Norton's Pastrami & Deli

One of the very best pastrami spots in California and easily best in town. Incredibly diverse menu will all types of sandwiches ranging from grilled to cold to dips etc. The cooks are really talented able to cook up any sandwich under the sun with great ease. Friendly service and great location. Really delicious if you love grilled sandwiches and pastrami in general. An SB institution.

Stopped here while on a cruise stopping in Santa Barbara. My girlfriend is a huge DDD fan and suggested the place. I'm happy she did as it was unbelievable!! 😋 Husband and I ordered a pastrami and a reuben sandwich on rye, both full size. Nice size & plenty meat and yup, we ate them both! Meats were tendered, perfectly seasoned and prepared. Even the pickles were great! Not only the food was great but the staff as well. Very friendly and helpful with our inquiries. The small diner style seating provided great atmosphere to the already great restaurant. Strongly recommend!! Wish I lived there so I could go there often and try their other dishes. If I'm ever back to Santa Barbara, I will definitely stop here again!! It was THAT good!! 👍👏😋

This is the most amazing italian sub i’ve ever had. I’m eating it right now. Even offered gluten free options. (second pic)

Norton's is always amazing! Been coming here for years and stop anytime coming through Santa Barbara. Can't recommend it enough! Try the NYC.

I flew into Santa Barbara headed to Ventura and I decided to stop here for one of my favorite sandwiches. I love pastrami and this was very good. A tad greasy, but not too bad. Free parking across the street.

I ordered one half pastrami Reuben and one half corned beef Reuben. Never been before, maybe this is how they do it- but I was given two sandwiches. Or what I would call four half sandwiches. Flavor was good. Execution flawless- would just be better if they made their own meats. Definitely worth a try!

As featured on ‘diners, drive ins and dives’. I was hopeful it was going to be great and it was ! I had the Rueben and it was magnificent. Great place to check out :-) fantastic pastrami!

Still one of the best pastrami places I have ever visited. Came back to visit UCSB after graduation and it’s been 6 years. This is still the best pastrami you can get anywhere (I live on the east coast, and nothing comes close). Philippe was super friendly and kept the place up to its original standards. Can’t wait to come back here!

Very small space near Figueroa and Chapala Streets. There is a parking lot across the street for parking, or if you are lucky you will score one on the street in front. This sandwich shop was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and has been here 20 years now. They specialize in NY pastrami sandwiches but since I have been here last they have expanded their menu quite a bit and now have many types of sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, etc. The pastrami sandwich is so good, though, I haven't been able to move past that and order anything else. Pastrami, Russian dressing, coleslaw, cheese.....so good! I couldn't finish it and saved half for the next day, and it was still really good! You order at the counter, and if you are lucky there will be a seat available. Get there early! If you love pastrami, you need to give them a try!

This place has been on Guy Frieri's Diners Drive ins, and Dives. Which was what drew me in. I love a good Pastrami sandwich so that's was I ordered. It was hands down the best Pastrami sandwich I've had anywhere! I highly recommend coming here especially if you're looking for a Pastrami sandwich. I'll definitely be back to try some other menu items.

Pastrami is in the name of the restaurant so I am getting pastrami. My Pastrami & Cheese sandwich was good. It comes with pastrami, two cheese, tomatoes and onions on sourdough. It wouldn't have hurt my feelings if there was a tad more pastrami but the flavor was there. It is a nice sandwich. The Italian (salami, ham, and provolone) and the Turkey and Provolone were also very nice sandwiches. Everything was super fresh. Special note: the side of potato salad (ordered separately) was excellent. If you like potato salad, give this a try. Good sandwiches!

The sandwich was delicious, the service was great, with the deli vibe. It's a small pastrami joint with limited seating. Having sat at a table in the back, it's a bit of a tight squeeze when there are people ordering at the counter. Definitely not the place to come eat at if you're looking for healthy.

