Carnegie Deli (CLOSED)

This sexagenarian legend is a time capsule of the bygone borscht belt era, when shtick could make up for cramped quarters, surly waiters and shabby tables. All of the gargantuan sandwiches have punny names: “Bacon Whoopee” (a BLT with chicken salad), “Carnegie Haul” (pastrami, tongue and salami). A waiter sings the deli’s virtues in a corny video loop, and more than 600 celebrity headshots crowd the walls. Still, when you’re craving a deli classic, you can’t do much better than the obscenely generous pastrami and corned-beef sandwiches on rye. The place might not have invented schmaltz, but it certainly perfected it.