Liebman's Deli

When you get lunch at Liebman’s, it’s more than likely you’ll be seated in a bouncy booth next to a regular at the Riverdale kosher comfort spot. They’ll order something along the lines of a hot pastrami on rye, a latke, and a matzo ball soup to start—and you should too. Liebman’s pastrami is as good as the best versions in the city, especially if you prefer your fatty meat sliced thin, as opposed to the thicker slabs served at a certain place on Houston . Between that and the old-school diner energy—complete with "'80s on 8" playing through the speakers and unlimited coffee refills—Liebmans is worth a visit if you’re looking to try all of New York’s best pastrami, or just need a bowl of emergency matzo ball soup.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

Matzo Ball Soup

If you prefer small, fluffy matzo balls rather than dense, fairly large spheres, you’ll like this soup. It’s homey and comforting, with plenty of noodles and chicken chunks. The broth itself tastes pleasantly salty, and you can see the little dots of schmaltz floating on top.

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

Latke

This latke is overly dense. Not to knock it too hard—it’s still a salty fried potato and therefore delicious. But it’s more of a homogenous patty than a collection of individual shreds of potato.

Hot Pastrami

This is the thing to get here. The thinly sliced pastrami on this sandwich is rich, fatty, and thirsting for a schmear of mustard. (Thankfully, there’s already a huge pot on your table.) And every order comes with a pickle and coleslaw, as it should.

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

Reuben

If you want a little more going on with your pastrami, grab a reuben with its melted cheese and russian dressing. We prefer the simplicity of the hot pastrami, but you can't go wrong with this loaded-up, peppery sandwich.