Photos by Stacie Joy
Those rumors about a new dining room at Katz's turned out to be true.
The deli on the corner of Houston and Ludlow has unveiled "The Ludlow Room," a restored 68-seat dining room with waiter service that had been closed off since 1949, when the space was converted into a walk-in refrigerator during the postwar boom years for pastrami, corned beef and brisket.
According to Katz's, several original details remain intact, including the tiled floors, foil ceilings and a freight scale that has weighed every pound of meat served there since 1949 (and apparently too heavy to move).
The space will also be used for private events.
Here's a look from yesterday afternoon, featuring archival photos of the deli and some history of the business, which first opened in 1888 across the street from its current home ...
... the scale...
... and fifth-generation owner Jake Dell...
Here's a look at the main dining room...
Really cool to see a space be brought back like this. Though in their history blurb, it was the IND construction that required the move, not the IRT. Houston St was widened to accommodate the subway, and many buildings were either sliced back or sacrificed altogether.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see it, but I hope they're still brining, curing and corning in-house!
ReplyDeleteThe Katz statement doesn't say anything about the tile floors being original. (They look in perfect condition not to be new)
ReplyDeleteInteresting!
ReplyDeleteWalking by today at around 2 PM, the line was half way down the block.
ReplyDeleteEven with 68 more seats?!
DeleteYes! F train was ever only IND, not IRT!
ReplyDeleteI used to go once a month, then went to readings a few blocks away. When Carnegie Deli closed, all the tourists started going to Katz's, and the line to get in frequently went down the block. I'm too ancient now to wait that long, so have given up going. I don't care that the prices are astronomical.
ReplyDeleteAll you need are "air rights" to sell to a creep landlord and it's all good. Glad it worked out but as a former tenant of the guy Katz's sold to, no thanks. I'll just have to do without the $30 sandwich. I think it was Bloomberg who said 60 million tourists can't be wrong.
ReplyDelete