Norton’s Pastrami and Deli

A solid pastrami sandwich for sure. Cannot complain at all. The service was on-​point and the food was on-​point. Would certainly stop by here again when I go back to Santa Barbara. I really enjoy pastrami sandwiches that don’t contain overly-​fatty meat, and Norton’s serves flavorful lean pastrami. This spot definitely did not disappoint!

Solid eats. Mo and me split a pastrami with kraut+swiss on rye lite on the Russian dressing. Flavors were good but I didn’t like how our kraut was mixed in with the pastrami and cooked on the stovetop. The cabbage lost a lot if the pickled flavor after being cooked and just turned mushy. Next time I would ask this not to be done and it would have been perfect.
Service is friendly and quick. Bus your own table.
Small place and sharing tables is encouraged if not required. Around lunch time line is out the door!
Would definitely be back next time we are in SB.

Oh M Gee!!! Dear Lord, please bless this place as they have the BEST pastrami, like EVER! Words cannot say enough. Disappointed you will not be. It is quite a jewel to have a place like this in SB.

Been here a few times and absolutely adore this spot. The chipotle mayo they use on many of their sandwiches is SO GOOD. Pastrami is flavorful, it’s especially good on the Mom’s PLT. Fries are always well seasoned! The older gentleman who is usually at the counter (the owner?) is nice but doesn’t waste your time either. It’s such a unique blend of people coming in here, too!
Knocked off a star because it is a little more pricy than most sandwich places and the shop is tiny, but overall, I still love this place!

After having there Pastrami Dip Sandwich. I just love this place. Great customer service fast and friendly. They have fountain drinks. It’s small inside. Like 5 tables. They have a parking lot across the street and behind the building. I would definitely come back if I’m in the area. Fries and Potato Salad was also great. It has a different taste and flavor from The Hat World Famous Pastrami in Simi Valley, CA. It’s a definite must try place.

This place deserves 5 stars, one bite and you’ll agree.
I figured I’d have a hard time finding a good sandwich shop in Santa Barbara; and when I mean good, I mean Salt and Saturated Fat. I was wrong, right off State Street stands Norton’s Deli.
I had a simple pastrami sandwich with fries and a drink, price was under 12 bucks (perhaps a little more than I wanted to pay, but it’s worth it). Pastrami was delicious, fresh, and cooked perfectly. Service is quick and friendly; the man behind the cashier was helpful enough in getting my coworker and I seated, and in such a small place, I appreciate it.
I’m only going to nitpick because I“m giving it 5-​stars and want to be honest. The building is small, the bathroom (while clean) had a strange looking door to it that doesn’t exactly make you feel locked in, and parking in Santa Barbara can be a hassle. Having said all that, DO NOT let that stop you from visiting.
This place rocks.

Just a great sandwich shop. Although known for their pastrami, you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. The ½ will be the right portion size for most and if you’re in a combo kind of mood, you have 5 great option: fries, onion rings, chips, garden salad, or coleslaw/​potato salad. The perfect spot for a quick lunch so if you find yourself nearby make sure to stop in!

Solid 4 star deli spot… I enjoyed the moms PLT with side of fries and the pickles they bring to you.
The ½ sandwich was not too big and not too small a good size for the price– it tasted great! The fires were nice and crispy. Their menu also includes philly steak sandwiches (I’ll try that next) and hot dogs and salads as well.

Absolutely the BEST ever!!! I had the pastrami Rueben and a side of onion rings! It was to die for! My GF had a Cali Tuna melt with fries and she loved it! A small place with a unique flare and atmosphere!!! Give this place a try!

This shop is small and looks kind of old inside and out. The moment you walk in, you can smell the pastrami being cooked since the open kitchen is right by the door. There are not a lot of tables but they did set up some stools by the counter if you want to sit and look at the cooks making sandwiches.
I ordered the pastrami cheese to go. Yes, $ 10 for a sandwich is expensive; but it’s downtown SB. The only place you can get a sandwich under $ 10 is Subway. I like that they kept all the different kinds of pastrami sandwiches the same price so that you wouldn’t feel like you can’t order the pastrami dip because it is $ 0.30 more than the other pastrami sandwiches.
The cashier was curt but effective. He got the order in fast and I got to watch my sandwich being made by the cooks immediately right after. The wait time wasn’t long since there were only 3 orders before me. If you come in around 2:30 PM on a weekday, you can be like me and you won’t have to wait too long.
Certainly, the sandwich was greasy. So greasy that my bread was soggy after 15 minutes. However, that’s not why I gave this place a relatively low rating. After all, who goes into a pastrami diner and expected no grease? There was a large portion of pastrami and cheese and the tomato tasted fresh. The sandwich was flavorful and nothing tasted over– or under-​cooked. However, a few hours after eating, I felt gross. I am not a vegan, heck, I am not even a vegetarian. I eat a lot of greasy food, but this was the first time I felt so sick afterwards. My throat was parched and my stomach grumbled. I basically curled up like a ball in bed for the rest of the night.
I don’t know why I got that sick, maybe I am getting old and I have to eat lighter stuff. Either way, I won’t cross this place off my list. When I forget about the pain and sickness, which is probably soon, I will be back to try something else from the menu.

While I think it’s absolutely stupid to give this place two stars because the food is «a big wad of fat and salt,» I do agree with Javier that the pastrami is good, but not the best. And $ 13 for one of these sandwiches is rather expensive for what it is. I recommend going here if you crave or love pastrami, but it’s not the best pastrami. There are better fries and other places to eat in Santa Barbara.
The complimentary dish of homemade pickles was 5 stars on its own.