If you want a great pastrami sandwich, and you're in Santa Barbara, Norton's is the place to go. What this business offers is a great selection and minor variations on the traditional pastrami sandwich. They also have other items such as corn beef and other meat orientated sandwiches like that. They, of course, have the basic side dishes that you would expect: onion rings and french fries and stuff. But, what is the most unique thing about this business is the way they prepare their sandwiches and the flavor enhancing preparation method they use. Whereas pretty much whenever you eat a pastrami sandwich, you predominantly taste just the pastrami, and maybe the rye bread or something like that. Here, you're not really focusing on tasting the pastrami, in and of itself. What you're tasting is the way they grill it and then place it up on your sandwich, which is an all in one process, making every sandwich they create, different from what you may expect. In a good way ! The food here is very good! This is a small restaurant, so it's often times crowded. They basically just have three tables that seat four people each. Currently, they also have one table outside. Plus, they have a few counter spaces. So, as this is a very popular restaurant, it's not unusual to have this place very-very full. For this reason, a lot of people get their food to-go here. But, there are those times when you walk in and there's nobody there. I really recommend Norton's during those times because it's really fun to not only watch them create your meal, but then to sit back and enjoy it in the restaurant itself. The staff here are always very nice. They really do their jobs very well. Overall, great place to grab a unique take on a pastrami sandwich.

After five years it's time for an update. The sandwich have gone up a bit but the quality is excellent. They do have salad and some hot dogs. This is a very small foot print so you may be sharing a table. Good coleslaw and Russian dressing. I suggest the NYC . The owner is always friendly and service is quick

Absolutely amazing pastrami and corned beef sandwiches!! The PLT was fantastic! The grilled pastrami really did taste like bacon. It was crispy and delicious. I also got the corned beef au ju-- so so delish. It's delicious corned beef on a roll served with au ju, simple and great. Special shout out to the Chicken bomb, that was very flavorful. I highly recommend this place! I'll be sure to stop by each time I'm in SB.

Friendly service with a smile. Place is small but very clean with street parking only. I've had a lot of pastrami in various cities, it's my favorite deli meat. This one was outstanding! Sliced just right, extremely flavorful, and not at all fatty. Served on regular toasted bread, but it held up nicely. My son had the BLT & he loved it. We will definitely be back.

Food was good if a bit pricey. Sandwiches hover between $13-16 but what you get is definitely worth it. It is a bit busy but even though it's a deli, they did bring my food to the table which was a pleasant surprise. A nice treat but probably not a regular stop.

When I knew I was coming into Santa Barbara I wanted to stop here badly. It was definitely a good choice. My sandwich was delicious. Big parking lot across the street with free parking up to 75 minutes.

Provender: this is a great sandwich joint in Santa Barbara. They serve a wide variety of sandwiches, but my favorite was the Pastrami and Cheese. I ordered a half portion and it was delicious. Prices: a half portion sandwich will run you about $10. Parking: there's a paid lot across the street. If you don't stay too long, then it'll be free. The parking ticket has a QR code for payment. People: fun for all. Perks: if you're craving a pastrami sandwich, this is a great place to get one. Friendly staff and there are a few tables for indoor dining. There are a few spots outside too. This sandwich shop was also featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Had a Rueben , was fantastic. Packed with meat. Thin cut. Lots of kraut. Great pickles . Will be back for another pastrami sandwich soon. They got the best in Santa Barbara. Solid Sammy

Food: 4. Came by at the tail end of my Santa Barbara trip. I arrived around 11 am on a Wednesday. Parking is a little rough here even for a weekday before the lunch hour. I ordered their Pastrami Dip sandwich with extra au jus to go. Food came out timely and at the right temperature. The sandwich was just okay but much better when dipped in the au jus. The person that helped me was friendly and welcoming. The place is very small with limited indoor seating and has just one table outside. Service: 4 Ambiance: 3.5 Value: 3.5

We took our food to go. The side was cute. Both turkey pastrami and Reuben were hot and delicious!

I recently enjoyed the most incredible and delectable pastrami on rye sandwich ever. It was truly epic, and I can't stop thinking about having another one. While I've had the famous Katz's pastrami sandwich in New York, which I rated a 10, this sandwich exceeded all my expectations and left me craving more. The cozy atmosphere of the small establishment, where patrons share tables and engage in conversations, adds to its charm and makes it a must-visit spot.

