Carnegie Deli’s Sarri Harper Isn’t Shrinking the Sandwich
Observer · · g1273294
Nearly a decade after Carnegie Deli closed its original dining room, Sarri Harper has reopened it one block south, in the space Stage Deli once occupied. The 2026 Nightlife & Dining Power List honoree says the portions aren’t getting any smaller.
Nearly a decade after Carnegie Deli shut its original Manhattan dining room, Sarri Harper reopened it on Sept. 15 one block south of its longtime home. The new 110-seat, 2,500-square-foot restaurant sits at 834 Seventh Avenue, where Stage Deli once operated. Carnegie and Stage spent decades competing in New York’s pastrami wars; now Carnegie has Stage’s old address. It doesn’t take reservations, and NPR reported a line outside during opening week.
Harper kept Carnegie operating without a permanent Manhattan dining room. The deli has had concessions at Madison Square Garden since 2011 and sets up seasonal stands at the U.S. Open , Saratoga Race Course and the Belmont Stakes , while its pastrami, corned beef, cheesecake and other staples ship nationwide. Since late 2024, Harper has also landed a pre-sliced pastrami and corned beef pack in 50 Northeast Costco stores and teamed up with Serendipity3 , Temple Bar and Black Tap on limited-time collaborations.
Harper, Carnegie Deli’s third-generation CEO and granddaughter of longtime owner Milton Parker , is a 2026 Observer Nightlife & Dining Power List honoree. She spoke with Observer about reopening inside her family’s old rival, the economics of an intentionally enormous sandwich and the Knick she wants to put on the Wall of Fame next.
What’s your earliest memory of the deli, and what did your grandfather teach you about running it?
Sarri Harper: Sitting at a table with my legs swinging because my feet didn’t reach the floor yet, and ordering matzo ball soup to start and macaroni salad as my entree. The whole place was loud and a little chaotic, and my grandfather was right in the middle of it, which is exactly where he wanted to be.
What he taught me is simple: Don’t cut corners. Make the food great, make the portions bigger than anyone expects and people will come back. But he also knew they weren’t only coming for the pastrami. They came for the whole experience, and they left with a story to tell somebody else.
Carnegie never really disappeared. What did reopening a full-service Manhattan restaurant bring back?
Harper: People have been asking us to reopen for years, and seeing the excitement when we finally announced it was amazing.
There’s something special about sitting down at Carnegie Deli on Seventh Avenue in New York City. You can’t replicate the energy, the waiters, the oversized sandwiches and the Wall of Fame. Now we get to bring all of that back while continuing to grow the brand in new ways.
You reopened in the former Stage Deli space. What did it feel like to walk into your family’s old rival as the owner?
Harper: You really couldn’t write a better New York story. Carnegie Deli and Stage Deli were famously competitive for years, and now we’re in Stage’s former location. My grandfather would have gotten a tremendous kick out of that.
We certainly didn’t choose the location because of the old rivalry, but I have to admit, it makes the whole thing a little sweeter. More than anything, I love that we’ve been able to bring Carnegie Deli back to Seventh Avenue, where we have so much history. It feels like we’ve come full circle.
The Wall of Fame is back. Who’s the first new face you’d like to hang on it?
Harper: Jalen Brunson . We’ve been at the Garden for years, and honestly it’s one of my favorite places to be. I’m a big Knicks fan, and I’ve watched him become the kind of player New Yorkers don’t just cheer for—they actually love.
The Wall of Fame has always been about the people who make New York feel like New York. It’s not just about being famous. It’s about personality, character and having a real connection to the city. Brunson would fit right in.
Carnegie’s sandwiches were famous for being too big to finish. How do you make that work at today’s meat prices?
Harper: Nobody comes to Carnegie Deli expecting a small sandwich, and I’m certainly not going to be the one to change that. Our generous portions are part of what made us famous.
Of course, the cost of meat has gone up, but cutting corners on quality ingredients or portions just isn’t an option. Our pastrami takes about two weeks to make, and that kind of time and care is what makes it special. We’ve always believed in doing things the right way, and that’s not going to change.
At the end of the day, I still want people’s first reaction when their sandwich arrives at the table to be, “How am I supposed to eat all that?”
Pastrami at Costco and pastrami on Seventh Avenue: What has to be identical in both?
Harper: For me, the most important thing is that Carnegie still feels like Carnegie, no matter where someone discovers us. The food, the quality and the care we put into everything have to live up to what people have always loved about us.
Someone might discover our cheesecake for the first time at Costco, while someone else might have grown up coming to Carnegie Deli with their parents and now brings their own children. I love that we can be part of both of those experiences.
Of course, there’s nothing quite like walking into Carnegie Deli and having an enormous pastrami sandwich arrive at your table. That experience will always be special. But knowing that people all over the country can enjoy a little piece of Carnegie Deli at home, even if they’ve never been to New York, is something that makes me really happy.
What did Madison Square Garden and the U.S. Open teach you before you reopened a full restaurant?
Harper: Being at places like Madison Square Garden and the U.S. Open has been an incredible way to introduce Carnegie Deli to a whole new audience. I love the idea that someone might try their first Carnegie pastrami sandwich at a Knicks game and then come visit us at the restaurant.
These venues have also taught us a lot about speed and consistency. Thousands of people come to a game or a match, everyone wants their food at the same time and nobody wants to spend half the event waiting in line.
We’ve learned how important it is to have the right systems and people in place so we can serve customers quickly without sacrificing the quality of the food. Whether we’re making five sandwiches or a thousand, each one should taste just as good as the last.