My friend and I had the afternoon to spend in SB and we wanted to have a good foodie (but still affordable) experience at lunch. We noticed that there were several Triple-​D-​approved spots in town, but we settled on Norton’s because it just sounded so good. And it was!
I had the NYC pastrami, with coleslaw, Swiss cheese, and dressing on rye. I was happy I only ordered the ½ size because it was HUGE! Also tried out the onion rings, which (truth be told) looked like mini-​donuts. They came out hot and were very tasty. Would definitely recommend those.
The shop is on the small side, but there are signs directing you to share tables. So… I approached two other ladies, asked if we could join them, and it was all good! We had a friendly convo as we enjoyed our food.
Great place to chow down. Fine for in-​store dining, maybe even a little more enjoyable as a to-​go place.

This place is a GEM! I almost don’t want to review this place because I don’t want tourist flooding it. However, I HAVE to review this place because their staff and their food is top notch! I always order the mom’s pastrami on a wheat roll. The large is always enough for meet to split because it is a heavy meal. You can’t go wrong with this dish! It is so flavorful! My mouth craves at the thought of it. I love the crispy pastrami and I love the chipotle mayo. This is easily one my favorite dishes in Santa Barbara!
A huge shout out needs to go to the staff as well. I am always greeted by their owner and he is helpful, kind, and efficient. Their cooking staff is always kind as well and serve your food with a smile.
You simply can’t go wrong with this place!

We came for the first time to Santa Barbara, my parents, my future husband and I and we were looking for this place which we saw in tv.. my parents ordered pastrami dip, I ordered the mama plt and my honey a Phillip stake… for the first bite we love it… the place is small, but they have a big menu selection! … you have to try it too!

Nortons is a decent sandwich place but it was not as incredible as I was expecting.
When I first walked it was a small sandwich place and I ordered Mom’s PLT because everyone seemed to rave about it.
The food arrived about 3 minutes after I ordered which I was really impressed with the speed and efficiency of the service.
The sandwich was smaller than I thought it would be for the price but it still was very tasty and a well cooked pastrami.
Overall it was a good sandwich, a little bit small for the price, not too much seating inside, but really fast service. I would come back to try something else and maybe have a little bit better experience.

Norton’s is legit 4.5 stars. The NYC version of there to die for Pastrami creations is the bomb. The Pastrami is crisped on the flat top yes you read it correctly crispy Pastrami omg genius.
The NYC is headlined with the crispy Pastrami homemade cole slaw, swiss and smothered in Russian dressing and placed between lightly grilled rye bread… wow sooo good.
Norton’s is truly a dive and in fact was featured on Diners Drive In’s and Dives for good reason the crispy Pastrami is crazy good and a sublime addition to your sandwich.
The restaurant gets really busy and for good reason it is also really pricey so be prepared for sticker shock.
It’s a must try and you can thank me later. Please be advised this isn’t not your grandma’s deli or traditional full service restaurant but stick with the Sandwiches done ridiculously good, some sides and drinks. Seating is limited and so is the service but the NYC or the Pastrami Reuben with the crispy Pastrami makes it all worth it…

Got the pastrami dip (It was great!). Although it was a bit pricey for a sandwich, drink and soda. About $ 13. Wait time was not bad either considering how crowded it was, only took about 10 minutes to get the food. Will be coming back for more next time I am in town.
Reason for 4 stars, the price, very expensive for a fast food type joint.

Norton’s Pastrami and Deli is a hole-​in-​wall sandwich shop that Unilocalers rate highly… so much so that I was salivating like a crazed weasel, imagining a Katz-​style sandwich, pastrami piled high and squeezed in between slices of aromatic rye.
I was asked whether I wanted the half, or whole, sandwich. At $ 9 for a pastrami sandwich, without a side, I expected more than the average size and taste. Maybe I asked too much, but I felt let down and expected more from a top-​rated pastrami deli in downtown Santa Barbara. Not heaping, not with pickles, not even remotely Katzesque… not coming back!
The roundup:
Food: 2 — My sandwich was unexciting and smallish.
Service: 3 — Self serve, get there early to avoid the line.
Setting: 2 — A few counter seats and tables.
Value: 2 — I felt like I got shorted on my sandwich.
Date worthy: 2 — uh… no! It’s basically grab n go.

I’ve tried two or three times to go to Norton’s being only thwarted by the lack of street parking. I finally made it two weeks ago and was quite pleased. Not overwhelmingly thrilled mind you, but quite pleased.
The pastrami sandwich on a roll with a light dab of mustard was my choice and the wife’s as well. The pastrami was grilled and hot. I was not drinking the day I went but I can tell you this, the sandwich cried out for a beer. A beer would have kicked up the experience by at notch or two.
I recommend this counter with a few tables restaurant for those who like grilled pastrami. Were there not so much to try in Santa Barbara I would be back sooner. Maybe I will, on the way to a winery to try Riesling. Oh, before I forget the french fries were really good.
This is an order at the counter and have your sandwich brought to the table type place, so judging service is difficult. The person I perceived as the owner was quite congenial as was the person who brought the sandwiches to our table.

I saw this place on an episode of DDD recently, where Dennis Miller turns Guy on to this Santa Barbara favorite. Well it just so happens that I was in the area, AND it was lunch time. What a coincidence!
Nortons is really tiny. Like 3– four seat tables and a counter of the same size. There are signs that politely request you to share your tables with other customers.
I went with the NYC. It was pastrami with cheese, Russian dressing, and cole slaw. AMAZING! That’s all I have to say about this Sammy. My husband also loved his Reuben sandwich. We shared a basket of nicely cooked, crispy French fries, and I got a side of homemade potato salad. I am a fan of pickly, mustardy potato salad, so while this salad is definitely homemade, I was not such a fan.
If you ever find yourself in downtown Santa Barbara, hurry your tail over to Nortons. You can thank me later!