Russ & Daughters Cafe | Lower East Side, NYC

From the legendary, century-old Lower East Side Jewish food shop on East Houston Street comes a shiny, fresh faced with retro vibes café serving Jewish comfort food. The bathed in white space gets pops of color from the food products in the light box wall shelving. Carrara marble table tops, comfy vinyl booths, a baked-enamel counter, herringbone floors, and vintage photographs set the scene with which I was completely enamored. 

This weekend in its entirety I was in a constant state of: New York City's Lower East Side - where have you been all my life?

Bob, Leah, Alex and I stayed in the neighborhood at my friends one bedroom + lofted office + roof accessible 6th floor walk up. We scored a free parking spot (thank you Passover), had a beer on the roof deck with sweeping city views, spent the night with friends at various speakeasys and hidden-past-the-kitchen back bars, all while ensuring the night didn't get the best of us (in bed before 2 am). The next morning we were hangover free. Strolling around in the sun soaked streets as the neighborhood awoke, (with a Jewish Deli in mind) we wandered upon Russ & Daughters Café. After a 45 minute wait, we thoroughly enjoyed a feast of everything quintessentially Jewish. Fluffy potato and caramelized onion with pungent mustard Knishes ($8). Blintzes ($8) with sweet fruit compote and tangy sour cream. Perfectly sliced, luxuriously oily Gaspe Nova smoked salmon on The Classic Board ($16) (bagel, cream cheese, tomato, red onion, capers) and the Scottish smoked version among poached eggs, hollandaise and spinach over Challah on the Eggs Benny ($18).

Russ & Daughters Café
127 Orchard Street (nr Delancey)
 New York, NY 10002