The best cities for Reubens offer vastly different takes on this glorious, messy stack of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing pressed between slices of rye bread. The sandwich’s origin story is as contentious as its flavors are harmonious. Like a modern culinary Rashomon, everyone’s got their version of the truth.
The Sandwich That Launched a Thousand Arguments
Our editorial team at Best Cities For recently embarked on a cholesterol-raising pilgrimage to settle the score. We sat at the historic poker table at The Cottonwood in Omaha where the sandwich was allegedly born, devoured the nationally acclaimed Blackstone Reuben at Crescent Moon just across the street, and stood in the chaotic line at Katz’s Delicatessen in New York, ticket in hand, awaiting meat carved with religious precision.
Who makes the best Reuben in America? Keep reading. The answer might just be worth the heartburn.
The best cities for Reubens often start their claims with origin stories. Was it Omaha’s Blackstone Hotel (now Cottonwood) in the 1920s, where a grocer named Reuben Kulakofsky supposedly inspired this creation during a late-night poker game? Or was it New York City’s Reuben’s Delicatessen, where Arnold Reuben allegedly whipped up something similar (though suspiciously different) for an actress in 1914?
Here’s what we know for certain: menus from Nebraska dating to the mid-1930s reference the “Reuben,” while the earliest New York documentation comes later, in 1941. And the Nebraska version actually resembles what we recognize as a Reuben today, whereas Arnold Reuben’s creation contained ham, turkey, and coleslaw—a sandwich that wouldn’t pass the smell test of authenticity in any respectable delicatessen.
But enough about paternity tests. This magnificent bastard of a sandwich has thrived regardless of its questionable parentage. So let’s cut through the bullshit and get to what matters: where to find the best Reubens in America, city by city, in all their glistening, fatty glory.
1. New York City, New York: The Megalopolis of Meat
New York doesn’t just serve the Reuben—it claims to have birthed the damn thing. According to local lore, Arnold Reuben created it at his eponymous delicatessen in 1914 for an actress working with Charlie Chaplin. Never mind that his version contained ham, turkey, and coleslaw instead of corned beef and sauerkraut. Details, details.
Origin disputes aside, when it comes to the best cities for Reubens, the Big Apple claims the crown through sheer force of will and pastrami. Even if they didn’t invent it (and documentary evidence suggests they didn’t), they’ve certainly perfected it.
At Katz’s Delicatessen, the mountain of hand-sliced corned beef (or pastrami, if you swing that way) is nothing short of religious. The sandwich comes piled indecently high—the kind of height that requires jaw unhinging worthy of a python. Each bite delivers that perfect harmony of fatty meat, tangy kraut, melted Swiss, and the subtle sweetness of Russian dressing that cuts through it all.
But New York’s Reuben excellence extends beyond the tourist traps. Court Street Grocers offers a more refined version, while Mile End Delicatessen adds Montreal-style smoked meat to the equation. For the kosher crowd, Liebman’s Deli skips the cheese entirely, proving that even with dietary restrictions, New York refuses to compromise on flavor.
2. Omaha, Nebraska: The Contested Birthplace
If sandwich origin stories were religious texts, Omaha would be Jerusalem. This midwestern city stakes its claim as the birthplace of the Reuben with evangelical fervor, and they’ve got the documentation to back it up.
The Blackstone Hotel (now the Cottonwood Hotel) is the hallowed ground where, legend has it, Bernard Schimmel first created the sandwich for poker player Reuben Kulakofsky in the 1920s. While the original hotel restaurant is gone, the Cottonwood honors this legacy with a Reuben that pays homage to its roots.
But it’s at Crescent Moon where Omaha’s Reuben worship reaches its zenith. Their “Blackstone Reuben” uses a unique preparation method—cooking the sandwiches in a conveyor pizza oven that provides perfect, uniform heat. The result is a Reuben with a mystical balance: bread toasted to golden perfection, cheese melted to the ideal viscosity, meat warmed through but not dry.
Omaha might not top our list of best cities for Reubens, but its contribution to sandwich history demands respect.
3. Chicago, Illinois: The Innovative Iconoclast
Chicago doesn’t just do deep dish and hot dogs. This city of broad shoulders and bigger appetites brings its own swagger to the Reuben game, making it one of the best cities for Reubens with unexpected twists.
