Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish: Smoked Salmon Meets Style in TriBeCa
June 2, 2009
Real New Yorkers appreciate the simple beauty of a hand-rolled bagel with lox, cream cheese, red onion, and tomato but for those seeking the intersection of delicious and stylish, there’s Zuckers Bagel’s & Smoked Fish on Chambers Street off West Broadway in TriBeCa. Starbucks’ nouveau setting meets Barney Greengrass’ Jewish grandma grub amidst a menu that offers 14 types of smoked salmon, Knish Nosh knishes, Carnegie Deli pastrami, and a plethora of freshly prepared sandwiches and expertly sourced products.
Bagles and smoked fish are Zucker’s basics. The sliced Nova Scotia salmon was delicate and fresh and blended well with the chewy, crispy everything bagel surrounding it.
The whitefish salad may have been even better; creamy and decadent, it struck the perfect balance between smokey and fishy.
After founding Murray’s Bagels 15 years ago, owner Matt Pomerantz is proud to call Zucker’s a “cafe.” Therein lies the difference between Zucker’s and the throwback Russ & Daughters: both specialize in smoked fish and bagels, but Zucker’s is a “real sandwich shop.”
Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish
146 Chambers Street (nr. W. B’dway)
New York, NY 10007
212-608-5844
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Posted in MANHATTAN, TRIBECA, Zucker's Bagels & Smoked Fish
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June 2nd, 2009 at 5:30 am
Arggggg!!! I am in Paris and bagels with lox is exactly what I am missing!!
Foodguy, you’re killing me! My mouth is watering!
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:33 am
nyc food guy,
you’re just not allowed to show a jew pictures of lox, cream cheese and whitefish on bagels first thing in the morning. it’s torture!
a shaynem dank,
shloyme
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:38 am
I…misss…new york
When is NYC Food Guy gonna start up a Chicago chapter?
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:51 am
I already had a bagel and cream cheese this morning and now I want another one…big time.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I went to high school about 3 blocks from there. Why couldn’t they have opened 15 years ago?!?!?
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:33 pm
They premake the sandwiches? Yuck.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
hey food expert, i have to find a good place for a bunch of friends to eat thursday night and it has to be by penn station since people are coming in from nj and/or the lirr. know any good places that aren’t tourist traps and real new yorkers (like myself) would go?
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:54 pm
wowsers 14 types of lox!!! gargle gargle! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:23 am
Hill: 2 choices that I like: in the LIRR part of Penn Sta, go to TRACKS, a restaurant with a long bar located just past the main ticket windows with very good food (fresh raw bar with good oysters on the half shell, fish and chips to die for, burgers, BBQ baby back ribs, etc.) or outside on the corner of 8th ave and 33rd St The Stage Door Deli (not the Stage deli) for good pastrami, corned beef and other typical deli plates. Prices are moderate. For more upscale eating, there are two restaurants on 33rd between 7th and 8th Aves, a steak house in MadSqGdn and across the street from it, another fancy restaurant with good food.
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:28 am
Hill: Tracks has a website with menu you can paste in the address line: http://www.tracksbargrill.com
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:36 am
Hill, the stage door deli also has a website and menu with photos: http://www.stagedoordeli.com
June 3rd, 2009 at 2:04 am
FN,
I do what I can. Do you live in Paris or just travel there often?
PEPPER,
You’re welcome.
Nathan,
Consider this site home away from home. How about you start up the Chicago chapter for us?
Jake,
Ha! It’s always better with lox, tomato and onion.
Allison,
Hopefully the youngsters who go to school near here now can appreciate this gem.
cd,
They DO NOT pre-make their sandwiches. These photos were from an eating event.
hill,
Per wriskit’s recommendations, Stage Door Deli would be fine for your purposes. It’s a diner/deli on 33rd and 8th Avenue, right outside the back of Penn Station. If you want a really simple coffee shop though you can go to Andrews’ on 7th Avenue and 35th street; nothing special but does the basics fine. There’s also Skylight Diner on 34th street and 9th avenue which has been around forever and has a real diner feel. I can’t speak for the food there, however. Either way, if you’re expectations aren’t really high, you’ll be fine. This is not a neighborhood known for being gourmet.
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:43 am
I live in Brooklyn but am in Paris on a long-term work assignment, so I go back and forth. I miss the quintessential NY things and bagels is no 1 on the list! Add to the list: bialys, pizza and basketball.
June 4th, 2009 at 1:19 am
I’ve been to both and Russ & Daughters isn’t a throwback. It’s not a copy of an old original institution, it IS an old original institution They’ve been in the same place for almost 100 years and were a pushcart in the neighborhood before that. My grandma bought the same bagels and lox and herring and whitefish and baked salmon salad and chopped liver spread there that I do now and it’s as good now as ever she says. You wrote, “but Zucker’s is a “real sandwich shop,” which, if you know your history, sounds insane. I’m not sure what isn’t real about a very long-running family business based around bagels and lox. I’m curious as to why you wrote that. I like your writing and thought you knew more about great food history than that indicates.
June 4th, 2009 at 3:15 am
Bob B.,
First off thanks for the kind words. In regard to your question “why did I write ‘real sandwich shop’? This is a direct quote from the proprietor of this business, which in hindsight I probably should have referenced. I didn’t intend to knock Russ & Daughters by any means, no one has more respect for a long standing NYC institution than I do. As far as what the owner of Zucker’s intended his statement to mean, I infer he looks at Russ & Daughters as more of an appetizing shop that makes sandwiches while he considers his shop a sandwich shop that also does appetizing. Sorry for the confusion. Keep up the good comments.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:19 am
I will have you know that I got an email about this blog post, read it and had to have a lox bagel for breakfast, the great thing is that I ate half for breakfast and the other half for lunch. Great!:)
June 10th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Thanks for the comments about food close to penn station. I’m living right beside it can vouch for Skylight Diner for certain things, for example, their skin on fries, and burgers are great, however their “buffalo wings” have a disgusting sauce and their lamb Gyros are disgusting reformed meat. I would recommend McGarry’s Irish pub on 9th just around the corner from Penn station, their overall menu is really good, and their crabcakes are really good, but then being Irish I may be biased.
June 16th, 2009 at 12:53 am
14 types of lox? Cot damn. All I need is some belly and I’m good to go. The fishier the better. Might have to check this place out if I ever get down that far.
Speaking of R&D, I had the Super Heebster a couple of weeks ago. Serious business.
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:51 am
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the last time I was near Penn Station I noticed that a Brother Jimmy’s BBQ had opened right there, on the corner across the street. I’ve never eaten at any of their locations. I’m a big fan of R.U.B.
How does Brother Jimmy’s stack up?
June 22nd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Amy,
Personally, I think Brother Jimmy’s is more of a bar with food than a restaurant with a bar. I’d go to RUB over Brother Jimmy’s every time. That being said, I’ve only eaten at Brother Jimmy’s once or twice and nothing impressed. Anytime I hear about someone having a great time there or see some raucous facebook photos, it’s all booze related. You always see people smiling stupidly with a big blue fish bowl never a rack of ribs.
What do you recommend at RUB? I’m a big fan. Have you had the brisket chili cheese fries?
December 16th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
was is zucks today with my boss and we had a plesant service and lunch the one one that took care of us was so respectfull and understanding with our order he mad us feel at home i think his name was mike very nice service a++ all the way ty zuckers for making my day keep up the good work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we will be back soon ty.
December 29th, 2009 at 11:01 am
frances,
Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself. What did you eat?
October 27th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
When I went to this shop Milko Ayllon assisted me. Let me tell you about Milko Ayllon