2026 Centurion Award winner
Katz's Delicatessen
Best Deli in New York · New York, NY
Best Deli in New York · New York, NY
Since 1888, Katz's Delicatessen has been the definitive New York deli — a cavernous, ticket-in-hand institution on the corner of Houston and Ludlow where hand-carved pastrami on rye is still the city's benchmark. It is the oldest deli in New York, and after more than 135 years it remains family-run and stubbornly, gloriously itself.
The ritual hasn't changed: take a ticket at the door, order pastrami or corned beef cured and smoked in-house, and watch a carver slice it to order across the counter. Generations of New Yorkers, tourists, servicemen ("Send a salami to your boy in the army") and filmmakers have squeezed onto its Formica tables beneath a ceiling of hanging signs.
Katz's now ships its cured meats nationwide, but the Lower East Side original is the one that earned its place in the city's mythology — and the 2026 Centurion Award for Best Deli in New York.
Each Centurion Award is a dated record tied to one year’s evaluation — earned annually, never carried over. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit Katz's Delicatessen
This page is the standing record for Katz's Delicatessen (2026). It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
If you’ve put in the years, you may already clear the bar. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.