I recently went to Katz’s Delicatessen, a diner in the Lower East Side made famous by the movie When Harry Met Sally.

Pay attention, because this is important information: when you arrive, you’ll be given a ticket. If you ever want to leave, you will need to present your ticket. That’s right, it takes a ticket to exit Katz’s. It’s set up so that you order, your order is written on your ticket, and then you pay at the exit before leaving. I’m not quite sure why this is the policy, but bottom line: don’t lose your ticket!

After taking our tickets, my family sat down at a booth and were quickly distracted by the hustle and bustle of the diner.

When we sat down we were brought a plate of pickles and green tomatoes. I had never seen green tomatoes before, so I thought that was so cool!

Josh decided to start with the Matzo Ball Soup. The menu has very entertaining descriptions. For this dish, it says “if the soup weren’t surrounding it, this matzo ball would float away.” I’m guessing that means it’s very light?

Katz’s Deli is famous for its pastrami sandwiches. My parents ordered Katz’s Pastrami, smoked to juicy perfection. Let’s just say they were very happy with their decision!

Katz’s Deli is packed every weekend (I’m talking hour-long lines around the block), so in order to avoid the crowds we had actually gotten there at 10:00 am. It seemed a little early to order pastrami, so I left that to my parents and ordered the French Toast. It was exactly what you would expect from a diner. It was fine, but nothing special.

Josh did not feel like it was too early for lunch, and ordered the Reuben Sandwich. He really liked it!

Now going back to our discussion on When Harry Met Sally. Do you remember that scene from the movie? You know, that scene. The one where Sally demonstrates her “acting” ability? And an old lady at a nearby table tells the waiter “I’ll have what she’s having?” Well, that happened at Katz’s! The table is even marked by a sign hanging from the ceiling!

Katz’s Deli is a slice of life, as my mom would say!

~A