The Jewish Deli: a place where the working class, the white collar and the tourist all come together in equal proportions to enjoy something that might just be the masterpiece of sandwiches. Pastrami on rye. Corned beef. Matzo Ball soups. The pickle of course. Those are the classics, the staples, the foods that warm one's heart. Jewish Deli concept started in 19th century New York City by German and Romanian Jewish immigrants, merging with Eastern European traditions. They used to be lunch counters on the Lower East, that now evolved into beloved institutions. Pastrami Queen's story starts decades later as the immigrants moved to further areas like Brooklyn, opening up shop there, and that's exactly where Pastrami Queen was born in 1956. When a joint has been making sandwiches for over seventy years, there is really very little that an online review has to add. The rapport just speaks for itself. This upper east side location has been open since 1998. While today's "queen" in the name honors the grandmother of the founding family, the original establishment was actually "Pastrami King." Semantics aside, these are genuinely timeless sandwiches. Perfectly rich, just fatty enough, served with a partially salted delicious pickle that's commonly known as "malossol" in Eastern Europe and Russia. A rather unusual item on the menu for New Yorkers is Kreplach soup, a Jewish chicken broth classic with meat dumplings. Personally, that's the only item that I did not find to be very well or traditionally executed: only one meat dumpling and the rest is cheap store pasta. Pastrami Queen is everything it should be. It's classic, it's timeless and in the most beautiful of ways, represents the soul of New York City. read more

I finally decided to try Pastrami Queen after hearing so much about it. The customer service was excellent--the guys at the front were super patient, answered all my questions, and took the time to explain the menu, which I really appreciated. As someone who loves Katz, I couldn't help but compare the two. Unfortunately, Pastrami Queen didn't live up to the hype for me. The sandwich was good, but the quality and flavor didn't come close to Katz. I was also surprised that a plain roll costs an extra $2 and they don't even offer Swiss cheese. By the time I finished ordering, my sandwich came out to about $37, which felt way overpriced for what I got. Overall, the staff made for a great experience, but when it comes to taste, quality, and value, Katz is still the clear winner for me. read more

Pastrami Queen - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

See all

I heard it was the best Pastrami in town, so I went with family members to try it out. If you sign up for their rewards program, you get $5 off of an order of $30 or more. Friendly staff, menu with plenty of items to choose from. I went with half sandwich and soup. I got the corned beef, it was pretty good and the matzo ball soup, it was great. I also tried dr. browns diet black cherry, it was good. Seating is limited and cramped but they accommodated 7 of us. Enjoy the photos. read more

See all

Visit June 2026 NYC-Got to try pastrami at a deli! Something my daughter and I looked forward to. It's a deli with seating inside for maybe a dozen people. You can order to go but buyer beware there is $4 sharing fee if you eat inside and order one thing. I think that's questionable but hey, I'm from the West Coast? Nothing fancy inside, a little cramped, and the restroom as one daughter describes was "smaller than the closet under the stairs from Harry Potter". Our server was nice enough though super busy taking orders, delivering food, and cleaning tables. My daughter and I got the hot pastrami sandwich. Duh. The meat was very good but that plain white bread was dry to me. Maybe I'm too used to fuffy sandwiches? Used a lot of mustard and ate a lot of pickles to bring some moisture into the meal. I took coleslaw from my other daughter's plate as well. My other daughter got the roast beef sandwich (served rare) and she was good. Hers came with coleslaw and the roll bread was better. My wife didn't want a sandwich but ordered a bowl of chicken noodle soup which actually doesn't have chicken meat in it so kinda weird to me. Good broth. Large bowl. Garlic fries. Surprisingly these fries were really good as they were loaded with generous scoop of crushed fried garlic. I thought it was going to be like garlic salt so I was impressed. Added some of the garlic into my sandwich every few bites. Worked with the mustard and coleslaw. Visit once? Yes. Twice? Maybe? Large menu for sure. read more

