Wait, is Carnegie Deli back? A social media post has sparked rumors of a revival a decade after closing

New York has spent the better part of a decade mourning the loss of Carnegie Deli, but it might finally be time to break out the mustard: the legendary Midtown institution appears to be making a comeback.

Carnegie Deli sent pastrami lovers into a minor frenzy this week when it posted a video on social media showing its unmistakable red-and-white sign being installed in Manhattan. “The sign is up. The secret is out. Carnegie Deli is coming soon to Midtown Manhattan,” the deli wrote on Monday.

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And now, there’s even more reason to get excited. CBS New York reports that Carnegie Deli is indeed set to return this fall—and, fittingly, it will be on the very same Midtown block where the original fed generations of New Yorkers, tourists and celebrities before closing in 2016.

Exactly what the new Carnegie Deli will look like is still something of a mystery. The deli hasn’t announced an opening date or shared many details about the new operation, including whether this is a full-fledged permanent restaurant or something more temporary. But a sign going up on the old block certainly feels more substantial than your average tease.

Carnegie Deli first opened in 1937 on Seventh Avenue between West 54th and 55th Streets, just down the street from Carnegie Hall. It became one of New York’s most famous old-school Jewish delis, best known for absurdly enormous sandwiches piled high with pastrami and corned beef, along with knishes, chopped liver, cheesecake and other classics. Its walls were famously plastered with photos of the countless celebrities who had eaten there.

The deli also had its own Hollywood résumé, appearing in Woody Allen’s 1984 movie Broadway Danny Rose and popping up on television over the years. When the original restaurant closed after nearly 80 years, customers waited hours to squeeze in one final meal. 

The brand continued selling its meats, cheesecakes and other products after the flagship shuttered and it maintained an outpost at Madison Square Garden. (It even briefly returned to Manhattan in 2018 with a weeklong Soho pop-up tied to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.) But a real return to Midtown? On the same block where it all started? That would be something else entirely.

For now, we’ll be watching that newly installed sign very closely—and saving room for a sandwich.