The best pastrami in Santa Barbara county! Not quite Langers or Canter's but close enough. The cheese steaks are to die for. I live 45 minutes away and make several trips a year just to eat here.

Norton's excels at hot sandwiches. The only negative is that you'll probably want to eat everything on the menu, so settling on just one option is really hard. This is one of the few places on earth where I could be blindfolded and point to the menu and I'd be delighted with whatever arrives. Cheesesteaks, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, chicken, turkey and hot dogs are prepared umpteen different ways. The home made pickles are a real treat. The dining room is small, but there is additional seating outside on the sidewalk. The parking lot across the street is free for more than an hour.

This deli is tucked away just off State Street on Figueroa. Best pastrami in the county. We split a pastrami and cheese that came piled with hot pastrami, melted jack and cheddar cheese, roasted tomatoes and grilled onions on toasted sourdough. Plenty big enough for two, side of fries and two drinks. This is one of the best pastrami sandwiches we have had The staff was fabulous and friendly, the restaurant has limited seating, very clean and great atmosphere. Highly recommend any of their pastrami sandwiches.

I hate to be negative, but this place is nothing special. Norton's is a prime example of a "Big fish in a small pond." The pastrami, corned beef, etc sandwiches offered here are nothing like the far superior pastrami sandwiches served in real delis in New York City, Montreal and Los Angeles. If you're looking for a wonderful pastrami sandwich (frankly one of the best in the United States,) drive down to Langers Deli in Los Angeles. A great pastrami sandwich is made with hand cut pastrami...Norton's pastrami is not hand cut. I could go on and on. This place is nothing special, totally underserving of all the hype. I am continually frustrated with the lack of a real deli in Santa Barbara...I am convinced that a real New York deli could do well in Santa Barbara, I wish someone would try it!

Restaurant was so small , clean and you can see the cook in action, ordered the Nyork pastrami, and the pastrami with saurkraut with a side of crispy onion rings, they were so good. The sandwiches were Amazing, I reccomend you come and try these fresh and delicious sandwiches ..Thank you Nortons!! You're sandwiches are up there with Langers in Los Angeles #19 sandwich baby it's delicious!

The seating isn't very comfortable for me I'm a senior citizen with a bad back. Padded seating is what us adults need. I've been eating their sandwiches at every location they have been at Thd one down near the beach was my favorite. Parking and seating available. Thd sandwiches seemed larger there!. I love a Rueben sandwich!!a must if you love these sandwiches. My dad loved them!!now I'm hungry

Yes. Just yes. One of the top choices for a sandwich in Santa Barbara. The open style grill is fun to watch as the cooks prepare excellent sandwiches.

My friend and I decided to try this place out as a lunch option while downtown. It's a small and fun establishment with real nice deli vibes and a menu full of delicious items. The service was great and everyone working was super friendly. We could also see our food being made from behind the counter, which was cool! We ordered a turkey club and mom's plt (both half sandwiches), with a side of pastrami chili cheese fries. Both sandwiches came with a tiny container of pickles and the tables we sat at had a bunch of condiments, including a mustard we added to everything we ate (it was so good!!). Our sandwiches were SCRUMPTIOUS. The bread was nice and toasted and the ingredient ratios worked so well!! The pastrami chili cheese fries are also so perfect if you want a deliciously heavy and satisfying savory side. The fries were still crispy underneath the chili and cheese and the pastrami bits were so good. I have no complaints, even if I felt it in my arteries. Everything was just so good!! Overall, I'd totally recommend this place to anyone craving a good sandwich or just looking for good food in general!

Shopping downtown Santa Barbara and wanting a scrumptious deli sandwich Norton's is a great spot. Very friendly, quaint, and with public parking across the street. Enjoy the Classic Reuben, Onions Rings a must, the hot mustard is perfect. Norton's Deli was featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Guy highly recommends the momma special. We'll Norton, my next go around I'll give it a try

I ordered an Italian sandwich through Grubhub and it was delicious, fresh veggies and very tasty overall. I ordered the full size and shared with my husband, pretty filing. Looking forward to coming in to the restaurante in person and trying their pastrami sandwich.

