100% agree and never a lineup. RIP 
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Yes, and no. Iāve had āCarnegieā in person at least 20 times, and delivered as often. Ditto Katz, likely more often. Less often, but still several times, 2nd Ave and Sargeās. In-person is always better, but pastrami, corned beef, and chicken soup travel (within modest limits) well.
Mine are not the comments of somebody who had it once years ago and either loved it or didnāt, but canāt remember why.
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My dad introduced me to ordering stuff shipped from Russ & Daughters way before there was a Gold Belly - heād just call them and someone would tell him what was the best smoked salmon to get that day. Iād always ask him to get extra onions in the pickled herring. Heād get matjes herring for a lifelong friend who lived nearby.
Much better: Deli City in DC, the area where I live. I get a combo corned beef and pastrami. The great limitation there is that itās only open for lunch M-F.
I find Katzās to be rubbery.
At the risk of posting what everyone already knows (never stopped me before), Russ & Daughters should not be in this thread, as it is not a ādeliā. Hereās the best explanation (in their own words): https://www.russanddaughterscafe.com/#whatisappetizing
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Had lunch there recently.
Very nice chopped liver that was so finely chopped it was almost like a mousse. Lovely wife had corned beef sandwich. They had run out of rye (horrors!) so she had it on wheat. Good, nothing special.
I had the Flatiron Delight with pastrami. Tasty.
Itās an interesting spot but I am not convinced the wait in line is justified though.
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S&P makes a great pastrami sandwich IMO. Tender, just fatty enough, and the seasoning pops in a way that you wonāt find at Katzās etc. Sandwich is smaller, but cheaper - a happy trade-off, for my needs.
On that note, Iād also recommend Davidās Brisket House in Bed Stuy, which, in terms of value, canāt be beat. However, they basically only sell sandwiches and Dr. Browns, so itās a stretch to call it a ādeli.ā Also, itās not particularly āJewishā anymore either, since itās been owned by Yemenis since the '80s. Judging from the food, youād never guess: the sandwiches are as classic as it gets, plus priced very reasonably compared to Manhattan counterparts. Iām a fan.
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Second Avenue Deli - pastrami on rye
Pastrami is delicious, but seems about half the size of Katzās for about the same price. Same gummy rye bread as Katzās. The last time I was here they were actually on 2d avenue. I think the hand cut pastrami you get at Katzās and Langers are a whole different level than the machine sliced.
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I havenāt tried all the options people mention above. My main experience has been with Katzās, 2nd Ave., and in bygone days Carnegie and Stage. I preferred Carnegie back in the day, but like the versions at Katzās and 2nd Ave. As mentioned in our recent trip notes, we preferred the brisket out of the 3 main meats. We havenāt had the tongue in years, so canāt remember it well enough to compare.
We really enjoyed Langerās in LA, but that was about 15 years ago and impossible to directly compare to the NYC options based on memory.
I disagree that Montreal smoked meat is essentially pastrami. I find the flavour more dominated by the spicing in Montreal smoked meat and prefer it over pastrami hands down. Iām on team Schwartzās and we usually take a vacuum-packed whole brisket home with us after visiting Montreal.
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Agree, Montreal smoked meat is distinct from pastrami.
Sargeās is my go-to deli in Manhattan. Partly because I tend to stay within a mile of its location. Iām more into the non-sandwich options, though.
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I also agree.
When Iāve explained it to people who havenāt had it, I call it a ācousinā to pastrami and corned beef. If someone likes either of those, they will probably like smoked meat too. And I say this as a fan of all 3, pastrami being my #1, with the others neck and neck for 2nd place.
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Iāve been to the new Liebmanās twice (and the original location at least a dozen times). New place has the same quality as the Riverdale location.
Both the sour and half sour pickles are quite good, though I prefer the half sours.
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Have you tried Turkish Bastirma / Pastirma? Thatās what the word pastrami comes from. I tried it a few weeks ago. Thatās Pastramiās ancestor.
Lately, Iāve been more fond of Corned Beef than Pastrami.
I probably would rank my preferences Corned Beef, Montreal Smoked Meat, Pastrami today, but I wouldnāt turn down any of them
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I have my doubts about this. Iāve read the same sort of articles. But in my mind a minced meat seasoned air dried product bears more resemblance to salami than pastrami. Sure both are cured, but thatās about the extent of the shared family traits. Recipes I have seen for basterma look more like other cured sausages. I had a college roommate whose parents made their own and he would bring it with him when he came back to school. Very good but nothing like pastrami. My suspicion is that the stories are all created in the mind of food writers looking for origins that arenāt there just because the name sounds similar. Then itās get repeated on and on until it becomes fact without any more to support it. Just my opinion.
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I havenāt, but would like to someday. I think that Montreal is probably the best place to find it though.
While Iām sure I could find in in BrooklynāI live just outside NYCāI speak ācookbook Frenchā, and almost no Russian. 
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I had some last week at a Turkish brunch, in a Benny, and it was moister. Not as moist as pastrami, but closer to pastrami than jerky.
Etymologically, at least, pastirma is the predecessor. Maybe pastrami was drier, 200 years ago, before it became what it is now.
Or maybe the same word is used in different ways throughout the former Ottoman Empire and the Balkans.
Or maybe it is a Yiddish construction, combining Pastirma and Salami
I always assumed, or maybe believed the Press I read, the Romanian Jews took pastirma and evolved it into pastrami.
Adding this for reference because I found some of it interesting, not because I want to debate 
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Best Kosher Deli in my opinion is Lido in Long Beach,NY
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