The Chicago Diner proves that meat isn’t necessary for greatness. Their vegan Reuben, with seitan standing in for corned beef, has converted carnivores who wandered in by mistake and left as believers. The texture is there, the flavor is there, and most importantly, the satisfaction is there—without a single dead animal in sight.
Chicago’s traditional Jewish delis like Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen also serve up exemplary meat-laden versions, reminding us that while innovation is welcome, tradition still has its place at the table.
4. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The Academic Approach
Ann Arbor might seem like an unlikely contender among the best cities for Reubens, but Zingerman’s Delicatessen has put this college town on the sandwich map. This isn’t just a great Reuben; it’s a study in sandwich perfection.
Zingerman’s approaches the Reuben with academic rigor. Their house-baked rye bread provides the foundation, while premium corned beef from carefully selected suppliers delivers the protein punch. The sandwich has such gravitational pull that even a sitting president (Obama) made a pilgrimage to experience it.
What makes Ann Arbor’s contribution to Reuben culture special is the attention to detail. Nothing is overlooked, nothing is rushed. It’s the slow food movement applied to deli cuisine, and it elevates this humble sandwich to art.
5. Boston, Massachusetts: The Colonial Contender
Boston might be better known for clam chowder and lobster rolls, but Sam LaGrassa’s has established this historic city as one of the best cities for Reubens on the eastern seaboard.
Their pastrami Reuben is the stuff of legend—housed in a nondescript building where lines form daily, filled with everyone from suited financial district workers to college students blowing their meal plan money on something truly worthwhile.
The Rumanian pastrami is the star here, dry-cured and smoked in-house, with a complex flavor profile that would make a sommelier blush. Paired with Russian dressing that packs a punch, it’s a sandwich that doesn’t know the meaning of subtlety—and that’s exactly as it should be.
6. Los Angeles, California: The Hollywood Version
In the land of kale smoothies and fasting apps, Los Angeles still manages to be one of the best cities for Reubens, thanks largely to Brent’s Delicatessen & Restaurant.
Their black pastrami Reuben is the headliner, featuring meat-heavy on spices that marries perfectly with acidic sauerkraut. The sandwich has achieved celebrity status in its own right, becoming the most ordered item at a deli that’s been serving LA for decades.
What makes LA’s Reuben culture interesting is the tension between tradition and the city’s obsession with reinvention. This is a place where you can find both the most orthodox version of a Reuben and some abomination involving avocado and sprouts calling itself the same name.
7. San Francisco, California: The New Traditionalist
San Francisco earns its spot among the best cities for Reubens not by playing it safe, but by respecting tradition while gently pushing it forward.
Wise Sons typifies this approach. Established in 2012 as part of a new wave of Jewish delis, their vegetarian mushroom Reuben has achieved cult status. Unlike meat substitutes that try too hard, their mushroom version embraces its fungal nature while delivering the umami punch that makes you forget you’re not eating meat.
The city’s approach to the Reuben reflects its broader food culture: ingredient-driven, technique-focused, and unafraid to challenge conventions without completely abandoning them.
8. Denver, Colorado: The Mountain Majesty
Denver’s Mile-High City status seems to have influenced its Reuben approach. The Bagel Deli & Restaurant serves a sandwich stacked so impossibly high with meat that it requires a recalibration of what you thought was physically possible to fit between two slices of bread.
What earns Denver a place among the best cities for Reubens isn’t just portion size—it’s the balance achieved despite that excess. The inclusion of roasted beet horseradish sauce adds a sharpness that cuts through the meat mountain, bringing harmony to what could otherwise be overwhelming.
9. Houston, Texas: The Lone Star Standout
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the Reubens. Kenny and Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen proves that you don’t need to be in the Northeast to create a world-class deli sandwich.
Their traditional open-faced Reuben has achieved notoriety for both its size and its perfect execution. Owner Ziggy Gruber brings Michelin-star restaurant experience to deli food, and it shows in every perfectly balanced bite.
What makes Houston interesting in the landscape of the best cities for Reubens is how it represents the nationalization of what was once regional cuisine. Jewish deli food has escaped its geographic origins and found fertile ground in unlikely places, adapted by talented chefs who respect the tradition while making it their own.
