Best Sandwiches in NYC: Delis, Heroes, Chopped Cheese & Cheesesteaks
The best sandwiches in NYC run from Katz’s pastrami on rye and Hajji’s original chopped cheese to the Italian heroes at Faicco’s, Defonte’s and Alidoro, the modern subs at Court Street Grocers, and a proper cheesesteak at Wogies. Delis are still the backbone here — but the city’s best sandwich isn’t always behind a deli counter.
The best deli in NYC isn’t one place — it’s a category fight, and the contenders don’t even serve the same thing. Katz’s on the Lower East Side hand-carves pastrami on rye that’s been brined three weeks and smoked for days. Up in East Harlem, Hajji’s slings the original chopped cheese for around $8. Faicco’s on Bleecker has stacked Italian heroes since 1900. Then there’s Russ & Daughters for smoked fish, Gray’s Papaya for a $3.45 snappy dog, and Barney Greengrass holding down sturgeon uptown. This is the working list of the 12 best delis, sandwich counters, and hero windows in the city right now — pastrami, chopped cheese, hot dogs, and Italian subs included. Here’s where to actually go.
14 spots across Manhattan and Brooklyn · Price range: a $3.45 hot dog to a splurge-worthy pastrami on rye · Timing: most open daily for lunch, a few go late · Standout: Katz’s pastrami on rye is still the one everything else gets measured against.
The Best Deli in NYC, Ranked
Katz’s Delicatessen
The pastrami benchmark · 205 E Houston St, Lower East Side
Open since 1888, Katz’s is the pastrami sandwich every other deli gets measured against. The brisket is pickle-brined for three weeks, rubbed, smoked for days, then steamed and hand-carved to order behind the counter. Grab a ticket on the way in, hand it to your carver, tip a couple bucks, and you’ll get a sample slice while they build it. Order the pastrami on rye with mustard and skip the urge to add anything else. Yes, it’s the When Harry Met Sally table; no, that’s not why you’re here. It’s loud, cash-friendly, and worth the line.
Russ & Daughters
Appetizing icon since 1914 · 179 E Houston St, Lower East Side
A few blocks from Katz’s, Russ & Daughters is the other side of the Jewish deli tradition: “appetizing,” the smoked-fish-and-bagels counter New Yorkers have run to for over a century. Get a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese and hand-sliced Gaspé Nova, or go bigger with the Super Heebster — whitefish and baked salmon salad with horseradish-dill cream cheese and wasabi roe. Four generations of the Russ family still run it. The Houston Street shop is takeout-only; for a sit-down version, the Café around the corner on Orchard plates the same fish.
Hajji’s (Blue Sky Deli)
The original chopped cheese · 2135 First Ave, East Harlem
If the chopped cheese has one birthplace, most people point here. This East Harlem bodega — Blue Sky Deli on the sign, Hajji’s to everyone in the neighborhood — griddles chopped beef with onions and seasoning, melts American cheese over the top, and packs it onto a hero with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayo. It runs around $8 and it’s big enough to share. Order it “with everything,” grab a soda and a bag of chips, and eat it across the street in Thomas Jefferson Park. No website, no reservations, open almost all hours — just the sandwich that put the chopped cheese on the map.
2nd Ave Deli
Kosher pastrami, old-school · 162 E 33rd St, Murray Hill
Despite the name, the 2nd Ave Deli moved off Second Avenue years ago — the flagship now sits in Murray Hill, with a second counter on the Upper East Side. It’s strictly kosher, and the pastrami and corned beef come thin-sliced and piled high. Get the half-sandwich-and-matzo-ball-soup combo if you want the full spread without the food coma, and don’t leave without the free chocolate soda. Franks in blankets, kishke, and a cup of schmaltz on request round it out. It’s nobody’s idea of fancy, and that’s the point.
Barney Greengrass
The Sturgeon King, since 1908 · 541 Amsterdam Ave, Upper West Side
On the Upper West Side, Barney Greengrass has been “the Sturgeon King” for more than a century, and the dining room hasn’t changed much since. This is appetizing at the highest level: silky smoked sturgeon, sable, and Nova, plus the move — scrambled eggs with lox and caramelized onions. Save room for a cheese blintz or a hunk of chocolate babka. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday for breakfast and lunch only, no reservations, cash-and-charm operation. Come hungry and patient on a weekend morning.
Pastrami Queen
The pastrami specialist · 1125 Lexington Ave, Upper East Side
Kosher and single-minded, Pastrami Queen has done one thing since 1956: a fat, hand-cut pastrami on rye that regulars rank right up with Katz’s. The Upper East Side location is the main event, with a second shop on the Upper West Side. The sandwiches are dense and the line moves fast — this is a grab-and-go counter more than a sit-down room. If you’re deciding between corned beef and pastrami, get the pastrami; it’s the name on the door for a reason.
