwich as the 'heart attack'. Not sure how many people order that daily but it seems like mgmt decided it was worth it to commercial grate / mash a bunch of potato's on an industrial level, slice them into loaves of bread and freeze them until later, en masse. I'm glad this works for them to make as much money for the littlest amount of effort but for me I was hoping for a little TLC in some holiday latkes. This felt like I was at a truck stop making a copy of a copy from a bad recipe. Cue a guy grabbing frozen latke bricks from the deep freezer and dropping them into a deep fryer. I think I would have preferred a fast food breakfast hash brown at this point. TL DR - latkes are way too big and too thick. They looked more like meat loaf or French toast and didn't have that thin shredded real 'fresh potato' taste. Like a giant odd shaped tater tot. Not going back here for this item. $7 for a Cappuccino with no foam - next time I'll pass and just go across the street to Starbucks for a $5 latte or flat white. 2 stars for a nice authentic old school diner feel, nice staff, complimentary shredded cabbage, cookie and pickle.

"Like the worst sex you ever had" - Is there any reason to go out to eat if you don't get service?!?? So annoying when it just isn't there. -The sandwich -- their specialist, "hot pastrami" was like a limp d***. Bread was mushy. Coleslaw was meh. - Coffee was watery and tasteless - Greetings from the host and waiter were far from Enthusiastic. - Food was dropped off like Laundry and the waiter decided go disappear again for a half an hour without checking on me or asking to refill coffee. - super overpriced sandwich - $29 Other than that this place is fantastic

The 2nd Ave. Deli , in my opinion has been the best deli in New York for at least 40 years. That was when it was in the East Village and it's original owner was alive, bless his memory! The food is the same quantity and so is the service. New York deli's have a special nostalgic ambiance and the 2nd Ave. Deli, wrote the book on it. G-d willing I'll be coming back to this wonderful New York Gem. The pastrami is fantastic and so is the Kishka! You don't even need to put gravy on the Kishka, that is reminiscent of my beloved grandmother's creation!!

We think 2nd St has some of the best pastrami (smoked in-house) sandwiches in NYC. Live in Florida but need to get my pastrami and corned beef sandwich fix here whenever we are in town. Great people that support Israel with charities.

Good local deli, and easy to get into relative to a place like Katz's. Solid table service. If you want to avoid the chaos of Katz's, I'd recommend trying here. The Pastrami is good, but machine cut, and I regret not asking for it to be cut fatty, as maybe the would have improved my score. Glad to check it out, but it's behind what I would label the god tier Jewish deli's I've been to which are Katz, Langers (in LA) and Schwartz's (in MTL).

Came here for dinner with a friend back in ocand spilt the pastrami sandwich and we each had a bowl of soup. I had the Matzo Ball soup. Everything was delicious.

On our last trip to NYC, my boyfriend insisted we stop by a deli or two because I hadn't eaten at a new york deli before and he knew I would love it. He was right! My favorite thing we got was the meat platter - specifically the brisket! Their brisket is so flavorful and tender. We also had Katz Deli on this trip but I have to say that 2nd Ave's brisket wins! The sandwiches are good but as a meat-eater, I think I prefer the platters where you get more flavor of the meat as opposed to just a mix of flavors and sauce and bread. Also, the sandwich #3 was just alright - the tongue was too thin in my opinion and corned beef was great, but the soft salami wasn't very flavorful and quite baloney-like. Their pate appetizer was really good though! I'd definitely get it again. Pricing was pretty expensive, but overall it was worth trying! I'd definitely come back again for the brisket! Will have to order less next time though because our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we ordered way too much for two people!

Light as a cloud matzo balls in a perfectly serviceable chicken broth. The derma was amazingly rich and unctuous in an almost smoky brown gravy. The wait staff was attentive and went above and beyond. When we said we were sharing everything family style, he had the kitchen split things onto multiple plates. Complimentary mini "blue and white" cookies after our entrees. Such a nice touch. I really, really wanted to give 5 stars, but..... The pastrami sandwich. Oy. The flagship of any Jewish deli is the pastrami sandwich, and this one had problems. First of all, pastrami has to be cooked long enough to render the fat into tender, succulent, melt in your mouth amazingness. Katz's are the masters of this. At 2nd Ave, the fat was just chewy gristle. The taste was lacking as well. No flavor imparted from brining the meat, no peppery punch from the rub crust. Carnegie Deli (RIP) knew how to make a great tasting pastrami. This was just...bland. In summary, great atmosphere, awesome derma, super friendly staff. But, shonda, skip the pastrami.

Classic local Jewish deli that lives up to the hype. I had the pastrami platter with Israeli salad and french fries, and that was a perfect amount of food for two people to share. The pickles and health salad when you sit down and the chocolate seltzer when you finish the meal are nice touches. If you want an authentic deli experience in NYC this is a much more pleasant and laid-back experience compared to Katz's. One small request- I wish they had GF sandwich bread.

I was walking by and caught a glimpse of a table in the window, of all men, who looked like best friends, having what looked like the time of their lives. Their energy is what made me go in. They reminded me of my Grandpa and his friends. I ordered food to go and have to say, it was incredibly delicious. Nothing like a kosher frank and a matzah ball soup. They even threw in a poppy seed hamantaschen, and it was yummy. I really like the cookie part of it, good recipe!

