Zabar's
Louis and Lillian Zabar opened a 22-foot shop on Broadway at 80th Street in 1934. Louis roasted his own coffee. He went to the smokehouses himself. He turned down far more fish than he bought. Their sons Saul and Stanley run it now.
Why go
The smoked fish comes from Acme Smoked Fish in Greenpoint. The store roasts 400,000 pounds of coffee a year. Zabar's put Brie in front of New Yorkers in the 1960s. It started a caviar price war in the 1980s and says it won.
Order this / avoid
- Order: hand-sliced smoked salmon on a bagel. Take a number at the fish counter first. Buy the bagel at the bakery, come back, and the slicer builds it.
- Order: the rugelach, baked to the family's grandmother's recipe.
- Avoid: starting at the bakery. The number at the fish counter is what holds your place.
What locals & experts say
- Alexandra Ilyashov, writing Eater NY's guide to the city's appetizing shops in October 2018: the counter men cut
melt-in-your-mouth fish,
and Saul, then 89, still went to Greenpoint to choose it.3 - Saul and Stanley Zabar, on their father's rules:
Respect the customer. Never, ever stint on quality. Offer fair value.
1
Good to know
- Getting in: one shop and no bookings.
- The history: Lori Zabar wrote the family's book, Zabar's, A Family Story with Recipes, and the store sells it.
Verdict
should-visit — Come with a bag and somewhere to take it. If you are carrying one thing home, make it something a person cut for you.