Faicco’s Italian Specialties
West Village Italian heroes · 260 Bleecker St, West Village
Faicco’s has been a West Village fixture since 1900, and the Italian Special is the order: prosciutto, soppressata, capicola, and provolone with homemade hot or sweet peppers, on a sturdy hero. It’s a two-hands-and-a-few-napkins sandwich. The chicken cutlet with fresh mozzarella and pesto has its own loyalists, and the rice balls and meatball parm are worth grabbing while you wait. Closed Mondays; a fast-moving counter the rest of the week. One sandwich easily feeds two.
Defonte’s
Red Hook hero institution · 379 Columbia St, Red Hook, Brooklyn
Open in Red Hook since 1922, when it fed longshoremen working the docks, Defonte’s makes some of the biggest, best Italian heroes in the city. The Nicky Special stacks ham, capicola, provolone, and fried eggplant; the hot roast beef with fresh mozzarella and gravy is the cult pick. Order at the counter, don’t overthink the menu, and expect a sandwich that could anchor a small boat. There’s barely any seating — grab-it-and-go — and it’s closed Sundays. Worth the trek off the train.
David’s Brisket House
Brooklyn brisket & pastrami · 533 Nostrand Ave, Bed-Stuy
A 70-year-old deli in Bed-Stuy with an unusual story: a Jewish-style brisket-and-pastrami house that’s been Yemeni-owned and halal for decades. The brisket is the signature — sliced thick and fatty, served with house gravy and au jus for dipping — but the pastrami and the Reuben hold their own against anything in Manhattan. Portions are huge and prices run gentler than the tourist-famous spots. It’s a narrow, no-frills room, open late most nights, and one of the most underrated deli sandwiches in Brooklyn.
Sarge’s Delicatessen
Classic Murray Hill deli · 548 Third Ave, Murray Hill
Running since 1964, Sarge’s is the kind of Murray Hill deli that does towering sandwiches and a deep menu of Jewish comfort food without any fuss. The pastrami on caraway-seeded rye is the order, and the portions are built for sharing or serious hunger. It’s a sit-down room with diner energy and a delivery operation that’s kept Midtown office workers fed for decades. Reliable, generous, and a little under the radar next to the famous names — which is exactly why locals keep going back.
Gray’s Papaya
$3.45 snappy dog · 2090 Broadway at 72nd St, Upper West Side
The last Gray’s Papaya standing, on the corner of 72nd and Broadway since 1973, is still the move for a quick, great hot dog. The natural-casing franks have real snap, they run about $3.45 each, and the Recession Special — two dogs and a tropical drink for about $7.50 — is one of the best cheap meals in the city. Order the papaya drink at least once; it’s the whole bit. Stand-up counter, no seating, open late, and exactly what you want after a night out uptown.
Papaya King
The original dog-and-drink · 206 E 86th St, Upper East Side
Papaya King started the franks-and-tropical-drink combo back in 1932 — it predates Gray’s by 40 years. After the original 86th Street corner was sold and demolished, the King reopened just down the block at 206 East 86th, so the Upper East Side institution lives on. Order “The Original” — two snappy all-beef dogs and a papaya drink. It’s fast, cheap, and a little chaotic in the best way. If you’re deciding between this and Gray’s, it’s a coin flip and a borough apart, so do both.
Best Pastrami in NYC
If you’re hunting the best pastrami in NYC specifically, the shortlist is tight. Katz’s is the benchmark — hand-carved, brined three weeks, smoked for days. 2nd Ave Deli runs a thinner, kosher cut with a free chocolate soda on the side. Pastrami Queen on the Upper East Side is the single-minded specialist, and Sarge’s does the classic on caraway rye in Murray Hill. Don’t sleep on David’s Brisket House in Brooklyn, where the brisket steals the show but the pastrami quietly competes with anything in Manhattan. Order it on rye with mustard, every time. Anything else is a distraction.
Best Chopped Cheese in NYC
The best chopped cheese in NYC is a bodega argument that almost always ends at Hajji’s in East Harlem — Blue Sky Deli on the sign, the widely credited birthplace of the sandwich. Chopped griddled beef, melted American cheese, onions, and condiments on a pressed hero, around $8 and big enough to split. The beauty of the chopped cheese is that a good one is everywhere — most solid bodegas in Harlem, the Bronx, and beyond will make you a worthy version on request. But if you want to taste the original, go to the source and eat it in the park across the street.