Was surprised to again see low scores for such an iconic NY restaurant. Has to be top 3 for an authentic corned beef or pastrami on rye in the city. I'm a bigger fan of the location in lower Manhattan over this spot though. The staff here are as salty as the meats! Not sure why, but anyone around the host/hostess station could care less about you. Seem really put out doing anything.

Ona Friday night, pastrami sandwich was very good.Stuffed cabbage was okay. Side of carrots tasted so bland. Pickles and complimentary slaw was tasty. Service was slow and it was too cold, 3 tables asked for the a/c to be turned down. It closes at 8pm. Felt rushed to get out

Excellent service and good!! Brought back memories of many years ago (when they were in their original location).

Order was a delivery thru seamless. For close to $50 I expected generous sizes and received a dried out cake, over peppered kasha a much smaller than usual knish. 2 tiny pickles for $1 each. Matzoh ball soup was as expected and tasted fine. Not too salty. Did I know the prices before hand? Yes. Did I willingly over pay for it? Yes. But the servings and quality of the food was not worth the over~priced price. This is 100% price gauging. No plan on ordering from here again. Disappointing.

I was feeling a soup and sandwich today and I thought, ok, I'll splurge and order 2nd Ave Deli on Door Dash. It was a bit expensive but sooooo worth it. I ordered soup and half a sandwich-Matzo ball and Pastrami. I felt I needed a bit of veggies so I got a side of coleslaw too. My food arrived hot and included all the condiments, plus a small bag with two pieces of challah. The soup was a tiny bit salty but enjoyable, in fact, I only ate part of it. The matzo ball was fluffy and perfect. My half Pastrami sandwich was absolutely delicious. I love pepper but sometimes many delis will go overboard with crusting the Pastrami with too much pepper. It was the perfect amount of pepper and the rye bread held up and didn't become soggy. Of course I had my favorite pickles, crunchy new pickles. The coleslaw was good but I felt it needed a little more seasoning. Overall, I was very happy with my order and I will definitely have to stop by there and bring home food for dinner sometime.

The pastrami was disappointing. I find juicier, more flavorful, more tender pastrami out in here in the PA suburbs. But the rest of our order (take-out) was very good. The beef kishka, soups, even the challah and pickles were really good. Too bad the star was not shining.

I ordered sandwiches, knish, soup, and salads for take out when kosher relatives were visiting. I can only comment on the hot pastrami, which was under seasoned and bland. The reason why I am giving only 1 star is that the sandwich preparer left out the lettuce & tomato from one sandwich and I was charged $2 for it. When I called the next morning and sent photos of the sandwich and receipt, I was told they would put the credit in a book toward my next purchase rather than issue the credit to my card. The manager never called me back. This was their error after I spent $162+ on the food. I will never buy food from this restaurant again.

Came to New York back in July and we stopped by here on our way to our hotel. I was starving and was looking forward to a yummy authentic kosher meal. This place was adorable and everything I expected a kosher New York deli to look like. I had a matzo ball soup, chopped liver(mmmmm), and a pastrami sandwich. All were very delicious. They also gave us sauerkraut and pickles to pair with our food. Next time I am back in New York I will definitely eat here.

Matzoh Ball Soup and half a Pastrami sandwich from 2nd Avenue Deli on the UES. This is one of my favorite Jewish delis. My favorite personally is Katz. 2nd Ave Deli is so iconic and has been around for over 60 years. Amazing food!

Came here to see if they have cold cuts and they are so expensive, for example $45 per lb of turkey. The menu says $11 something but that's for 1/4 lb if you read closely.

Ok. Vegetarianism went out the window. Had matza ball soup and a half of a pastrami sandwich on rye. They really hit the spot. The waitress was lovely. Please be patient as with Covid all restaurants are short staffed, our service was pretty quick, however. The soup & salad combo was very filling. My dining art nerd liked their burger & fries, and turkey sandwich. Can't wait to return!

Back when I last went, for a pastrami sandwich and a kneidl soup, I would have given it five stars. I had a few more things on the menu this time, all of which were very, very good, but not always as exceptional. I'd give 5 stars for the free pickles, coleslaw, and egg cream, and for the potato knish. Mushroom barley soup was also excellent. Less impressive were the baked turkey (nothing special, although to be fair, it's not a classic deli item), cured tongue (very nice flavor but on the dry side, and without the characteristic chewy texture), and baked knish (I ordered kasha but think I got spinach, and it was too open-faced). But still very good. Still probably the best place in Manhattan for classic deli food!

