Classic Jewish Food Walk: 130+ Years of Eating Your Way Through the Lower East Side

There are plenty of neighborhoods with “good food.”

The Lower East Side is one of the few where you can trace more than a century of Jewish New York history in an afternoon — through knishes, bialys, pickles, pastrami, and candy.

This Classic Jewish Food Walk is for visitors and locals who want that “Jewish Lower East Side” experience: old-school institutions, neon signs, faded tiles, and recipes that survived the move from pushcarts to storefronts. Important note:

This is a Jewish-style food walk focused on historically Jewish places and flavors. It is not a fully kosher-certified route. Katz’s Delicatessen, Russ & Daughters’ LES shop and Kossar's not kosher and / or are not under kosher supervision.

The Route at a Glance

• Katz’s Delicatessen (1888) – Pastrami and movie history

• Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery (since 1910) – Classic baked knishes

• Russ & Daughters – Shop & Café (1914) – Smoked fish and appetizing

• Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys (1936) – The bialy institution

• The Pickle Guys (2001) – Old-school pickle barrels, modern shop

• Economy Candy (1937) – The LES sugar vault

Total time: 2–4 hours

Best for: Visitors, new LES residents, and locals who’ve somehow never done the full circuit

Pro tip: Share at each stop. This is not a one-person challenge.

1. Katz’s Delicatessen (1888)

Address: 205 E Houston St (corner of Ludlow), New York, NY 10002

Katz’s has been serving the Lower East Side since 1888. The walls are covered in photos, the ticket system is old-school, and the pastrami sandwiches are bigger than most people’s appetites. It’s noisy, crowded, and completely authentic LES energy.

Movie fans will recognize it from the famous scene in When Harry Met Sally — the one with “I’ll have what she’s having.” There’s even a sign hanging over the table where it was filmed.

What to try:

A classic pastrami on rye with a side of pickles, shared. (You’ll want room for the rest of the walk.)

2. Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery (Since 1910)

Address: 137 E Houston St (between 1st & 2nd Ave), New York, NY 10002

A short walk along Houston Street leads to Yonah Schimmel’s, a narrow knish bakery that feels like stepping into another era.

Yonah Schimmel started selling knishes from a pushcart in 1890; the current Houston Street shop dates back to 1910 and is one of the last surviving links to that pushcart world. The menu board, tiled floor, and framed clippings on the wall all tell the story of immigrant LES life.

What to try:

Start classic with a potato or kasha knish, then branch out to something like mushroom, spinach, or a seasonal flavor.

3. Russ & Daughters – Shop & Café (1914)

The Shop: 179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Russ & Daughters Café: 127 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

Founded in 1914 and still family-run, Russ & Daughters is the quintessential appetizing institution — smoked fish, caviar, bagels, bialys, and herring, all handled with a mix of precision and old-world charm.

There are two main LES ways to experience it:

The original shop (Houston St.) – order at the counter, watch the slicing, and take your food to go.

Russ & Daughters Café (Orchard St.) – a sit-down spot a short walk away, where you can enjoy the same smoked fish and traditional dishes with table service.

What to try:

A bagel or bialy with lox and cream cheese, whitefish salad on a bialy, or one of the classic boards loaded with smoked fish and fixings.

4. Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys (1936)

Address: 367 Grand St, New York, NY 10002

Kossar’s, open since 1936 and in its Grand Street location since 1960, is the oldest bialy bakery in the United States and a cornerstone of the LES carb story.

If you’ve never had a proper bialy, this is where you fix that. Unlike bagels, bialys are baked (not boiled), have no hole, and feature a shallow depression filled with onions or seeds.

What to try:

A warm onion bialy, ideally straight from the oven — and a few extras to take home.

Kashrut:

Status has varied over the years; check current supervision and product labels if that’s important to you.

5. The Pickle Guys (2001)

Address: 357 Grand St (near Essex), New York, NY 10002

A century ago, barrels of pickles were a common sight around here. The Pickle Guys, opened in 2001, keep that tradition alive with rows of big barrels and an almost absurd variety of pickled vegetables.

Cucumbers, green tomatoes, peppers, garlic, okra — if it can be brined, it probably has a place in one of those barrels.

What to try:

A mix of half-sour and full-sour pickles, pickled green tomatoes, and at least one “wild card” vegetable you’ve never tried pickled before.

6. Economy Candy (1937)

Address: 108 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002

Finish on a sweet, slightly chaotic note.

Since 1937, Economy Candy has been the neighborhood’s sugar vault — floor-to-ceiling candy, nuts, and dried fruit. It’s part old-fashioned candy store, part warehouse, and 100% sensory overload. Kids go wide-eyed here. Adults do too.

What to try:

Something nostalgic from your childhood plus a small bag “for later.” (Future-you on the subway will be grateful.)

Kashrut:

Carries both kosher and non-kosher products. Look for a hechsher on the package if you need certified kosher items.

Classic Jewish Food Walk – Timeline

If you like your history in order, here’s how the stops line up on a timeline:

1888 – Katz’s Delicatessen

Overstuffed pastrami, neon lights, and a dining room full of New York history.

1910 – Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery

The Houston Street knish shop that grew out of an 1890 pushcart business.

1914 – Russ & Daughters

Family-run appetizing shop for smoked fish, caviar, bagels, and bialys.

1936 – Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys

The oldest bialy bakery in the United States.

1937 – Economy Candy

The LES candy and nut emporium since the 1930s.

2001 – The Pickle Guys

Modern shop keeping the pickle-barrel tradition alive on Grand Street.