NYC Sweeps List Of Nation's Best Casual Restaurants: See Which Ones Made The Cut

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY – New York City's the best in the nation at casual eating. The city took a hefty slice of an online magazine's league of the U.S.' top 101 casual restaurants, claiming 24 of the spots – with the legendary Katz's Deli taking the crown.

The Daily Meal's list looks at laid back joints "from hot dog shacks to taco joints, from neighborhood hangouts to legendary barbecue spots," ranking them based on several factors – the main one being can two people fill up on less than $50?

It also looked at reputation and longevity – something the Houston Street deli has no shortage of. The Lower East Side favorite opened in 1888 to serve the neighborhood's immigrant families.

The Daily Meal said, "Its corned beef and pastrami, made on-premises and sliced to order, is legendary, and the simple act of taking your ticket, standing in line, bantering with the counterman, and finding a table has become as New York an exercise as, well, eating a hot pastrami sandwich."

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"That's wonderful," said Katz's owner Jake Dell after being told the news.

"It's funny that it's for the best casual restaurant because we had a wedding in here not too long ago. The entire bridal party came in in their suits and dresses, the bride had on her white gown. They said the food was going to be terrible at the wedding, so they came in here before."

New York City had more restaurants on the list than any other part on the country. The full list is:

#97 – By CHLOE

#93 – Corner Bistro

#92 – Hill Country Barbecue

#91 – Nathan's Coney Island

#87 – Crif Dogs

#83 – Gray's Papaya

#80 – Veselka

#72 – Sylvia's

#59 – Fette Sau

#58 – Paulie Gee's

#44 – Rubirosa

#40 – Motorino

#37 – Lombardi's

#31 –Totonno's

#28 – PJ Clarke's

#25 – JG Melon

#19 – Patsy's

#13 – Grimaldi's

#12 – Di Fara

#10 – John's of Bleecker

#7 – Second Avenue Deli

#6 – Roberta's

#1 – Katz's Deli

Main image of Katz's Deli by Thomas Hawk/Flickr