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Best Italian Sandwiches in NYC
For the best Italian sandwiches in NYC, it comes down to two old-school hero shops on opposite ends of the map. Faicco’s in the West Village has sliced prosciutto, soppressata, and capicola since 1900 — the Italian Special is the order. Across the river, Defonte’s has fed Brooklyn since 1922, and its overstuffed heroes (the Nicky Special, the hot roast beef with gravy) are the stuff of legend. Both are counter spots with minimal seating and maximum sandwich, and either one easily feeds two. For more borough eating, start with our Brooklyn guide.
Best NYC Hot Dog Spots
For the best NYC hot dog, the classic answer is a papaya stand. Gray’s Papaya on the Upper West Side runs snappy natural-casing dogs for about $3.45, with a two-dog-and-a-drink Recession Special that’s still one of the best cheap meals in town. Papaya King on the Upper East Side started the franks-and-tropical-drink combo back in 1932 and remains the original. For something heartier, Katz’s grills a serious all-beef dog too, if you can resist the pastrami. Cheap, fast, and open late — the NYC hot dog is the great equalizer.
Beyond the Deli: NYC’s Best Sandwich Shops
Court Street Grocers — Carroll Gardens flagship (485 Court St), plus a Red Hook hero shop, Gotham West and Greenwich Village. The modern-deli benchmark: overstuffed subs $9–$12, a cult Turkey hero and the “Tunaberry,” bread that actually holds up. This is the sandwich shop the rest of the new class is measured against.
Alidoro — SoHo, 105 Sullivan St (closed Sun). Forty-plus Italian sandwiches on fresh bread since 1986, $12–$17, imported ingredients, no substitutions and no apologies. Pick a numbered combo off the board and don’t overthink it. Counter-only and tiny — a grab-and-go, not a sit-down.
Best Cheesesteak in NYC
The best cheesesteak in NYC is Wogies in the West Village (39 Greenwich Ave) — six-plus ounces of chopped ribeye, whiz-style cheese and grilled onions on a hoagie, about $17, served late. It’s the honest answer to a question tourists usually get wrong at a Times Square counter: not Philadelphia, but the closest thing downtown that respects the form. Backup in Hell’s Kitchen: Olde City Cheesesteaks & Brew (576 9th Ave), from the old Shorty’s founder.
Best Deli in NYC: FAQ
What is the best deli in NYC?
For pastrami, Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side is the benchmark — open since 1888 and still hand-carving. For smoked fish and appetizing, it’s Russ & Daughters or Barney Greengrass. For a chopped cheese, Hajji’s in East Harlem. The “best” depends entirely on what you’re ordering.
What is a chopped cheese?
A chopped cheese is a New York bodega sandwich: ground beef chopped on the griddle with onions, topped with melted American cheese, and served on a hero with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayo. Hajji’s (Blue Sky Deli) in East Harlem is widely credited as the original, usually around $8.
What’s the difference between a deli and an appetizing store?
A deli serves cured and smoked meats — pastrami, corned beef, brisket. An appetizing store, like Russ & Daughters or Barney Greengrass, serves the things eaten with bagels: smoked fish, cream cheese, herring, and caviar. The split goes back to kosher rules that kept meat and dairy separate.
Where can I get the best Italian sandwich in NYC?
Faicco’s in the West Village (the Italian Special) and Defonte’s in Red Hook (the Nicky Special and hot roast beef) are the two heavy hitters. Both make oversized heroes on sturdy bread, and both are counter-service spots with little to no seating. One sandwich usually feeds two.
How much is a pastrami sandwich in NYC?
At the famous spots like Katz’s, a hand-carved pastrami on rye is a splurge — but enough to share. Neighborhood delis like Sarge’s and David’s Brisket House in Brooklyn tend to run gentler for a similarly huge sandwich. Hot dogs and chopped cheeses, by contrast, stay under $10.
New York’s deli scene spans pastrami counters, appetizing shops, bodega griddles, and hero windows — and the 14 spots above are the ones worth building a trip around. Whether you’re after Katz’s pastrami, a Hajji’s chopped cheese, or a $3.45 Gray’s Papaya dog, you’re eating a piece of the city. Last updated: May 2026. Deals, hours, and prices are subject to change — confirm with the venue before visiting.
Related guides: Best Bagels in NYC · Lower East Side Happy Hour · Upper West Side Happy Hour · Upper East Side Happy Hour · Manhattan Happy Hours · Brooklyn Happy Hours
More budget picks in our best cheap eats in NYC, plus the best cheesesteak in NYC.
