Hello Deli

My first experience at hello deli was amazing! Rupert is awesome and the food is amazing! Get the Colbert! You won’t regret it!

We were told by the Late Show With Stephen Colbert production staff to comeback at 3:45 pm after the receipt of our tickets for today’s taping. We were looking for a place to stay, get nourished and keep ourselves warm while killing time and we get stumbled to this place. It is happen to be the closest deli to the theater and a popular deli with good reviews from all of the show’s former audience members. It is a tiny place, full packed when we walked in so we had second thoughts of dining. Anyhow we lined up to get something to eat and while waiting to be accommodated, noticed that they are selling some souvenir items for the show. It has a frame of notable artists photos with their signatures on each. No doubt these people made an appearance to the late night show and stopped by. I remember that Letterman featured this deli most of the time of his show. Met in person Rupert. Nice person and very friendly. We realized how congested the place that we ended up leaving before we get the chance to be taken care of. I’ll continue my review next time I get the chance to try their sandwiches. For now, the review is about the place alone.

Thought this place was terrific. I had an Italian sandwich and ate there at a small table. I knew of this deli because of the Late Show. Rupert was nice and I was actually surprised to see him there. Not real fancy, but fast and a great in/​out spot for a sandwich.

Stopped in here for a snack before a taping of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert not expecting much and was greeted with the nicest man you’ve ever met. Told him we were in a time crunch and he immediately started making us a chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat. Also got an iced coffee that was super super good. We quickly scarfed down the sandwich which was stacked with chicken salad and tasted great with the accompanying pickles and were on our way.
This is one of those places that is a super tiny family owned hole in the wall that I’m sure gets most of its business from tourists in the area, but the fact that the man behind the counter was so ridiculously nice and helpful makes this a 5 star place in my book. If I lived in NYC, I would come by all the time to give this man my business.

We ordered The Colbert chicken hero and the turkey/​ham Letterman, plus some sides while waiting in line for The Late show. The food was well prepared, fresh and quite good. This is not one of the more famous deli’s in town, but IT IS a New York deli, so all of the nay-​sayers commenting on «authenticity» are all off base. Prices are actually fair and reasonable. Besides the good food, the other best thing was meeting the owners, Rupert Jee and his wife. The nicest folks in NY considering the volume of people that come in. I accidentally tore my 20 dollar bill in half and Rupert whipped out some clear masking tape and patiently put it together for me. My wife purchased half a dozen Colbert Late Show mugs and Mrs. Jee told her to come by and pick them up later so my wife did not have to lug the mugs around the studio. Amazingly patient and nice folks considering the amount of attention and gawkers. Would recommend the Hello Deli even without the show.

Fun little place to eat. Not a traditional New York deli, but it did the trick. (Carnegie Deli was closed, and this was the closest thing according to Unilocal!)
The staff helped us pick a sandwich and sides. We recognized Rupert (the owner) from Letterman. This was the place Letterman would come sometimes to do comedy bits. Rupert didn’t look amused but he was accommodating when I asked to take his picture.
Fun place, and good food. The staff was great.

Had the Farmer’s Club on wheat, they included a small bag of chips.
Very friendly staff.
Sandwich was very good, but let down by the wheat bread… just too dry.

Great pastrami at an awesome price! I also loved the salad bar area and that they had lots of kinder candy. Overall really cute place with good sitting area on the second floor.

Sandwich tasted good, but was on the smaller side and needed more meat for the price. Most likely won’t be back – as there are better sandwich shops in the area for a better value.

We wanted to take out from Carnegie which is closed for renovation. I needed to find something quick in the neighborhood, Hello Deli had the highest Unilocal rating of delis close by. Very disappointed! This is not New York Deli
Quality. The corned beef was not acceptable, the sandwich was small, the potato salad was BAD as in spoiled. If we hadn’t taken the food to go, everything would have been sent back. The only good thing was that it wasn’t overly expensive. BAD

Love this place. Very friendly staff, good sandwich, and Rupert.

I came from out of town for a conference at the Sheraton. My friend and I were looking for a quick deli to grab lunch between sessions. This was the perfect spot: just down the street from our hotel, prompt and polite service, and delicious food. I had the chicken salad club and she had the honey mustard turkey. Both were very good! We would definitely come again!

I was in the area recently for a Letterman taping with Jerry Seinfeld and I had some time before to check out Hello Deli. I ate the veggie wrap and it was very good. I loved the friendly service. Plus being the tiny lady I am, I fit right in that place. So cute, will be back.

Great New Yorker sandwhich. Pastrami, cornbeef and swiss grilled on rye! Delicious withiut the bug deli prices.

Wow — this is the most friendly hole-​in-​the-​wall deli I’ve ever been to. I’d definitely go again, and again.

I frequently visit NY for business and always make it a point to stop in to see Rupert Jee and grab lunch. The food is very good and reasonably priced for Manhattan. Rupert and May are such friendly people. Very down to earth and approachable.
If you’re a tourist and looking to spot a semi-​celebrity, stop in. Rupert would be glad to take snapshot with you. He’s always there. You may even get lucky and see Dave Letterman’s guest (s) enter The Ed Sullivan Theatre, which is next to Hello Deli.

Walk in the door, and get greeted by Rupert, the owner of the deli. He is famous for the David Letterman show. Rupert never turns down a photo op, he should have his own show. He and his wife are extremely nice and his hands on supervision is refreshing. Good Deli with reasonable prices. Small «hole in the wall» with limited seating. Had the «megadog special of the day» with fries. Yummy !!!

We were looking to get a quick bite before our show. The area we were in was full of terrible tourist traps and hot dog carts. We say the reviews for this place on Unilocal and decided that it looked better than the other options. The place itself is a very small deli with maybe 6 chairs. The owners are extremely nice and the service is quick.
We ordered the New Yorker and the Late Night Editor. The New Yorker was great. Well toasted bread with good meat. It is fairly greasy and I am sure it clogged an artery or two but it was worth it. The Late Night Editor was also good but a little dry. The chicken was cooked fresh and the bread was good. If you are in the are and need a quick bite this place is great.

Rupert and May are just tooooo funny!
You meet them once and they’ll absolutely remember your name. My boss likes coffee with milk (ratio has to be 8.5:1.5) And three Splendors, and other owner likes with half and half (8:2) with 5 sugars (I know, so sweet!!) after they’ve sent me there twice, they remember all the orders without me saying anything and even remember how I like my coffee:) you might think it’s a simple thing, but you know how many people they have to deal with everyday??? I’m amazed. Love them.

I didn’t eat there, so I can’t speak to the food. But I’ve been a longtime fan of Letterman, and I always remember seeing Rupert at his deli next door looking tired and nervous. I was so excited to see him there, working the register! He had no problem taking a quick picture with us as we bought a bottle of water and a shot glass with his face on it. Other people poked in their heads to take a picture, and he seemed fine with it all. I’m sure he’s making plenty of money thanks to Dave!
This is also the closest thing to a gift shop that the Late Show has. When you enter, there’s a small display with shirts and other memorabilia for sale. Rupert’s even in the lobby after the show selling the stuff, so that must be his gig along with the sandwiches.
I threw a camera in his face, and he obliged with a picture. Easiest semi-​celebrity sighting in town!