Anthony Bourdain’s Go-To Meal He Always Craved After Traveling

Certain foods always remind us of home. The warm chocolate chip cookies Grandma always had waiting for us each time we’d visit. The sweet potato casserole that has become Dad’s signature dish every Thanksgiving. The chicken noodle soup recipe we thaw and reheat after we get home from vacation.

For Anthony Bourdain, who traveled more than 750,000 miles around the world and was often on the road about 250 days per year for work, home tasted like just one thing: a sandwich.

Anthony Bourdain Found Home in This Beloved Deli Sandwich

During his adventures, the chef, author, and TV host lived by the “Grandma Rule.” By that, he meant that if a grandma offers you something to eat—or if you’re a guest somewhere—you should accept the dish with gratitude and ask for seconds, even if it’s not a food you’re very fond of.

At home, however, Bourdain was free to gorge on the classic New York meals he loved. In a 2017 interview with Variety, Bourdain admitted, “When I’m away a long time, no matter how delicious the food, there are certain things that are unique to New York that I have to have right away.”

What’s the very first thing he reaches for once his feet are planted back in Manhattan? A pastrami sandwich. This simple meal featuring rye bread, pastrami, mustard, pickles, and cream soda was enough to help Bourdain feel right at home.

“Pastrami Queen is a really good pastrami sandwich—if not the best, among the very best. Just a good, nice mix of fat and lean. It’s the real deal, served warm on fresh, soft rye bread with the right kind of mustard. Good pickles. And they deliver—very happy with that. I get a cream soda. It’s a quintessential New York meal for me,” he told Variety.

Formerly known as Pastrami King until it moved from Williamsburg, Brooklyn to Manhattan in 1961, Pastrami Queen has grown to have four locations across New York City. According to its website, the restaurant claims its pastrami recipe hasn’t changed since the deli debuted in 1956, and describes the meat as “tender, juicy, and full of smoke and spice.”

What Makes a Pastrami Sandwich?

For the uninitiated, pastrami is meat—often beef brisket, deckle (a shoulder cut), or navel (a cut below the ribs)—that has been brined, rubbed with spices, then smoked. A classic pastrami sandwich features slices of pastrami tucked inside rye bread that’s been slathered with spicy mustard. Pickles are often served on the side. Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island or Russian dressing sometimes join the party, which turns it into a Reuben sandwich.

Although Bourdain’s beloved deli sandwich was found at the counter of a New York restaurant, you can get the same order shipped to your doorstep. Order the Pastrami Queen Sandwich Kits for 4 on Goldbelly and you can savor your first taste in a matter of days, no plane ticket required.

If you’d prefer to DIY, don’t miss this Real NY Jewish Rye Bread recipe and Chef John’s Homemade Pastrami that fans say is “the closest thing I’ve found” to New York-style pastrami outside of the city. Just add spicy mustard, pickles, and a cream soda and you’re all set.