Sarge’s Deli & Restaurant

Dined at Sarge’s for less than an hour—45 minutes to be exact. A Jewish deli with an enormous restaurant menu—that should be cut down since they lack pedigree on the basics. The pastrami and rye was standard deli fare—similar prototype from your corner deli for lunch with half the price. The pastrami was thinly sliced through the machine slicer, which lost the essence of the carnivorous characteristic. Personally, pastrami should be carved by hand; nothing beats the thick and uneven slabs of meat as you sink your teeth and tear into the flesh. Aside from the lackluster food, Sarge’s tawdry façade claims to portray Old New York time warp. But in reality it’s rundown and tacky. Something you can expect from a tourist trap but worse. Décor for a deli is not important; food is, but Sarge’s is flawed on both.

That said, Sarge’s can not, thus should not be ranked in the New York deli elite category—it’s not practical. Given that it is 24 hours, Sarge’s can possibly and literally be the last place to get your pastrami fix--thats of course when all the delis are closed for the night.

548 3rd Ave New York, NY 10016 (212) 679-0442