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New York City Restaurants

Barney Greengrass

2 reviews | Write a review

Good for: Extensive variety, fish, bagels, lox, smoked fish

Not good for: Basic value for money, people who don't like fish, cranberry bagels

  • Address
    • 541 Amsterdam Ave at W 86th St
  • Transport
    • 1 to 86th St
  • Website
  • Phone
    • 212-724-4707
  • Hours
    • breakfast & lunch

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Lonely Planet review for Barney Greengrass

The self-proclaimed king of sturgeon, Barney Greengrass serves up the same heaping dishes of eggs and salty lox, bialys and fishy caviar, and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate babkas that first made it famous when it opened a century ago. Pop in to fuel up in the morning or for a quick lunch; there are rickety tables set amid the crowded produce aisles. Besides salmon and whiting, kippered eggs and other Jewish delicacies, you can of course get a perfect New York bagel.

 

Traveller reviews for Barney Greengrass (2)

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    Rude service, bland food

    pilie does not recommend this,

    This pint-sized but pricey deli had a negligent, rude waiter the day we ate there. When I complained, the smug owner said he would speak to the young man. This place seems like a cozy old-style Jewish deli when you look at the varied, tempting menu. But instead, it is a store-front joint where the chopped liver is bland, the chopped herring is too sweet, the rolls and bialys tasteless, the baked salmon, sturgeon and sable look parched-dry in the showcase, and the coffee and tea cups were filled half-way. The cashier warned us that you cannot pay by credit card during the holiday season (as if we would return there). I said that they had so many customers that they could screw the ones who didn't carry cash. He replied, "I wouldn't put it that way." You can feel the history, says a customer on another site. What history? Even Carnegie is better. Anyone who has the faintest memory of what New York delicatessen ought to taste like should save his or her money and go to Park East Kosher, Ben's, Mendy's, or the delis in Midwood and Boro Park in Brooklyn. Modest, unfamous, yet value for money.

    Good for: Extensive variety

    Not good for: Basic value for money

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    Like a sturgeon? This is the spot for you.

    andy_murdock recommends this,

    "Do you have cranberry bagels?" the man asked.

    The waiter looked at him with a disgust he probably kept in special reserve for people from California who order cranberry bagels. "Don't cross the Mississippi," he said.

    Luckily I wanted an onion bagel, which passed muster with the waiter. And it's not just any bagel, it's an H&H, which, unlike at H&H itself, they toast for you at Barney Greengrass. Get yourself any of the platters as long as it includes the Nova lox. And whitefish. Okay, just order the lox and whitefish platter and get it over with.

    Sure, they ain't cheap, and the delightfully surly waiter might drop it on your table with a distinct thud, but these guys know their fish. There's snazzier breakfasts in Manhattan, there's prettier restaurants, and there's certainly better coffee, but if you like bagels, cream cheese, and smoked fish, you won't do better anywhere.

    Good for: fish, bagels, lox, smoked fish, Jewish food

    Not good for: people who don't like fish, cranberry bagels

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