Forkelo ranking · Updated October 2026
10 pastrami sandwiches across New York City, ranked on what people say about the dish itself — never the restaurant's overall rating.
Liebman's Deli · Riverdale, Bronx
20 dish-specific mentions · 90% positive · 2 source types · menu verified October 2026
Regulars and critics call it the Bronx's best: flavorful, generous and leaner than most. A few reviewers found the pastrami a little dry.
28 dish-specific mentions · 79% positive · 3 source types · menu verified October 2026
Critics and diners praise hand-sliced, thick, tender pastrami and great bread. Common gripes: a smaller sandwich than Katz's and an occasional salty one.
Frankel's Delicatessen & Appetizing · Greenpoint, Brooklyn
10 dish-specific mentions · 90% positive · 2 source types · menu verified October 2026
Critics rank its hand-cut, thick, smoky pastrami among the city's best; diners call it juicy and tender. One found it average for the price.
Katz's Delicatessen · Lower East Side, Manhattan
42 dish-specific mentions · 71% positive · 3 source types · menu verified October 2026
Critics and diners call it the benchmark: hand-carved, juicy, peppery and enormous. Detractors cite fatty or dry cuts, long lines and a steep price.
David's Brisket House · Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
20 dish-specific mentions · 85% positive · 2 source types · menu verified October 2026
Diners call it smoky, juicy and melt-in-the-mouth, as good as Katz's for half the price. A few found it small, dry or served cold.
Sarge's Delicatessen & Diner · Murray Hill, Manhattan
36 dish-specific mentions · 78% positive · 2 source types · menu verified October 2026
Diners call it tender, flavorful and stacked high, Katz's quality without the line. Critics say fine-grained and mild; a few found it dry or bland.
Moe's Pastrami & Burger · Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
20 dish-specific mentions · 75% positive · 2 source types · menu verified October 2026
Fans call it soft, juicy and Katz's-worthy at a lower price. Others report inconsistency: fatty or just-OK pastrami and skimpy small sizes.
2nd Ave Deli · Murray Hill, Manhattan
28 dish-specific mentions · 75% positive · 2 source types · menu verified October 2026
Critics and regulars praise juicy, peppery, tissue-thin pastrami that rivals Katz's. Some report fatty, chewy slices, soft bread and high prices.
Essen NY Deli · Midwood, Brooklyn
13 dish-specific mentions · 77% positive · 2 source types · menu verified October 2026
Critics point purists here for thin-sliced pastrami on soft rye; diners call it tender and generous. Recent complaints: stringy, fatty or bland meat.
Pastrami Queen · Upper East Side, Manhattan
32 dish-specific mentions · 53% positive · 3 source types · menu verified October 2026
Fans and critics praise tender, flavorful, well-stacked kosher pastrami. A sizable minority find it bland, small or overpriced for the money.
Every score is built from evidence about the specific dish: how often locals recommend it, how strongly, how recently, and whether independent sources agree. A restaurant's overall star rating is never converted into a dish score.
Quality and confidence are reported separately. A dish two people loved can score high, but it is marked limited data until more evidence backs it up. The whole calculation — every constant, and three dishes worked through line by line — is written out on the methodology page.
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