See all

I love the look and feel of the place. It has such an old school charm. It is very small and only has seating for a few people. The service was very good and the people behind the counter and the waiter were nice. I had the pastrami sandwich with a side of Cole slaw and a Dr. Browns soda which came out to $43 ($50 with tip). The sandwich was solid, but it seemed small. The pastrami cut thin, stacked and was moist and flavorful. The rye bread was ok but not the best rye I've had. The sandwich comes dry and I added mustard which was on another table. The coleslaw was just ok for me. It was very tart and had too much vinegar for my liking. All in all it was a good experience except for one thing - the price. Call me old school but I have a hard time with a $50 lunch. I understand that things are expensive these days and that this is New York City, but this I have a hard time reconciling $50 for just an everyday lunch. If price is not a factor, then I think this is a 4, but when considering the price I gave it a 3. It's a great spot if you want to have the NYC deli experience or if price is no issue to you. For me I am glad I experienced this NYC icon, but I don't think I would ever become a regular. I'll keep searching for my spot. read more

We stopped here after visiting the Met. We were lucky to get seated quickly as there was a line after us. It is a small seating area, so the table are close to each other. I ordered the roast beef sandwich and shared the garlic fries with my family. The garlic fries had a lot of garlic on it. It was seasoned well and mostly crispy. My son enjoyed it. As for the roast beef sandwich, the roast beef needed more seasoning and salt. The mustard did help overcome this. I also enjoyed the 3 different types of pickles. read more

Pastrami Queen - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

Conveniently located near Lenox Hill Hospital. Prices are exceeding high....$11 for a bowl of matzo ball soup w one matzo ball, noodles, a few diced carrots in a consomme. No evidence of chicken. Corned beef on rye at $24.50, but not that much CB. Piled somewhat in the middle w nothing near the sides of the rye. Six two-seat rickety old metal tables shoe-horned in. Very cramped. My table felt like it was a small boat in an ocean storm, constantly teetering back and forth. Oh, and noticed a sign near the counter that said $4 charge for sandwich sharing. Really??? How do you spell RIP OFF? Let's break down the rating... Food quality / quantity 2.5 Priciness 1.0 .... $38.65 for a bowl of soup and a skimpy CB sandwich b4 tip So, next time I have an itch for this type of food, I think I'll get some cortisone cream. Overall 2 matzo balls read more

See all

Pastrami Queen is an old school hole in the wall punch of flavor! Their pastrami sandwiches are as succulent as they were ages ago. The best places maintain quality year in, year out so you know it's a worthwhile bet to frequent a business open since 1956. Make sure to order a full size, not a half size as their pastrami sandwiches are on the small side. Pastrami ain't cheap to manufacture. Their knishes on the other hand are quite large and very tasty. The coleslaw side is a good heaping and tasty too. The matzo ball soup is a huge portion though on the bland side. Still, it's the ultimate comfort food if you're under the weather. The whole place maybe has 7 tables but friendly service who is very willing to accommodate and quickly clears the tables as they are vacated. Also, if it's full and you don't want to wait in the small space, you can always order takeout. They do have a bathroom located in the back behind the tables. If you are a Jewish deli sandwich lover, you'll definitely have to check out Pastrami Queen! read more

See all

Two stars - Did not meet expectations We went here for lunch to try their "world-famous pastrami sandwich." I don't want to be overly critical, but the sandwich did not meet the hype. Since we got our food to go, I cannot really speak to the service. The person at the counter who took our order was friendly enough. The restaurant is small with limited seating, but that is typical for NYC. I had two issues regarding the food. First, the sandwich is basically all meat. It did come with sauce, and the pastrami was good, but it was one-dimensional. There needed to be more fixings to add other flavors and textures to the sandwich. It is possible you could have added things onto the sandwich (maybe for an extra charge?), but we did not see anything while we were there. Second, the sandwich was overpriced. Based on other places that we ate at during the trip, $27 per sandwich without any fries, drink, etc., is pretty steep, even for NYC. Because the sandwich is mostly meat, that might be the going rate for a sandwich like that in NYC. I would have to eat at other places to be sure. Ordering out may have impacted the quality. But based on our experience, unfortunately, I would not recommend the sandwich or the location. read more

