As a New Jersey native that frequents New York City delis, I have to say, Schwartz's rivals Katz's and 2nd Avenue Deli. I'm in Montreal with a friend for the weekend, and my father, a deli aficionado, begged me to visit this restaurant.
After reading the reviews, we expected our lunchtime wait to be much longer than it was. We reached the front of the line relatively quickly, and were seated at a table with two couples. Both of us opted to order the smoked meat sandwich (in case you're wondering - that's pastrami) and sour pickles. It was some of the best pastrami I've ever had. The flavor and texture of the meat were perfect, and it had just the right amount of fat. The rye was flavorful. The pickle was hands down one of the best pickles I've ever eaten.
We both left full and happy, and I'll definitely return if I'm ever in the area again.