Pastrami Queen
Kosher, open since 1956, in the East 70s, and the sandwich does not vary: pastrami on rye cut half an inch thick, brown mustard, pickles on the side.
Why go
Hannah Albertine rated it 8.0 in The Infatuation in November 2024, and what she settles is which pastrami you want.
The room is a counter and a few metal tables. NY1 plays on a television in the back. Central Park is a short walk west, and Albertine sends you there with the bag in warm weather.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the pastrami sandwich, and matzo ball soup with it. One big ball, plenty of noodles.
- Order: the cold thick-sliced turkey if pastrami is not what you came for.
- Avoid: eating in when the weather is good. Take it to the park.
What locals & experts say
- Hannah Albertine, The Infatuation, 5 November 2024, at 8.0:
The meat here tastes slightly leaner than what you'll find at Katz's, so if that's your preference, prioritize this pastrami sandwich over the one at that legendary downtown deli.
1
Good to know
- Jeff put this on the list himself, 3 September 2026.
- Getting in: walk up. It is a counter and there is nothing to book.
Jeff's take (his words)
Not on Jeff's saved list. He named the place on 3 September 2026, in the paragraph he wrote on what New York is to him, and asked for it.
Verdict
could-visit — Build a museum day around it. The Infatuation files this counter both under where to eat near the Met and under the sandwiches worth carrying into a park, and those are the same walk.