This place has the best pastrami on earth. I said it and I stand by it. After searching out tons of good pastrami sandwich shops and trying each and every one from the East coast thru Chicago and the Midwest to California and this is it. You can stop looking! Better grab two because you'll be saddened when it's gone and you need to drive back to Santa Barbara for more at Norton's. Also, amazing friendly service and very efficient on getting the food out so the restaurant didn't get too cramped.

First time I have been here, it will NOT be the last! The employees were friendly and welcoming. They had no problem accommodating my dairy free request and gave good information about the menu. Everything was cooked well and fast. And the onion rings! Oh so delicious and warm! It's a small lil deli with big flavor!

TINY spot with only ONE table for outside dining. The CRISPY pastrami on sourdough was delicious, as were the onion rings. But the pickles and the fries were soggy. We were lucky enough to get the outside table, which was nice. Staff seemed friendly. Maybe we went on soggy fries day, which I can excuse as a flook... but those pickles, ew. Crispy those babies up or don't bother with 'em. Get the onion rings.

I love this place. I had the corned beef with cheese! Best sandwich. And I love that they sell half sandwiches Service is great !

Food is always Fresh and tasty, Service always friendly, Ambiance classic Deli style. Been coming here for a long time and have never been disappointed.

Run don't walk for your pastrami needs! They have always been consistent. Order ahead especially during the lunch hour rush if you don't want to wait. Every order comes with a side of pickles and the sandwiches come with a decent amount of meat in them. The bread is toasted to perfection. The onion rings are bland for my liking but with the ranch makes a difference. I ordered the moms plt and that sandwich is filling as it is delicious. This one has more lettus instead of the coleslaw. The dressing inside is not overbearing taking away from the star- the flavors of the meat which is what you go for to experience.

It is a small deli with grill. Quick service and hustling ambience. The food was delicious. I ordered Turkey Ruben. The rye bread open up the flavors and portion of turkey did not take over the bread and cheese was just right amount that did not melt off or grease did not drip off to make mess. I love the sandwich I can taste all ingredient and compliment each ingredients.

Great sandwich! Order half cuz a full is a lot!! I ordered a very simple cold Turkey provolone and cheddar sandwich. Hubby ordered a Turkey and pastrami on rye. His was grilled meat and toasted bread. My sandwich was sliced thin Turkey with olive oil and salt n pepper added to shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes. A very simple and delicious sandwich on a soft roll. Hubby's had some great flavors poppin. The pastrami was sliced super thin and grilled crisp with Turkey sliced grilled as well. With melted cheese and sauerkraut and russian dressing. It was a pretty tasty flavorful sandwich. 4.5 and will be back

Great food. Never a disappointment. My husband & I always order the pastrami or corned beef dip. So good! The onion rings were delicious too!

Stopped in today for lunch. Had the turkey reuben and added pastrami. Wife had a turkey sandwhich. Paired with fries and onion rings. My reuben was delicious! The turkey and pastrami were cut thin how I like it. Then they grill it on the flat top. The pastrami was almost like bacon. With the toasted rye and saurkraut the samdwhich was delcious. The fries were cooled perfect, crispy and fluffy inside. The beer battered onion rings were really good. The service was fast and everyone was super friendly and attentive. The sandwhich was as good or better than the other premier sandwhich shops I frequent in Northern Cali but Norton's pastrami is the best. I would give it 4.5 stars but I can't. The missing 1/2 star is just because the place is small, but it wasn't a problem at all. There was also outdoor seating. We ate inside because no outdoor spots were open.

First things first, this is not a deli. This is a sandwich shop that relies on a flat top. The pastrami I ordered came out of a plastic bag that was bought from a third-party vendor. It was grilled on a flat top. The portions were large. The quality was not very good. I honestly cannot account for the other Yelpers praise of this establishment. I drove several miles out of my way based on their reviews and was significantly disappointed so much I could not eat it. I ended up throwing most of it in the trash. I realize this is harsh criticism but it is the truth.

Norton' s Pastrami & Deli features pastrami, so you would think that they would provide high quality pastrami. We thought wrong! We've had better pastrami at a local hamburger joint. We have eaten pastrami all over the world and this was the worst pastrami we have ever had! Tough and stringy is the best discrimination of their pastrami and not only that all of their fountain drinks were as flat as the Mohave Desert! Save yourself disappointment and cash! Eat elsewhere!!! P.S. I'm only giving it one star because I have to!

