Time Out: Death of the New York Deli

When was the last time you walked into a dill-pickle-scented Jewish deli and ordered an enormous sandwich slathered with mustard and dripping with schmaltz?

Not lately, it would seem. These days there are more “New York–style delis” outside the five boroughs than there are in New York itself. Things were different 40 years ago; then, the city was home to more than 300. Every few blocks there was a neighborhood spot where you could grab a potato knish or steaming heap of corned beef. Today, with barely 50 traditional delis still standing—and rumors that Katz’s, the city’s oldest, may soon close—these institutions teeter on the brink of extinction, rapidly heading the way of Automats, old-line French restaurants and chicken chow mein at the Copacabana.

The Death of the New York Deli (Time Out New York)