2nd Ave Deli
“The carrots divine, matzoh balls fluffy and tasty, the broth is buttery and gives me hope in this dark dark world.”
“Despite the lackluster NY Times review, we chose this over Katz's due to the gribenes (accent on the last syllable).”
“Partially because to start they bring fresh pickles and coleslaw to snack on until your meal arrives…”
2nd Ave Deli
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Had to come to Manhattan for Drs appointment. Was in the mood for good deli and this place fit the bill because it was within short walking distance of Penn Station and near the right subway line to head uptown
When we first arrived which was shortly before noon it was pretty empty. By the time we left it was full including most of the small counter.
It's not a very large place but it did have between 15-20 tables and booths. It's s decorated in an older style with tin type ceilings and some small tiles in the wall. Their are photos of many of the old Jewish stars from Vaudville and later eras.
We were greeted by a friendly gentleman and were seated immediately. Our waitress was friendly and prompt. After we gave our orders we were served a small dish each of health salad and a plate of 4 pickles. The health salad was fresh with a little sweetness to it. There were two types of pickles on the plate; sour and new pickles. The sour pickles were wonderful. I used to work in a deli in high and I remember going into the cold storage where there were barrels of pickles and salamis, balogna, et al hanging there. I long for the days when there would be a small container of pickles on each table. Those were the days!!
I ordered a pastrami sandwich. The rye bread was fresh and thinly sliced. It was a nice sized sandwich and it was good. My wife ordered a hot corned beef sandwich. We ended up taking a good portion of it home. We also split a slice of of potato kugel. Growing up we were a noodle kugel family but the top was nice and crunchy and the body moist. It did need a little salt.
This place is also a deli for takeout with their foods displayed behind there glass showcase. This place has a long history between its original location and the present location.
At the end of the meal we both revived a little shot glass filled with chocolate soda. The seltzer was a little flat but it was a nice touch. Definitely a place to go in Manhattan. The bathroom toilet had an automatic seat cover! Pretty cool!
Jewish deli while in NYC? Yes, please! With all the places to try, my wife chose this out of the way spot, and I'm so glad she did. The three of us split a smorgasbord of items for lunch…matzo ball soup, potato knish, potato latke and a hot pastrami on rye sandwich.
To start, a relish tray was brought to the table with two kinds of pickles (dill and sour) along with a vinegar-based cole slaw, all of which were pretty traditional and tasty. First course was the matzo ball soup…it was typical "Jewish penicillin" that was made better by the addition of fresh dill.
Next up was the potato knish. it was sort of round, baked and had a very mild onion flavor (but the dough to potato ratio was off with way more potato filling than I'd expect). Same for the potato latke, fried and with good onion flavor but the crispy outside to moist inside ratio was off due to the incredible thickness of the thing.
Last up for our meal was the pastrami on rye sandwich…served warm, moist and delicious with spicy deli mustard (which I liked it more than the Russian dressing option). The meat was perfectly seasoned and went well with the seeded rye bread.
To finish the meal, you get a small chocolate cream soda "shot" which was a really nice touch. So glad we gave this spot a try, I would definitely come back!
Really great pastrami…ordered it on rye, they gave me white. Meh. Its not the same. Its def $$$ sandwich, bare bones but it gets the job done. Love the 1000 island dressing…but im unconvinced, i think this jewish deli can be bested. Stay tuned.
Biggest positive about 2nd Ave is that they're simply good people. Many of the other big delis are kind of pricks and you also need to wait on long lines. Biggest drawback about this location is that they're kosher. That's a huge deal if you like a 'melt' with yummy American cheese like me. Yes the pastrami is a fortune, but it's rock solid.
Best bet is get the Heart Attack because it includes two massive potato latkes. Just politely ask for some apple sauce and rye on the side and you're all set.
$20 for a mediocre deli sandwich? No thank you.
2nd Ave's Pastrami was not cooked long enough. There was still collagen in the grain of the meat giving it a resistant bite. They did not portion out sauce on the sandwich nor do they top it with anything at all. No cole slaw, sauerkraut, or thousand island on the sandwich. Nothing. They gave us two small takeaway cups filled with dijon mustard and thousand island dressing. The rye bread was standard. The meat did not have a char or seasoning around its edges. It was unimpressive. At $20, this sandwich is about $13 overpriced. Pastrami is not an expensive meat.
Find one of the thousand delis on any corner and order a pastrami sandwich for $5-7 that is probably better.
Skip 2nd Ave.
A NYC classic but just didn't work for me this morning. Been there many times over the years (both the old and current).
At around noon we had our mind set on a smoked fish platter but everyone seemed to be ordering pastrami around us and it looked and smelled great.
They don't offer a mixed smoked fish platter so we ordered a whitefish and a nova bagel and split it. Portion sizes were decent, so no complaints but should be for the price. The bagels were a letdown, especially knowing the quality of both Murrays and Ess-a-bagel.
They were not good and ruined it for me.
The Nova was good but Whitefish chunks were unusually salty. And I love salt but not like this.
Server was really nice and the egg cream shot at the end was a nice touch.
This deli has been here for a long time. I grew up in this east midtown neighborhood and remember this place from back in the day. Times are very different in this area and so too is this deli although it still serves great Jewish deli fare.
Imagine my surprise though that even in the late afternoon there was a line of people out the door to get a table. The line did move quickly but it was hard for me to understand the sheer number of people now wanting to get into what used to be just a neighborhood joint.
The food came quickly and was delicious. One pastrami on rye sandwich with a side of half-sour pickles and cole slaw was big enough to share and easily fed both of us. The deli menu is vast with all my old-time favorite sandwiches. Although you get a lot of food, the price point is high but that's just how it is in most NYC delis these days.
It was great to be in the old neighborhood and see that while different from the place I recall years ago, the 2nd Avenue Deli is still a good choice. You don't have to be Jewish to love 2nd Avenue Deli!
Craving Kosher nosh while in mid-town and feeling a bit under the weather, I trekked from the upper east side down to Murray Hill. Nice, cozy, old school this is what a deli truly is. The heart of the deli, greeted me when I arrived. The manager (owner? ), extremely nice offered me up a glass of water. (Perhaps I looked parched and under the weather.)
When you enter, are the glorious smells..maybe I'm feeling better! Is it the pastrami? The toasting of bagels? Whatever it is, it is divine! I couldn't resist ordering (my favorite) a toasted onion bagel, kosher cream cheese, and (of course) matzoh ball soup with noodles. Nothing of anything is too much, especially if it's a good thing and (the cure for the common cold).
Perhaps I could have it ALL here. Bagels are amazing. ( If I could smoosh all the Biali Bagels in my carry on, and bring them home. .. I would do it.) For today is just two. One biali, one onion. With schmear, of course, toasted. With it's crackle and chewiness, this onion bagel cannot be replicated.
The original kosher deli, the New York deli. The heart and soul of 2nd Street, an intuition, may be an art form in itself. Let me just savor this moment. (After all this soup, I felt cured. 🙂