I can't understand what people like about this place. The pastrami sandwich I ordered was so greasy that the bread was falling apart and soggy from all the grease. The pastrami also didn't seem that seasoned either. We did have a hot dog in our order and we all agreed that was much better!

I had Norton's Pastrami & Deli bookmarked for my places to go for when I visited Santa Barbara. I had also watch the video of them being featured on diners drive-ins and dives so it was really cool to be able to finally eat here when I was looking for a place to get lunch a few weeks ago. The menu looked amazing and I had no idea what order I ended up going with the pastrami Reuben. I went with a half size even though I was very tempted to get the full size. I got a combo with the sweet potato fries and they were actually more amazing than the sandwich. They were fried to the point where it was very crunchy but also fluffy on the inside and it was just amazing and it was very well seasoned. The food was amazing I definitely will be coming back and trying something new next time as well. There are a couple tables available inside and one outside. The team working there was really on top of things and what a great overall experience they provided. I parked in the public lot slightly behind it and it was super easy to get to the restaurant. Parking can be kind of tricky but that was a great location to be.

BEST pastrami sandwich I've had. I got the Pastrami and Cheese and the wife got the East Coast Philly without the green peppers and tomatoes. great pickles. We will be back! small eating area. next time we will order ahead and take to eat outside the courthouse.

A hidden gem in the middle of downtown. The pastrami sandwich was top tier. A inch thick cut chard to give a smoky flavor. My mouth is watering just thinking about it again. When I am back in the are I am definitely going back!

Always great quality pastrami it really hits the spot when your craving pastrami. We always make it a point to stop in for lunch when we are in Santa Barbara. Keep in mind they close at 4pm

There is a reason Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives) has frequented this small but mighty establishment! I love when my relatives from Los Angeles visit me because its always an all day buffett! And spots like Norton's with their meaty sandwiches is survival when one is going from landmark to landmark & end up walking it off at the beach. I love Norton's pastrami sandwiches so much! I always feel like I'm in line at the deli in Brooklyn...

Good, but nothing amazing. It's a really tiny restaurant (four 4-seater tables and a bar top that fits four). You need to walk in at the perfect time to get seating. All the meat is precooked. You can see them heating everything up on the grill. We ordered a pastrami sandwich and a philly. Not a whole lot of meat was in either one. It was a cute little place, but I wouldn't make the effort to go to it again next time I'm in town.

Highly recommend getting the NYC! The Russian dressing makes the sandwich! Also tried Mom's PLT which is good but I think the NYC is my go-to!

On a road trip with a friend and we both talked about how we wanted a good pastrami sandwich. We found this on Yelp and decided to give it a try. I thought it was good, not great. Also I'm used to the pastrami just bursting out of the sandwich. I guess maybe inflation has them cutting back on the portion size.

I watched the show Diners Drive-in and Dives and saw Nortons in it. I was excited to see SB business getting featured on TV, somehow never got to try it until yesterday. And yes I felt beaten up for missing out for so long!!! Their subs are amazing. Big flavors, veggie are fresh, bread is soft, and the portion is generous. The place is tiny, with shared tables, looks old school with diner vibes. Nortons will definitely my goto sandwich spot now. Recommend to everyone for sure.

What a marvel! A little slice of New York in downtown Santa Barbara. We had 2 variations of pastrami sandwich, because pastrami is the specialty of the house soo.. Both absolutely delicious, fine slices grilled to perfection, yummy coleslaw and dressing, even the bread was especially good. And then don't miss some of the best onion rings I've ever had. This will be a regular stop for us any time we go up and down the coast

Have been coming back to this place for years and is always consistent. Sandwiches are great, but the pickles are starting to get extremely soft and soggy. We always ask for extra pickles with our sandwiches but recently they have been uneatable. They must have changed their supplier or something. Bring back the old pickles . PLease !

Get the PLT. It's the best thing I've eaten in awhile. Crusty pastrami on toasted bread with lettuce, tomato, and a spicy mayo. Killer