Pastrami Queen - Pastrami Sandwich - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

Delicious. Soft bread, juicy meat. Served with two different pickles one sour and one pickled. It's small. Very small, but you can sit and eat. It's close to the Met. Friendly service, not cheap, but split one. The fries are crispy and generous as are the salads. Glad I stopped. read more

Yum! Get the pastrami with a side of garlic fries. I was in heaven sinking my teeth into a real New York pastrami sandwich. Garlic fries hit the spot too. My partner had the roast beef sandwich. I didn't think it had much flavor, compared to my sandwich. The seating is a bit limited but we came in around 12:45 and was able to get a table after a relatively short wait. read more

Huge portions, good quality food and good service, hence 3 stars. Had lunch special haft of sandwich with soup, keep in mind that for tongue sandwich you pay extra $3. Both were good. Some drawbacks, place is tiny, literally a hole in the wall and tables are squeezed in. It's a very busy place so be prepared to wait for a table some time. Prices are on a higher end in alignment with the area. read more

See all

Best onion rings in the city. Their sandwich is good too. Staffs are diligent and friendly. Why the ratings are so low. read more

Very small place with maybe 5 2 seater tables. Mainly for a quick grab and go kinda place. Classic pastrami sandwich on rye bread, tried a hot dog with a side of coleslaw and garlic fries. Sandwich was juicy and delicious with lots of pepper. The hotdog had a nice char to it which made it even more tasty. The coleslaw had thick cuts of cabbage which was a great touch for that crunch. Garlic fries was crispy on the outside and soft inside. Perfect! read more

Pastrami Queen - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

See all

People ask me about where to get a pastrami sandwich in Manhattan and there's no shortage of good options. Everyone will mention Katz, but my wife and I prefer Anthony Bourdain's pick of Pastrami Queen on the Upper East side. The sandwiches here are so good and I look forward to coming back soon! read more

I have always wanted to try Pastrami Queen since Bourdain said it was his favorite pastrami sandwich a number of years ago. It worked out that I was able to plan this as my lunch stop during a day on the UES. It's a small place with a counter and 5-6 tables. It seats about 12 people. I had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. That's already better than the place on the LES I won't mention. I ordered the Lunch Special with a bowl of matzoh ball soup and a 1/2 pastrami sandwich with pickle and spicy mustard. Oh and obviously a Diet Black Cherry Dr. Brown's. I love the way they put a kosher dill pickle and a half sour on your plate together. The pastrami was tender, peppery, and moist. This is a dream lunch right here. I'll be back here again. read more

See all

I was super excited to try this place because it's a UES classic, but unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. I came with three people, and we were immediately seated, which was great. You can either dine in or order at the counter. The servers were all lovely and nice. - Chicken Noodle Soup - This was good! The soup base reminded me of matza ball soup and I wonder if they use the same one. I also love all the different ingredients in there although I wish they had more shredded chicken. - Hot Pastrami Sandwich - Maybe because Katz's is my basis for pastrami sandwiches, I felt like there was not enough meat in the sandwich, and the meat itself was not "cured" enough. Also, I thought the sandwich overall was a bit dry and hard to get down. Overall maybe would come for the soups but not so much for the pastrami sandwich. I would still prefer Katz's. read more

Pastrami Queen - Pastrami Sandwich - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

See all

10 oz of pastrami in a sandwich, $30. The rye bread tasted bland. They skimp out on quality and quantity. The coleslaw was good. But it's not worth the money. Way over priced. Endure the lines and go to Katz. read more

Took an hour and a half though they said 45 minures via grubhub. Hard Salami was terrible. Packaging was very good. This was the first time I've used them and will not again. Back to Sarge's read more

The service was quick and nice. We sat down and got the pastrami sandwich. I thought it was good but needed a little bit more of seasoning or flavor, it felt like there wasn't much flavor and for $30, not sure if it was worth it. There are a couple of tables to sit at. read more

