Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

New York’s Best (Jewish) Sandwiches

Where would New York City be without its delicious and even outrageous sandwiches? Ranging from the fancy PB and J at Peanut Butter & Co to the iconic deli sandwich at Katz’s to haute cuisine at Bar Boulud, they are the city’s most iconic (and perhaps most consumed) portable food.

This week, New York Magazine lists the city’s 101 Best Sandwiches. And where would that list be without classic Jewish sandwiches and ones with modern twists? We shudder to think.

The list honors the old and new world, giving eight shout-outs to Jewish deli favorites and two to Israeli classics, including sandwiches like Russ and Daughter’s chopped liver sandwich and Barney Greengrass’s Sturgeon and Eggs sandwich.

Mile End, a Brooklyn-based Montreal-style deli that smokes its own meats, gives old favorites a new twist and subsequently makes the list twice (for the Ruth Wilensky and Smoked Meat sandwiches). The No. 1 one slot, however, goes to Fatty ‘Cue for its South East Asian take on a brisket sandwich (a far cry from the one made with Mom’s leftovers after Rosh Hashanah).

In case you have a hankering for a Jewish sammie, classic or modern here’s the list:

84) Chopped Liver, 2nd Avenue Deli

82) Sturgeon and Eggs, Barney Greengrass

77) Brisket, Blue Smoke

76) Falafel, Taim

50) Super Heebster, Russ & Daughters

28) Chicken Shwarma, Karam

14) Pastrami, Katz’s Delicatessen

11) Smoked Meat, Mile End

5) The Ruth Wilensky, Mile End

1) Smoked Brisket, Fatty ‘Cue

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at editorial@forward.com, subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.

Exit mobile version