There are a lot of exciting new restaurants opening all the time in New York… but I can’t help staying true to old favorites.
Barney Greengrass is an institution – not just in the city, where it has been an oldie but a goodie since it first opened in 1908, but in my family.
Barney Greengrass became a favorite, first, of my father’s, who started visiting it when he was a student at Columbia in the 70s. He passed his love of this Jewish deli down to us, and now, we all have various preferred riffs on his classic order: nova scrambled eggs with a side of bagel and cream cheese.
Barney Greengrass is not fancy. The cream cheese comes in a slab on a side plate; the tables are far too close together; the waiters tend to be perfunctory bordering on rude (especially if you try to pay via credit card. This is a place the likes of which New York has very little anymore.
In spite of this (or, more likely, because of this), Barney Greengrass tends to get very busy on weekends, and prices have skyrocketed since my dad first started coming, making this a true special occasion treat (i.e. once per annual visit home).
Honestly, the lines and prices are worth it for a plate of these eggs: rich with smoked fish, onion, and schmaltz, they’re irreplicable (which hasn’t stopped me from trying time and time again).
And there is, of course, a secret for those who don’t love crowds. Come during the week: you’ll have the whole place to yourself.
Barney Greengrass -Â 541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024