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Some collaborations just make sense—and this one feels practically ordained by the Lower East Side food gods. Katz’s Delicatessen and Mimi Cheng’s, two New York neighborhood institutions with very different culinary roots, are collaborating on a limited-time dumpling that riffs on one of the city’s most iconic sandwiches.
Launching this Thursday, January 1, 2026, and available through the end of the month, the pastrami Reuben dumplings will be sold exclusively at Mimi Cheng’s East Village shop. The concept is simple: take Katz’s legendary pastrami Reuben and wrap it in a pan-fried dumpling.
Inside each dumpling is hand-carved Katz’s pastrami, melted Swiss cheese and house-cured sauerkraut, sealed in a dumpling wrapper and cooked until crisp on the bottom and tender on top. On the side is a custom deli-style dipping sauce developed by Katz’s owner Jake Dell, designed to hit all the familiar Reuben notes without overwhelming the dumpling itself.
At $17.45 for six dumplings, the collaboration lands squarely in special-treat territory, but that’s kind of the point. This is a New York crossover meant to be savored and Instagrammed.
Mimi Cheng’s has a long track record of clever, city-specific collaborations. Since opening in 2014, sisters Hannah and Marian Cheng have built a loyal following for their Taiwanese-style dumplings made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and for their willingness to experiment. Cheeseburger dumplings helped put them on the map and seasonal, culture-mashing specials have become part of their DNA. Katz’s, of course, needs no introduction. The century-old deli is a living museum of New York food history, famous for towering pastrami sandwiches, meat cutters in paper hats and walls packed with celebrity photos.
If you’ve ever argued that New York cuisine is defined by mashups, migrations and maximalism, this dumpling is your edible proof.