Katz Deli

Katz is a Lower East Side institution has been around since 1888 and still going strong. When walking in you can feel the history, the walls are plastered with every celebrity and personality you can ever imagine, from Bill Clinton to Jerry Seinfeld. Mr. Clinton isn’t the only president to tuck into Pastrami on Rye, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan both stopped off at this NY joint in the past. The deli was made even more infamous for the Meg Ryans ‘I’ll have what she’s having orgasm’ scene in ‘Harry meets Sally’, they even have a sign in the deli pointing to where the incident happened. It was also the site of Johnny Depp’s character meeting with an FBI contact in Donnie Brasco.

The deli is always busy with locals and tourists alike, who upon entering are handed a ticket that the servers mark at each stall depending on what you eat. Upon exiting the cashier tallies up the total and off you go, a few pounds heavier and possibly a few days closer to a heart attack. The statistics are pretty bleek for NYS health; Katz’s serves 5,000 pounds of corned beef, 2,000 pounds of Salami and 12,000 hot dogs, that is definitely food for thought.

Economy Candy

Since 1937, on the Lower East Side Economy Candy does exactly what it says on the tin, it sells candy and its cheap. This store is like winning a golden ticket and getting a tour of Mr.Wonka’s factory. It has every candy conceivable to the most fervent of sweet tooth’s. Even from the outside, the windows are plastered I different types of candy, almost as if the shop itself was built of lollipops and gumballs.

Economy Candy is an old-fashioned, family-owned candy store that sells hundreds of kinds of chocolates, candies, nuts, dried fruits; including halvah, sugar free candy and of course all the old time candy you had when you were a kid.
In the store you will find yourself transported down memory lane, discovering treats from your youth that you had forgotten about. The store also contains a large amount of novelty candies and one of my personal favorites are the giant Elvis Pez’s.

What makes Economy Candy so popular and what has maintained an astounding level of customer loyalty is that adapting hasn’t meant abandoning its essential quality as a neighborhood candy store. While trying many new items throughout the years Jerry Cohen who now runs the store with his wife Ilene and son Mitchell says “you need to have whatever it takes to get people in.” Teas, sugar-free and low calorie candies, gift baskets and hand-dipped chocolates are among the products that filtered in as the inventory changed to reflect the changing urban landscape.

Tinys Sandwich shop

Even though the name might be misleading, Tiny’s sandwich shop makes some huge sandwiches. Behind the counter they do have a huge sign proclaiming this ; “Tinys Giant Sandwich Shop”. Located on the corner of Rivington and Norfolk, Tinys has been around for a number of years now serving up some of the best, fastest food in the Lower East Side. The place is very quaint and seats about 25 people. The atmosphere is always really friendly as is the service. Also, the walls are always showing some local artists work and varies through the year. Lunchtimes and weekends are always busy, as people demand some of the great selection of sandwiches on offer.

One of the favorites at Tiny’s is their Big Daddy Mack vegetable burger- a veggie burger topped with tofu bacon and all the fixings on a brioche bun. You don’t have to take my word on how good this burger is, PETA officially gave it the ‘Golden Bun’ award for ‘Best Hometown Veggie Burger in 2005

Meat eaters should grab a grilled chicken po’ boy, all warm and cheesy, or the Spicy Rizzak–turkey, bacon, cheese and spicy mayo on a hefty hero, served hot or cold. Soups are homemade daily and rely heavily on seasonal inspiration. If any of the 25-plus specialty sandwiches don’t tickle your fancy (or if you’re uncomfortable ordering a “pesto-rific” from a total stranger) then assemble your own creation from the fairly intimidating number of options. All these sandwiches come in at well under $10, and if you are anything like me you will it will serve you well for the whole day due to their size!