i'll have what they're having

Go past the American Apparel clothing store, some Japanese restaurants and a falafel place, until you hit the big brick building on the corner of Ludlow and East Houston streets. The neon sign above spells out “Katz’s Delicatessen.” Inside, people in baseball caps and sneakers, often with guidebooks in hand, stretch from the door down the length of the deli counter. They are there for the traditional Jewish deli fare—pastrami, corned beef and latkes—just like the generations of patrons before them.

Katz’s Delicatessen has been a fixture on the Lower East Side since 1888, and remains so despite the changing neighborhood. Now, though, it is predominantly tourists that enjoy the famous pastrami on rye, rather than new immigrants looking for a taste of the Old Country.

A family of Russian immigrants started the now-famous deli at a time when millions of Eastern European Jews began claiming the Lower East Side as their own. These immigrants formed a distinct community and Katz’s Deli gained a following for its ability to recreate the flavors of the new immigrants’ home countries. Today, the current owners of Katz’s, Fred Austin and Alan Dell, serve up the same old world tastes that attracted past generations.

Since Austin and Dell took over in 1988, not much in the restaurant at 205 E. Houston St. has changed. There are a few new additions to the menu, such as the Philly Cheesesteak ($10.60). Once-bare walls now feature portraits of the owners with various celebrities and politicians and table service is offered at the Formica tables along the wall. But other than this, the way the place operates has stayed relatively the same. The techniques that predate refrigeration are still used, making Katz’s a true delicatessen. More importantly, the pastrami, sliced fresh in front of your eyes, is still the best around.

The crowd, however, has changed. At lunchtime, the large cafeteria-like space is filled with people of all ages, ethnicities and even countries. In the center of room two different couples enjoy Katz’s most famous dish, the pastrami on rye. One of these is a young Japanese couple staying on the Upper West Side. They came here for their first meal in America. It was listed in their guidebook. The mature couple to at the table to their right hails from England. The woman says she and her husband came to the deli because it is so well known.

“When we decided to come to New York, it became one of our ambitions,” she said.

According to Franklin Veres, who works behind the counter at Katz’s and has lived on the Lower East Side all of his life, the majority of customers are now tourists.

“Look at the prices,” he said. “A lot of locals can’t afford these prices.”

The price of Katz’s pastrami sandwich ($14.95) is steep for some members of the community that still includes immigrants. They are now mostly Chinese and Hispanic, a different type than when the deli began serving their traditional sandwiches 120 years ago. As long as the restaurant’s pastrami on rye stays the same, though, there should be no problem keeping the line at the deli counter full.