This is a screenshot from a YouTube video about the best pastrami sandwich in NY.


Which one are you taking based on looks alone?  Far right for me.

Far right.

Also agree on the right.

Yup, far right.

Was this intended to be a serious question?

I'll have what she's having.

Far right indeed. Has to be thin sliced, course mustard and rye bread.  However, I don't like it super thick. About an inch will do for me so I can taste the rye bread and mustard too. Gotta have a barrel pickle, half dill, and a coke or beer.  !!!!

For me a loaded question.  Much like using the wrong bread for a cold cut sandwich.   I like the setting of the slicer on the far right, but no reason for the meat to be bunched up like that, to much meat in the sandwich for structural eating ability.  I like left center for proper amount of meat to bread and it appears to have some smoke char on it too. 

And the bread looks horrible on all 4!

I'm kind of surprised by the answers even with a small sample size. I thought there was a wider variety of how people like their deli meat sliced.

To me, visually, they all look good except 3rd from left.

Bentley, the 1st from left is actually the only one that is not rye. It was a sub bun. From the video, it was the only non traditional one. Fish sauce in the brine, thick slice, fresh dill instead of pickle, etc. All of them are allegedly highly respected in NY.

Left- Harry and Ida's
2nd- Katz's
3rd- David's brisket house
4th- 2nd Ave deli.

I don't eat pastrami, but from what I have seen on TV and read online, Katz's is the only one of those delis that I have heard of.

Only time I had Pastrami in Manhattan was Carnegie's.  It was Summer 2002 and it was a $17.50 ($24.97 today) sandwich with a slice of pickle.  But I could only finish half at the time it was so large.  I though the one I picked was Katz's, have seen it enough on TV.  Hand carved, which I am really not into if I have a choice.  Katz's is the only one of the 4 I have heard of, but after seeing the pictures would try 2nd Ave Deli.

All the rye still looks horrible, no texture, and I was right regarding the bread on the far left!

A lot of places are, or become, tourist traps. But from experience, Katz’ pastrami on rye is one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had, top 3 or 4. However, Carnegie Deli corned beef on rye is also in my top 3 or 4 all time favorite sandwiches.
I tested them on back to back days in NYC. Ordered both at each restaurant. Carnegie won for corned beef. Katz won for pastrami.
I don’t think Carnegie is still around.

For me a loaded question.  Much like using the wrong bread for a cold cut sandwich.   I like the setting of the slicer on the far right, but no reason for the meat to be bunched up like that, to much meat in the sandwich for structural eating ability.  I like left center for proper amount of meat to bread and it appears to have some smoke char on it too. 

And the bread looks horrible on all 4!

White Jewish rye is my favorite.  Has to have the little seeds, and the glazed egg white crust. There is a German restaurant here that makes good pastrami but he uses Bavarian rye.  Yuck! So dry it crumbles easily. I've suggested Jewish rye but got the stink eye when I said it.