Pastrami Queen - Pastrami Sandwich - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

Walked in, saw a simple sandwich was $33, walked right back out. The sandwiches are small as well. What a scam. read more

I purchased a pastrami sandwich for $32 in the evening time. Not sure if the time makes a difference but it's possible that the quality of food diminished in by the evening .. The rye bread was stale and one slice was much smaller than the other. I was very disappointed with the sandwich and could not even finish it although I paid $32 for it. I should've received a better experience for that Price. The side of potato salad or whatever salad they gave me was pure liquid. I emailed the store the same evening along with photos asking for a refund or credit . It's been close to a week and they have not responded. I understand that sometimes a But just because they did not even respond and try to make it right , I will not eat there again.. And yes, this is the location on Lexington Avenue. read more

For $25 Hot Pastrami sandwich I was flabbergasted to get such a small sandwich. However, The pastrami was very good - so thinly sliced, tender, melt-in-your-mouth. I did enjoy it. And the 2 kinds of pickles, which I like the classic better. But For $25? Not sure it's worth it again. Maybe to get meat by the pound. We also got a meat knish $10 which was also a very good mishmash of assorted meats. Glad I finally got to try this place once. Not sure if I would come back. read more

Pastrami Queen - Hot Pastrami Sandwich, Meat Knish - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

Tried to order knockwurst, only to be called and told there were none to be sold. Substituted a pastrami and chopped liver sandwich which came with hardly any meat on mostly stale bread. VERY DISAPPOINTING. The buffalo wings were ordered well-done, but were so overcooked that they had to be drenched in what was described as Buffalo sauce, but which was just a slightly spicy BBQ sauce. The Cole slaw , knish and turkey sandwich were each okay, but even the Russian dressing lacked any quality control and was so close to plain mayo that it had no taste. Who knows the reason for this over-expensive meal that did not meet expectations and was dissimilar to prior experiences, but, honestly, the food should not have been sent for delivery as wrapped. read more

Pastrami Queen - Chopped liver & pastrami sandwich - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

I think there are two main things to consider when deciding what to order here: are you in it for the pastrami or something else? If you're in it for something else, this place is probably not worth it. The seating area is tiny (re-iterating many other reviews) and even if you nab a spot like we did, you'll be fighting people walking by your table on the way to the bathroom or around your table. The matzo ball soup was fine, the kreplachs that we ordered (two of them) were also fine (didn't realize they would come in soup), and the meat knish was enormous. The latter was almost too much meat. The knish could have easily been half a portion, but the meatiness of it needs some sort of vehicle like Russian dressing, mayo, etc. Let's move on to the famous pastrami sandwich. The meat was amazing-probably the best pastrami I've ever had. So tender, tears apart, and juicy. But it's not so much of a portion. It comes with Russian dressing and you'll want to add some of the house mustard (the yellow bottle actually has some good mustard). While so tasty, it's hard to justify the price of $25 (the predominant review I've seen). The pickles though-excellent (both). In the end, we spent much more money for lunch than we anticipated and I'm not totally sure why. read more

See all

Way overpriced. Sandwiches not very big at all. Also very small seating on the inside so at peak times you will be waiting for a table.

This location has limited seating but is clearly a crowd favorite. I stopped by because I love pastrami and the reviews said so did Anthony Bordain. The pastrami sandwiches are approx. $24 but to be fair they are massive. I went for the half sandwich and half matze ball soup, which I poured into a bowl since I ordered takeout. Excellent soup, came with one large matzo ball. I particularly enjoyed the half loaf of rye bread which I proceeded to dip in the soup and the mustard packets. Not a fan of pickles but the lady in front of me ordered 6 extra ones so I am sure they're excellent. Overall, the sandwich was tasty and the meat was plentiful. It only took a few minutes waiting. I don't know that I would order their knishes or some of their other items not because they don't look good but because they pricey even for the neighborhood! $9 for a knish is outrageous. But if you're looking for a real NYC experience it's worth the wait for a table. read more

