Anthony Bourdain Once Visited This Iconic Bronx Deli, And Its Pastrami Stole The Show

Anthony Bourdain had a knack for finding hidden gems all around the world, thanks in part to an adventurous palate that saw him eat some very weird stuff on camera, from a meat slushy in Singapore to a warthog in Namibia. When it came to New York, though, his tastes were more traditional. In fact, his first recommendation for anyone visiting was to seek out an authentic deli. One iconic Bonx deli he made his way to was Liebman's, which has been serving top-quality pastrami since 1953.

The second episode of the fourth season of "Parts Unknown" was dedicated to The Bronx, with the celebrity chef diving into the rich cultural and culinary heritage of New York's northernmost borough. Filmed in 2014, the episode shows Bourdain sampling food from Puerto Rico, Honduras, Guatemala, and the Caribbean islands before settling down at Liebman's, where he meets Bronx historian Lloyd Ultan. As the duo discuss how the Bronx is burning, you can watch them eat a string of deli classics – pickles, chopped liver on toast, potato pancakes with applesauce, and a pastrami sandwich with the meat sliced so thin you feel like reaching out for it through your screen.

Leibman's is one of the last remaining delis in the Bronx, down from more than 100 in the 1950s. Opened by Joseph Liebman in 1953, the deli changed hands multiple times before being bought by Joe Dekel, whose son Yuval now runs the place. The menu today is headlined by the Classic Pastrami and Corned Beef Sandwich, served with Russian dressing and coleslaw on rye. Other big-hitters include the "Liebman's Favorite", which is an open sandwich, and the "Legendary Corned Beef", along with frankfurters, knishes, fries, and latkes.

The origins of the Jewish deli can be traced back to the late 1800s and can be linked to the mass migration from Eastern Europe to America. Early kosher delis were created to serve the growing Jewish community, but they soon became a New York institution in their own right. By the 1930s, there were more than 1,500 delis across New York, a number that exceeded 2,000 by 1940, according to a Back In The Bronx essay on the city's vanishing delis.

Like any true-blue New Yorker, Anthony Bourdain loved a good deli, and his affection for them was well documented. Two of them — Katz's Delicatessen and Russ & Daughters — made it to his list of 18 favorite places to eat and drink in New York City. In an interview with National Geographic, Bourdain said that an authentic deli was the first place he would recommend to anyone visiting New York. "I send people to Russ & Daughters or Barney Greengrass because deli is something uniquely great that we do in New York, better than anyone else, by my estimation," he said.

If you plan to take his advice, there are some common mistakes you should avoid when dining at a Jewish deli. For example, stick with the classics rather than customizing your order based on what you think you will like, and avoid adding cheese to pastrami — a combination that isn't kosher and is often frowned upon.