Barney Greengrass
“For a little breakfast
If you want to go for lunch get the pastrami, tongue, roast beef, chopped liver and shmaltz sandwich..”
“Friendly staff, cool throwback decor, and an incredible salmon and sturgeon bagel.”
“Oh yes, my co-worker just told me that they serve latkes fried in shmaltz on the weekends, which is what I'll try when I'm next there.”
Barney Greengrass
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I love this place. Old school New York cool. The scrambled eggs are incredibly silky, buttery, and delicious. I had them with whitefish and smoked salmon on the side of a beautiful bialy. The whitefish came as a fat wedge on the plate, bones, skin and all, and was everything I had hoped: slightly oily, flaky and light. My favorite bites were of the salmon and egg together though on a bialy slathered with cream cheese. MMmm.
The boy had the sturgeon and salmon sandwich, piled high with onions, tomato, lettuce and capers. The orange juice, fresh squeezed, is delightfully sweet, and we finished it far too quickly. Everything tasted perfect and delicious, and we were so smily, enjoying our lives with every bite, up until the moment we got the check.
$70 with tip.
Coolness definitely comes at a price. I wish I could eat the salmon more often, but it appears I can bialy afford this place! Ha!
I like the old school cafe vibe and all the cool memorabilia and history behind the restaurant but the food was alright. It's a pretty big space but there was a 15-20 min wait for two for lunch on a Sunday. We had the sturgeon and salmon on a bialy, salmon on a regular bagel and the pastrami sandwich. The salmon was good but it was my first time having sturgeon and it didn't do anything for me. Maybe it was the combo of salmon and sturgeon which didn't seem to complement each other but I wish I'd only gotten the salmon by itself. The bialy was also kind of a disappointment, it was small and tasted a bit dry and flaky vs a regular bagel. I think I made the wrong selection which resulted in a mediocre experience but my husband seemed to like it. I didn't try the pastrami but he said it was decent.
In New York it is Barney Greengrass or Russ and Daughters. Both are excellent, but my lot is firmly cast with Barney.
To start, you walk in. If you were ever in Ellenville, NY when it was still the Jewish Las Vegas you will recognize the place right away. It isn't from there, but the soul of a good catskills appy lives in here. You can get U-Bet! I mean, come on!
The service is the most brilliant form of gruff. Don't get me wrong, I love it. It is what it ought to be. They aren't going to be cloyingly nice. That isn't what this place is about.
I assume that Gary Greengrass has to go home at some point and not be in the store, but I have never been there and not seen him…never….and I have gone a few times to say the least.
It is crowded, it is expensive, it is like controlled chaos at times….I have taken people there and smiled through every minute while they stared at me, befuddled, wondering why I would want to subject myself to this lunacy. My only answer is that while the world is complicated and crazy, the insanity of Barney Greengrass just makes sense.
Finally, the food. Ok, bagels are, I believe, H&H so no going wrong there.
As for everything from the lox or nova (there is a difference people, you should know it), the herring (my personal fav), sturgeon, sable, etc. etc. etc. it is, in my opinion, quite honestly the best in the entire world.
Omelettes. Yes. Which one? Yes.
But I am more simple. Give me a bagel with sturgeon and nova, capers and onions, tomato and scallion cream cheese and a little pickle on the side? What are they charging? I don't care. Do they want my arm? Fine, here, go get a knife.
Like seeing a young Tyson fight, or Michael Jordan play basketball in his prime, this is the best in the business and you should not miss the opportunity to eat here.
Bring cash. Bring a lot. Don't ask how much something is. Whatever it is, its worth it.
You come to Barney Greengrass for the whole experience, not just the food. The food is fine, not great, not bad, but it's an institution, and its crowded, and you'll wait and be bumped into and get sass from the waiters, but you are expecting all of that. I only wish that this place wasn't 1) cash only and 2)wayyy overpriced. My bagel and cream cheese, and a tiny portion of scrambled eggs and lox was like $20, when I could gotten a lox bagel at any bagel shop on the UWS for $6. But I still like this place and come back to it, because, well, tradition!
I've been here many times and it never disappoints. The food is classic and delicious and the service is great with old school character. Let's get into the details:
Eggs with smoked salmon is delicious – a generous portion with the perfect combination of salt and smoky flavor. I prefer the bialy with this dish instead of a bagel.