We were at John Jay Park a few blocks away for an event and it felt like destiny had brought us to 2nd Ave Deli, which my brother had just been recommending to us not even 24 hours prior to our visit! I'm embarrassed to say I am not very familiar with delis (this was my first time ever having pastrami!) so I was a bit overwhelmed by the options and decided to try a bit of a few things with a 3 Decker #4: hot pastrami, corned beef, and soft salami, with cole slaw and Russian dressing, to split with my partner. While I took in the thoughtful little decor touches, the guy behind the counter gave us generous tastes of each of the meats as he was slicing for our sandwich. This little gesture really endeared us to 2nd Ave Deli, so we felt really lucky to have stopped by when they weren't too busy and able to treat us to bites of deli meat while we eagerly waited. It's an expensive sandwich but it is a hefty one too! Sine we're still not dining indoors, we went right back to John Jay Park to dig into our respective sandwich halves. The bites of meat fresh off the slicer were already so juicy and tender and delicious, and they were great stacked high in the sandwich with the addition of cole slaw and Russian dressing and mustard, with bites of half sour and sour pickles in between. Definitely stop by if you're looking for a big sandwich and are a fan of delis! This location is particularly great if you like enjoying your meal in the park.

Excellent New York deli. This is one of the remaining originals. It used to be on second avenue near the Yiddish theater district.

Wonderful establishment! So cozy! Friendly staff and delicious food! A landmark. Had pastrami sandwich and matzo ball soup. Amazing pickles and sauerkraut. Can't wait to come back to NYC and visit again.

The place was clean. Prices are crazy expensive. Food was good. The service was slow.

Best in the city. The picture is of the #4 triple decker, with hot pastrami and hot corned beef on the bottom and thin-sliced salami on the top; it was outstanding. Love the matzo ball soup (with or without added kreplach) and classic hot pastrami as well. Service is great; complimentary slaw, pickles, and challah with your order (challah comes with soup), and a mini egg cream at the end of the meal. Expensive but worth it, and justified by the meat actually being kosher -- Katz's is cheaper because it isn't kosher, folks. Don't forget the cel-ray!

Went to the 2nd Ave. Deli on 75th and First Avenue, thinking that it might have some of the cache of its namesake originally on the lower east side, and now on 33rd street. Took a friend from Cleveland to give her the experience and taste of a genuine New York Deli. What a disappointment! We were greeted by a gruff guy pointing to a table and saying "sit there!" It took a while to order, and a while to get the food. When it finally came, the waiter literally threw it on the table and walked away without saying a word. The pastami was good (it should be when you pay $26.00 for a sandwich), the kasha was saved by the sauce you had to pour over it to make it edible. The waiter disappeared and I had to walk up to the cashier to ask for mustard. The apple strudel dessert was dry as dust. Over all, a fairly unpleasant experience.

Sadly, this place has gone downhill. The managers Sherwin and Joe are not decent people. I had an expensive takeout order -- well over $100. When I arrived with it at my destination, it turned out that the restaurant had failed to include important items of the order. When I called to bring this to their attention (on two occasions), the response was, in effect, tough luck. They said their policy is to say "sorry," but do nothing more. In my view, this is not the right way to treat any customer, much less a longtime customer. The founder of this restaurant, Abe Lebewohl,, would be appalled by the behavior of those currently running it.

Food was great and portions were xL. Service was spotty at its best with continued dirty silverware and glassware, we did have to ask for our drinks 3 times. We tried a little of everything and shared family style. By far the best was the hot pastrami sandwich.

I just got off the phone with the manager. We ordered a pastrami sandwich for $27 and it came to blocks from the store and was cold. It had to be reheated. We also ordered a large quart of matzoh ball soup which was tasteless and also cold I had to take out a pot and reheat itfor all of this, we paid with tip and tax $64 I mean in my opinion this is robbery. This place is outrageous. I will never order from here again.

This is a great Jewish deli in NYC. Many people think of Katz's deli as the go to in NYC. I actually prefer this one. It is a quieter environment and you are seated and order from the menu as opposed to waiting in a long line to order. We went on a weekday at lunch time and we were seated right away. Service was great and timely. The food was delicious and authentic Jewish cuisine.

Disappointing! The food was mediocre (had a pastrami omelette and chicken breast sandwich). All dry and mediocre. Knish was good.

If you order take out, ask to see a full menu with the prices. I thought I was doing them a favor by not ordering on seamless but nope, it's actually MORE to order in person than on an app. 28 dollars for a quart of soup. This place is on my hard NEVER AGAIN list.

My husband stopped and picked up a tongue sandwich on our way into Massachusetts. When we went to eat it we both took a bite and looked at each other. First of all we had ordered tongue on rye and it came on wheat. The tongue had absolutely no flavor and it was pure white, the picture doesn't do it justice. It tasted like we were eating pure fat! When I called the manager he wouldn't do anything to take care of the problem such as replace or refund the sandwich. This will be our last trip to 2nd Avenue Deli.

Excellent matzo ball soup. Almost as good as my mom's; but just what my family and needed when we came down with respiratory infections.

Jewish Penicillin = Best Matzoh Ball Soup Ever! I haven't stoped talking about 2nd Ave Deli. On a cold wintry night, not wanting to go far, I was in search of a deli in the UES. Well, 2nd Ave Deli (which is now on 1st Ave) was recommended. My, this is where you'll find me from now on for soup, chicken liver, and their complimentary chocolate shot at the end. Amazing was the service. Lively yet cozy and unpretentious ambience. No more, no less. Times with me, myself, and, I. This is perfect! CHEERS!