It’s a pairing as perfect as pastrami and rye. Iconic butcher shop Lobel’s of New York is linking its legacy to another longtime NYC institution: Rockefeller Center.

Six generations of the Lobel family have been dealing in quality meats for 185 years, from cattle ranching in Austria, to opening a Manhattan butcher shop on the Upper East Side, to slinging sandwiches at Yankee Stadium.

Their first sandwich venture was a home run straight off the bat in 2009 when Lobel’s Carving Station opened in the Bronx, and the generous piles of USDA prime steak between two buns remain a Yankees fan favorite today. It was the lively ballpark location that Mark Lobel says inspired the family to open in a place as electric as Rockefeller Center.

“When we came across this spot in Rockefeller Center, it was like none other that we've ever seen,” he said, “because the environment is just buzzing. It's bustling. You have a combination of tourists, of locals working, people from the neighborhood … it offered so much. It felt good.”

Lobel’s Original opened at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in June, now serving everything from breakfast sandwiches to roasted pork, turkey breast, broccoli rabe, and prime rib on sesame bastone bread. With grab-and-go and group catering options, along with vegetarian-friendly menu items, there really is something for everyone who walks by (or, more likely, follows a craving and makes a beeline for the new shop).

“When we all saw this spot, we knew that we needed to be here,” Lobel continued. “So it's really good to be part of the Rockefeller Center family.”

Below, the Lobel family—co-owners Mark, David, and Evan, as well as Mark’s son, Brian; David’s son, Michael; and Evan’s daughter, Joey—gives us a playful peek behind the butcher counter where it all began.

Q: What’s the first memory you have inside the butcher shop?

Joey: Mine was my grandfather lifting me onto the butcher block and secretly giving me a dollar. So that was my payment for the day. And I was like, this is so much money. What am I going to do with my dollar?

Mark: I may have been 4 or 5 years old, and they used to bring a little butter knife in for me, and I would cut the meat. And then at the end of the day, if I was able to stay there the whole day, I'd get a roll of dimes so I could use it in the pinball machine.

Q: What is the signature Rockefeller Center sandwich?

Michael: It’s gotta be the prime steak sandwich. That's what we're known for. At Yankee Stadium, we use New York strip, and at Rockefeller [Center], we use prime rib.

Brian: On Fridays here, we're doing a special where we're going to be doing the pastrami sandwich, and I think that is my absolute favorite. It's unbelievable, and everybody should try it. You've never had anything like it in your life.

Joey: Also, the cookie. It's probably the best cookie I've ever had.

Mark: While we're talking about the cookie, we have to talk about the banana pudding. Ridiculous.

David: The Wagyu hot dog has just made its debut recently, and it's already taking off. It's phenomenal.

Q: What’s one thing people always get wrong about butchers?

Evan: That they don’t know how to cook! One of the things that we pride ourselves on is, we all cook, and we're able to guide our customers toward the proper cut for the technique that they're looking to do. So if they're going to braise something, we know the best cuts in pork, veal, lamb, and everything else… We have the ability to teach people how to cook what they're purchasing.

Q: We know this place runs on meat — but what’s your go-to non-meat favorite pleasure?

David: Ice cream. I’m a sucker for ice cream.

Michael: Mint chocolate chip, specifically.

David: My son, he knows!

Brian: Pizza for me. My God, I love pizza. Johnny's Pizza in Mount Vernon is my number one, Westchester. And I love Lucali too. We were just at Rubirosa's.

Joey: Pasta — linguine with clam sauce. That's the ideal pasta.

Q: What’s your favorite cut of meat?

Joey: Bone in New York strip.

Evan: Double-cut boneless strip

Brian: Waterhouse.

Michael: I like a good filet.

Mark: Prime rib of beef.

David: Wagyu skirt steak.

Q: What’s the real secret to working as a family?

Mark: We have so many generations, so many years that we've been together. And we listen to each other. We respect each other. We give each other room, and we all know that one of the components for a successful business is to get along. One of the things also is that we all like to work. So every one of us is out there doing something, staying busy, creating, working hard.

Brian: And we all genuinely love each other. We all get along so well. Everybody's got a great relationship, you know, as a group or individually. We're all so close.

David: We were raised in a family business, so we had a head start. Our fathers guided us.

Brian: Now that I have a son… I do feel something different. It’s not just about being motivated anymore. I want to make sure that if my son comes into the business, that he has the same, if not more, opportunities that my grandpa, my great uncle, my cousin, my uncle, my dad had.

Michael: Having that kind of pride to want to do that and make it better for our kids or our next generation, I think that's what motivates us a lot, too.

Joey: I think just getting to learn from family members is motivating. I mean, getting to learn so much from my dad is extremely motivating. Wanting to do things the way he does it and also my own spin on it. Yeah, that's my favorite part.