The whitefish salad is wonderful- smoky and not too creamy with a fantastic texture. I can eat it plain or on a bialy or scooped out toasted bagel.
But the sable is really over the top- delicate and buttery texture. I could eat tons of this fish but its expensive (that's the case no matter where you go).
Barney Greengrass is great for breakfast with a friend or with a larger group. Weekend lines are long but worth it and they only take cash.
My favorite time to go is 8 am on a weekday. You get the place to yourselves with all the smoked fish you can ever want. Keep in mind that you'll be thirsty all day!
The grass is not always greener on the other side, especially if you've been to Barney Greengrass. Many people are green with envy at all of NYC's bagel and lox options and this popular store is no exception. Much like Barney, the purple dinosaur, you'll love everything here and feel part of a happy family. Options may be cheaper by the pound. The egg salad is an underrated item. You'll need to bring the green, as this deli is cash only.
This place has been around since 1908, but I'm not sure why it took so long for me to try it out. Unfortunately this morning I was only in the mood for a quick, simple bagel and schmear, but I definitely want to come back for a sit-down breakfast or deli sandwich later in the day. This review is only about the bagel experience
My experience was overall very pleasant. At 10AM on a weekend there was minimal line/wait. I was immediately greeted by an apron-clad employee who took my to-go order. It wasn't busy so it was easy enough. After ordering, the same guy made my bagel and took care in spreading the cream cheese evenly. Then you get a ticket and go to the counter to pay. Everyone was nice enough, but I could tell a tad amused/annoyed by my lack of understanding of their process. CASH only no matter what. $3 for a bagel and cream cheese isn't bad, though it looks like other items on the menu are a touch pricey.
The bagel itself was pretty good. By the appearance and organization of the bagels in their tubs I could tell they had them delivered from somewhere. When I asked, they were friendly and said they get their bagels from "All Natural Products" which I think is the same as Davidovich in Queens when I looked it up. The bagels are all certified Kosher according to the person I asked behind the counter.
Overall the bagel was a good size, and had a great flavor. I thought the texture was reasonable as far as chew but my bagel was a little dry and what I thought was a sparse amount of everything seasoning on the outside. I just got a plain cream cheese (boring, I know) which just had an ok taste. Next time I'll have to go a more mainstream spread I guess.
BAGEL SCORE: 3/5. These are good sized, Kosher bagels (ordered from an outside location) and they do have good taste. The cream cheese is well-proportioned but just ok as far as flavor. The texture of the bagel is good, but a bit dry. Not sure when they get the bagels delivered, but the dry texture and average flavor may be because they are delivered bagels. Could also use more seasoning on the outside.
(disclaimer: based on other reviews it seems like I should have gone for some of the other spreads. But in order to compare to other bagel shops I just got an everything with plain cream cheese)
The genuine article and a real neighborhood gem on the UWS. #2 in my journey to partake in the "Jewish Holy Trinity" of delis, right behind #1.,..Katz's in LES. Next up with be Russ and Daughters to see how the chips fall, but it will take a downright spiritual experience to knock Katz's off its' well deserved perch at the top of the tops.
What was great about Barney Greengrass's, at least at 8:30 am on a weekday when I dined, is the gentle pace. I liked the side dining room (see my pics) which was not heavily trafficed, and the constant attention of waitstaff keeping my morning coffee fresh. BTW, and in response to another review, I really liked the coffee, and I'm a bonafide coffee snob.
But the real star here is the smoked fish. Since Barney Greengrass is known as "The Sturgeon King" (see the sign out front), I couldn't resist having a bagel with both sturgeon and smoked salmon. expertly prepared, and not overstuffed like what you get at Ess-A-Bagel in Midtown East and the undisputed crowned-jewel of bagels in NYC (go to Bagel Boss in Hicksville Long Island for the BEST bagels anywhere on the planet). This bagel sandwich was simply devine.
To make this journey even sweeter I hosted a customer of mine who has lived in NYC his entire life, currently lives on the UWS, and had never been to Barney Greengrass. Happy to put the earth back on its' axis, and ensure this guy can check a big one off his Jewish Bucket List.