10. Atlanta, Georgia: The New South Renaissance
Atlanta’s entry into the ranks of the best cities for Reubens comes via The General Muir, a relatively new establishment that’s quickly made its mark on the national scene.
Their approach balances upscale dining with deli tradition, resulting in a Reuben that’s both familiar and elevated. The corned beef version brings in the traditionalists, while their beet Reuben caters to a new generation of diners with different dietary preferences.
What Atlanta represents in the Reuben landscape is the South’s willingness to embrace and transform “Northern” cuisine, creating something that honors tradition while establishing its own identity.
11. Portland, Oregon: The Artisanal Approach
Portland’s food scene is known for its reverence for craftsmanship, and its approach to the Reuben is no exception. Establishments like Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen have helped establish Portland among the best cities for Reubens through painstaking attention to detail.
Here, everything is made in-house—from the pastrami that’s cured, smoked, and hand-sliced, to the rye bread baked fresh daily. Even the sauerkraut is fermented on-site, creating a sandwich where every component reflects the Pacific Northwest’s obsession with process and provenance.
12. Las Vegas, Nevada: The High Roller
Vegas makes its mark among the best cities for Reubens by doing what Vegas does best: importing talent, amping up the experience, and charging accordingly.
At Siegel’s 1941 inside the El Cortez Hotel, the Reuben comes with a side of history in one of downtown Vegas’s oldest casinos. Meanwhile, over on the Strip, celebrity chef outposts offer Reubens with wagyu corned beef and other luxury ingredients that would make a traditionalist scoff—right before taking another bite.
The Vegas Reuben experience is about excess and entertainment, which is perfectly in keeping with the city itself. It may not be the most authentic approach, but it’s certainly one of the most memorable.
- Miami, Florida: The Tropical Take
Miami rounds out our list of the best cities for Reubens with a distinctly Floridian approach to this Northern sandwich. At Josh’s Deli in Surfside, the classic Reuben gets reimagined with house-cured corned beef and unconventional additions that reflect the city’s multicultural flavor profile.
What makes Miami’s Reuben scene interesting is how it represents the adaptation of Jewish deli food to a tropical environment. The sandwiches tend to be a bit lighter, the flavors a bit brighter, without sacrificing the essential Reuben-ness that makes the sandwich great.
The Great American Reuben Road Trip
The best cities for Reubens form a constellation across America, each point offering its own interpretation of this contentious, delicious sandwich. From Omaha’s historical claim to New York’s perfection through volume, from Chicago’s plant-based innovation to Houston’s Texas-sized interpretation, the Reuben has become a canvas for regional expression.
What makes these cities worthy of pilgrimage isn’t just the quality of their sandwiches—it’s how each place uses the Reuben to tell a story about itself. Origin debates aside, what matters is that these cities have taken a simple combination of ingredients and elevated it to something worth arguing about, worth traveling for, and most importantly, worth eating.
The Verdict: Who Makes the Best Damn Reuben?
After dragging our expanding waistlines across multiple time zones in search of the perfect Reuben, we’ve reached a verdict—albeit one that will piss off at least two-thirds of our readers.
Katz’s Delicatessen takes the crown. That towering monstrosity of hand-carved meat isn’t just impressive; it’s a goddamn revelation. The quality is unsurpassed, with each slice of meat possessing that perfect balance of spice, fat, and tenderness. It’s not just a sandwich; it’s an experience that makes you reconsider everything you thought you knew about what two slices of bread can contain.
Crescent Moon in Omaha deserves its silver medal, having damn near perfected the Blackstone Reuben. Their pizza oven technique creates a consistent sandwich that would make a Swiss watchmaker proud. The balance of ingredients shows careful thought rather than blind tradition.
As for The Cottonwood in Omaha—there’s something magical about sitting at that historic poker table, the very spot where the Reuben may have been born. We silently thanked Reuben Kulakofsky with each bite, and while the modern version might not win purely on taste, the historical gravitas adds a flavor no kitchen can replicate.
So grab some napkins (you’ll need them), loosen your belt (you’ll thank me), and set out on America’s greatest sandwich journey. The best cities for Reubens await, each with a story to tell and a sandwich to remember—even if New York’s story ends with the trophy.
Do you have a favorite Reuben? Drop us a line!
Image Credit: Katz’s Deli