People are flipping out over NYC's most famous sandwich coming to LA. Yes, it's that good, but it'll cost you $45

How much would you pay for a bona fide bite of New York City?

That question will be tested this Saturday, June 29, when West Hollywood’s Bar Next Door hosts the Lower East Side pastrami institution Katz's Deli — the oldest deli in New York City — as it serves up its famed pastrami sandwiches for the L.A. crowd.

I hope you’re sitting down for this next part:

A whole sandwich will cost $45 and $25 for a half.

About that price...

Bar Next Door owner Lawrence Longo and his team are going all out to bring a genuine New York experience to L.A. They’re even flying out three Katz’s employees to prepare the sandwiches on site, boiling, slicing, and serving the pastrami on its signature rye, slathered with the classic brown mustard and tucked alongside half-sour pickles.

(If you do the math, it somewhat explains the high price; the sandwich normally goes for $27.45 at Katz's in homebase in New So if you think about it's still cheaper than getting on a flight to NYC yourself.)

It’s all for a special occasion — the bar’s first anniversary — and they wanted to do something big. Longo credits his business partner, Kara Rosenblum, who is from Brooklyn. She had the idea and immediately started making calls to make it happen.

The Katz's deli spread, available on Saturday, June 29, at Bar Next Door, along with a Coors Banquet Lager and a "Dirty Mixed Brine Martini Shot" with vodka, pickle, olive, and pepperoncini brine.

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Courtesy of Bar Next Door

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“We thought bringing Katz’s to the bar would be cool,” Longo said, noting that the bar’s themed design will be familiar to any NYC deli regular. “It looks like a diner, so we thought the pastrami would look so good at the bar, and it would be a cool thing to do for the L.A. community.”

The event will mark Katz's second official visit to Los Angeles, the first being at the outdoor food festival Family Fest in 2023. (No doubt, countless unofficial visits have taken place with pastramis-on-rye smuggled aboard cross-country flights into LAX.)

Will Angelenos pay the eye-watering price? It depends on how desperate you are for a real taste of NYC and how much Katz's mystique means to you (after all, it's the same deli where Meg Ryan acted out her famous scene in When Harry Met Sally. Yep, that one).

And it does come with a humungous amount of meat that will keep you going for days. But if $45 makes you spit out your coffee at the breakfast table, you can always head to Langers for a #19 instead for around $25. That’s damn fine pastrami too, so no shade either way. 

Grab a slice afterward

In addition to Bar Next Door, Longo also owns Prince Street Pizza ... located right next door. If you aren’t familiar with it, Prince Street is another New York institution that has gradually expanded locations throughout the West Coast over the past few years. It is known for the hefty square slices overflowing with its signature cupped pepperoni.

At Bar Next Door in West Hollywood, enjoy your Katz's pastrami sandwich in the interior, which has an art deco-meets-haute diner feel.

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Fred Licht

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Courtesy of Bar Next Door

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A specialty cocktail combo will also be served on Saturday: a Coors Banquet Lager paired with a "Dirty Mixed Brine Martini" shot made with vodka plus Katz’s signature pickles, peperoncini brine, and an olive. The beer and shot combo will be $16.

Postmates will co-sponsor the daylong event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sandwiches will be available for delivery or pick-up within a 5-10 mile radius of Bar Next Door. The link to order isn't working now, but will go live Saturday at 11 a.m. So, set that reminder if you plan on going.