As the foodservice industry has become more automated in recent years, the meteoric rise of cryptocurrencies has made restaurants rethink their traditional financial transactions with customers.

PJ Bernstein, a family-owned, traditional Jewish deli that has resided on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for over five decades, has taken to this trend in full stride.

1-0153.jpgThis culinary landmark now accepts cryptocurrencies as a form of payment from everyone looking to nosh on a whopping stack of pastrami and other traditional Jewish delicacies.

Although perhaps not as well known as its downtown compatriots—Katz’s and the Second Avenue Deli—PJ Bernstein has an even more storied history than its predecessors.

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This institution has been a staple in its star-studded neighborhood since it first opened its doors in 1965.

PJ Bernstein’s continues to be a popular destination for locals and celebrities. Landy Hunt, a veteran at the deli, served Lucille Ball corned-beef sandwiches and matzah ball soup nearly every day when she lived around the corner on East 70th Street.

2-0110.jpgLiza Minelli was another regular, sitting at the counter with a corn muffin and coffee. Other stars include Mel Brooks and two James Bonds, Sean Connery, and more recently Daniel Craig. New York Yankee Giancarlo Stanton also had an appetite for PJ’s towering pastrami sandwiches and homemade soups.

The multi-generational delicatessen and full-service restaurant will be accepting most coins traded through Coinbase, including popular assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin.

3-0111.jpgEnsuring quick, seamless payments and lower fees for these electronic transactions, PJ Bernstein is one of the First New York City restaurants to popularize dining with cryptocurrencies.



Photography by: Courtesy PJ Bernstein