See all

Our go to place for pastrami in NYC. Consistently good, never disappointing. Service is fast and good just like the food. Cosy with only a few seats, it is worth the wait if it is busy. read more

See all

Bourdain said it would be good and it was. This made our list of places to try while visiting New York. I was a bit surprised by the price, but we ended up splitting one pastrami sandwich and a giant bowl of fries and had to tap because there was just too much food. The pastrami was delicious and was heaped between 2 slices of fresh rye bread. I loved every bite and enjoyed the accompanied pickles. The fries were also really good and the portion size was ridiculous. I also enjoyed a can of Dr. Browns diet creme soda. This place is tiny. We were able to find a table but if it gets busy, you might not be so lucky. read more

Pastrami Queen - Half of a pastrami sandwich, so many french fries and a can of Dr. Brown diet creme soda - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Gosh,what a shame, website not working, called site to order but was told you need to order online. Could not order on phone!!! Unbelievable, you can't take a phone order when website down. Going to corner deli, lost my business. read more

Tiny deli with 6 tables. Delicious pastrami sandwich, and a small spear of chopped liver, wish was bigger but I did order an appetizer. Find out school experience. Surface was pretty good considering it was the day before Holiday Inn very busy. read more

Pastrami Queen - 7 tabes - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

We loved everything we ordered. The special mini sandwiches were the perfect way to try their corned beef and pastrami. My personal favorite was the cucumber salad. Delicious! Our waiter was great as well. Don't walk by this little gem. read more

See all

While the sandwich itself wasn't necessarily bad, it didn't really satisfy me for a pastrami sandwich. The meat was good but it wasn't necessarily great to me. I was looking more for a stronger rub and thicker slices in this case. The bread felt a little stale to me. The fries would have been really good but it was lacking any sort of salt whatsoever. If they salted the fries before hand or even immediately after taking them out of the fryer they would have been fantastic honestly. I usually don't complain about prices but $40 for a sandwich and fries does not feel worth it here. read more

Pastrami Queen - Hot Pastrami on Rye - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

See all

So so sandwich and $49 bucks out the door Good but not as good as the famous one on Houston read more

Got the hot pastrami sandwich. Not worth $30. The taste is pretty basic and it doesn't even have a lot of pastrami in the sandwich. Can get a similar sandwich at a local bodega for half the price. I would have expected more meat and flavor for the price. read more

It's a lot smaller than I imagined. Not much room but I decided to eat in so my sandwich would be hot. Service was fast and very nice. My half pastrami/corned beef sandwich was barely above room temperature. Not sure it's worth what they're charging but it's a huge step up from Bodega sandwiches. Coleslaw was amazing. Pickles were bland. If I do go back I'll ask that the meat be hot and maybe that will enhance the taste to justify the price. read more

Pastrami Thieves $ 35.00 and get half the meat Don't waste your money One pickle and cheap sandwich read more

I am one unhappy guy. I had Pastrami meal for 4 people.Came with deli mustard, 2 sour pickles, 2 1/2 sour pickles. The pickles were not brined they tasted just like a cucumber. Finally 7 mixed sized pieces of the worst stale unseeded rye bread I ever had. The Pastrami was just okay it was chewy but tasted okay. Overall I must say I wasted $85.00 on a must disappointing lunch. Shame on the pastrami queen. You did a disservice to the Deli's of New York. Katz's you remain as my number one choice. read more

Pastrami Queen - no taste 1/2 sour - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Was looking forward to have some kosher food for Passover, but this was quite awful . Wonder if they have tasted these dishes themselves. they have no flavor. Matzo ball soup had no salt in it at all, matzo balls - paper tastes better. latkes had zero taste of potatoes, and tasted like sugar with starch. I am afraid to even try other things. this food went straight to garbadge. P.s. Tried the liver .. Oy vey... had to spit it out. How do they stay in business....p.s. and they like to reply with " please reach out " read more

Best deli in NYC. Absurdly expensive, and it gets super packed - but nothing beats that Pastrami Sandwich!