Carnegie Deli has reopened its doors after a decade-long absence from New York City.
The legendary deli, now located at 834 Seventh Ave. In West Midtown, began serving customers again this month in the very space that once housed its longtime rival, the Stage Deli, which closed in 2012. Owner Sarri Harper had spent years searching for a new location to bring the institution back to life, and her spokesperson called the Stage Deli site a “twist of fate.” Carnegie Deli products had been available only online and at sports venues during the closure.
The new Carnegie Deli arrives in a neighborhood that has undergone dramatic transformation. West Midtown has lost numerous longtime establishments, including Petrossian, Redeye Grill, Rosie O’Grady’s and Molyvos, while the former Wellington Hotel is being demolished to make way for a new luxury hotel. Starbucks, Locanda Verde and high-end chocolate shop Laderach now line streets that once thrived on old-school character.
The reborn deli leans into vintage atmosphere with “Wall of Fame” photos of showbiz stars recalling films and TV shows shot at the original location, including “Broadway Danny Rose.” The soundtrack skips cliched “New York, New York” territory in favor of jazz standards like Horace Silver’s “Song For My Father” and Miles Davis classics.
The food, served from a fun-to-watch open counter, has reportedly improved from the original iteration. The signature pastrami on rye sandwich, stacked four inches tall with meat not including the bread, now runs $29. The beef navel is house-brined, thinner sliced and tastier than the previous version, though one reviewer found it a half-inch too generous with fat on two separate visits.
The homemade chicken soup with matzo balls and golden noodles delivers the hearty “Jewish penicillin” tradition. Three thick, spicy and juicy chicken sausages cost just $9. The expanded menu also covers Reubens, corned beef, all-day breakfast dishes, noshes, hot dogs and burgers.
Service has shifted notably from the old days. Friendly waitresses have replaced the crusty “whaddya have” attitude that once defined the Carnegie experience.
New York City offers no shortage of pastrami alternatives, from the Second Avenue Deli to Katz’s of “When Harry Met Sally” fame, plus updated riffs like Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue’s Texas-style smoked short rib on the bone and boneless pastrami suya at Nigerian-inspired Tatiana at Lincoln Center. Yet the Carnegie Deli revival distinguishes itself from unrelated Midtown operations called Carnegie Diner.
The original Carnegie Deli sign now hangs over the entrance of its former competitor’s space, a visual anchor that would mean little if the food failed to deliver. The combination of improved recipes, warmer service and deliberately nostalgic atmosphere aims to restore what the review described as “old-time magic” to a rapidly changing district.
The reopening places Carnegie Deli back among the city’s living culinary landmarks, offering the artery-clogging original on its home turf once again. Customers are advised to come prepared: open wide.