A scoop of vanilla soft serve dressed up with Cheez-Its, rye croutons, beetroot powder and half a dill pickle is now on the menu at Kith's Gold Coast flagship, part of a limited-time collaboration with Katz's Delicatessen that runs through October 10. The dessert, called the Reuben, is one of three Katz's-inspired treats available at the Walton Street store, alongside a Latke and an Egg Cream Deluxe.
According to Axios, the Reuben sundae combines vanilla ice cream mixed with Cheez-Its, rye croutons and beetroot powder, then gets topped with black sanding sugar, a dehydrated Swiss cheese chip, Maldon salt and a Katz's pickle. The Egg Cream Deluxe, meanwhile, blends vanilla ice cream with black and white cookie pieces and Rice Krispies, doused in a classic egg cream made from chocolate syrup, milk and seltzer water, and finished with a Katz's black and white cookie on top. Axios describes Katz's as a legendary New York deli that has now landed in Chicago for the second year running.
The culinary mechanics behind the Reuben flavor are more specific than a simple mash-up. Per Time Out, the 2026 version mimics savory sandwich notes without any actual corned beef, relying instead on liquid smoke and red beetroot powder folded into the vanilla base. This is the second consecutive year Kith Treats and Katz's Delicatessen have run the promotion, after an original September 2025 pop-up in Manhattan that has since expanded to Chicago and Miami.
A Program Built on Deli Nostalgia
The collaboration isn't a one-off. The Takeout notes that Kith Treats launched its Treats Heritage Program back in 2020 as a national initiative spotlighting legacy culinary institutions in its flagship markets, having previously partnered with Miami's Versailles Cuban restaurant, Los Angeles' Apple Pan and New York's Veniero's Pasticceria. The Katz's tie-in fits that pattern of pairing modern streetwear hype with century-old food brands.
Katz's Delicatessen itself carries that kind of history. The deli was established in 1888 on Manhattan's Lower East Side as Iceland Brothers before being renamed after Willy Katz and his family acquired full ownership in the early 1900s, according to Katz's Delicatessen. Its famous slogan, “Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army,” dates to World War II, when the owners' sons were deployed overseas, a tradition the deli still maintains today in its mail-order care packages, per Military.com.
Katz's isn't new to Chicago, either. Before this partnership with Kith, the deli brought its signature pastrami to the city in July 2025 for a two-day pop-up at Bub City ahead of the Windy City Smokeout festival, as Hoodline has reported.
Beyond Food: A Capsule Collection and a Flagship Built for Lines
Alongside the limited-time ice cream menu, the 2026 Kith Treats x Katz's Delicatessen collaboration includes a co-branded capsule collection, per Kith, featuring graphic tees, heavyweight fleece hoodies, headwear and a branded apron sold online and in stores. The food items are just one layer of a broader merchandise push tied to the activation.
The Walton Street store itself, which Axios notes opened in 2025 as Kith's only Chicago location, is designed to draw crowds well beyond the dessert counter. The two-story flagship was designed by Kith founder Ronnie Fieg in collaboration with Ben Porto of Porto Architecture, opening in October 2025 with a leathered Belatrix stone facade set in brass, dark walnut wainscoting, and Belvedere and Rosa Aurora marble flooring, according to Modern Luxury. The same outlet notes the interior staircase features a gallery wall displaying photographs from more than 30 Chicago-based artists highlighting local landmarks.
That flagship sits in the Gold Coast historic district off the Magnificent Mile, a corridor known for luxury fashion houses and experiential pop-ups. Axios reports that lines for Kith's clothes, sneakers, jewelry and soft serve formed quickly after the Chicago location opened, and that lines at the store have since gone down compared to before the Katz's items became available. Kith Treats also features flavor names tied to other famous figures, including items named for LeBron James and the late Chicago artist Virgil Abloh, per the same report.
A Limited Window to Try the Scoop
The Latke, the Egg Cream Deluxe and the Reuben are all available on the menu only until October 10, giving Chicago shoppers roughly a week left to try the trio before the special menu disappears. Whether the savory-sweet combination of pickle and beetroot soft serve wins over skeptical scoopers, or whether the foot traffic from this kind of limited drop sticks around once the novelty wears off, remains to be seen for the Gold Coast store.
