Look, here's the deal with Times Square — Every single restaurant is a tourist trap charging $25 for mediocre pasta that wouldn't pass for food anywhere else. You want real NYC? Hit up an actual deli where half the customers are union guys arguing about the Yankees and the other half are complaining about the weather. That's authentic New York right there.

2nd Ave Deli has two locations and they haven't sold out to the tourist hordes yet. The original spot at 162 East 33rd Street (right by the 33rd Street 6 train exit) and the Upper East Side location at 1442 First Avenue at 75th Street (near the 77th Street 6 stop). Family-owned since 1954, same pastrami recipe, zero compromises.

Their pastrami sandwich runs $22.95 — Yeah, it's not cheap, but you're getting a pound of meat hand-sliced to order on fresh rye bread. Compare that to $35 for garbage chain food in Times Square and it's a steal. Plus you'll actually see real New Yorkers eating there, not just confused tourists taking selfies.

Pro tip: Order it lean if you don't want a heart attack, or fatty if you want the full experience. Either way, get a Dr. Brown's soda and a pickle on the side. That's how we do it here.