Katz's Delicatessen, at 205 East Houston Street on the corner of Ludlow, is where Sally demonstrates her point over a sandwich and a woman two tables away delivers the film's best-known line. It is a real deli, it was a real deli long before the film, and it is still operating in the same room.
There is a sign hanging from the ceiling above the table where the scene was shot, reading to the effect that this is where Sally sat — hopeful, in the way delis are. You can sit there. You will probably have to wait for it.
The line, and who said it
The line "I'll have what she's having" is delivered by an older woman at a nearby table. She is Estelle Reiner, the mother of the film's director Rob Reiner, and the moment was written by Nora Ephron — though the story has long circulated that it was Billy Crystal who suggested the payoff during development.
The American Film Institute placed it among the most memorable lines in American cinema, which for a single sentence delivered by someone with no other function in the film is a considerable achievement.
Meg Ryan reportedly performed the scene many times over a long day of shooting, in a working restaurant, in front of extras. Whatever else the sequence is, it is a piece of stamina.
Katz's itself
The deli traces its founding to 1888 on the Lower East Side and moved to the Houston Street corner in 1917 when the subway construction took its previous building. It is one of the last survivors of a Jewish delicatessen culture that once ran to hundreds of establishments in the neighbourhood.
It still runs the ticket system: you are handed a paper ticket at the door, your order is marked on it, and you surrender it on the way out. Losing it is expensive and the signs say so. Ordering at the counter — as opposed to taking table service — is the traditional route, and tipping the cutter is customary.
The wall of photographs, the salamis hanging in the window, the "Send a salami to your boy in the army" sign dating from the Second World War: none of it is set dressing. The film used the place as it found it, which is why the scene looks the way it does.
The rest of New York in the film
When Harry Met Sally is a New York film in the way few others are, and most of its locations are still standing. The autumn walk through leaves is Central Park, and the Loeb Boathouse appears; the Metropolitan Museum of Art supplies the Temple of Dendur scene; the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore scene was shot on the Upper West Side; the New Year's Eve finale was filmed at the Puck Building in NoHo.
The film's opening and closing device — the older couples talking directly to camera about how they met — was shot against a plain backdrop and is the one part with no address at all.
Visiting the location
- Where
- Katz's Delicatessen, 205 East Houston Street, New York, NY.
- Getting there
- Second Avenue station on the F line is a block away. The deli is on the corner of Houston and Ludlow, on the edge of the Lower East Side.
- Access
- A working restaurant, open extremely long hours including overnight at weekends. No booking; you queue. Cash and card both accepted, but keep your ticket.
- The table is under the sign, toward the middle of the room. If it is taken, wait or take another — the room is the location, not just the table.
- Go at an odd hour. Weekend lunchtime means a long queue of people doing exactly what you are doing.
- Order at the counter rather than taking a table with waiter service if you want the traditional experience; tip the cutter.
- Do not lose the paper ticket you are given at the door.
Frequently asked questions
Is Katz's Deli from When Harry Met Sally still open?
Yes. Katz's Delicatessen has been operating since 1888 and has been at 205 East Houston Street since 1917. The scene was shot in the room that is still in use.
Can you sit at the table from the film?
Yes, if it is free. There is a sign hanging above it marking the spot, and it is one of the most sought-after tables in the room.
Who says "I'll have what she's having"?
Estelle Reiner, the mother of the film's director Rob Reiner, playing a customer at a nearby table.
Do you need a reservation at Katz's?
No, and you cannot make one. You queue, take a ticket at the door, and order either at the counter or from a waiter.