Bagels, Brisket, and Brined Cucumbers: The Jewish American Culinary Experience of the Lower East Side

This blog post was written by Museum intern Lauren Peterson.

Jewish food and drink shops around the Lower East Side [Schapiro’s © Ted Barron; Other images via Wiki Commons. Via 6sqft.]

This culinary history has roots in Eldridge Street: as readers may be familiar, Isaac Gellis was one of the original founders responsible for the creation of the Eldridge Street Synagogue  in 1887. As a part of their grasp for the American Dream, Gellis founded one of the first kosher meat-packing industries in America. Starting in 1872, the Isaac Gellis Company produced the “fabled table treat[s]” of kosher sausages, as well as smoked and cured meats. The company was run by the power couple of Isaac and his wife Sarah Gellis. They operated out of 37 Essex Street on the Lower East Side, and operated on the belief of keeping kosher meat affordable and accessible to immigrants like those who would’ve frequented Eldridge Street. 

Isaac Gellis’ deli at 37 Essex Street.

Delis around the city would have used Gellis products, and nearly all such restaurants were owned by immigrants with a familiar background. One such deli was started by Jewish immigrant Willy Katz in 1888. “Katz’s Delicatessen” is now perhaps the most famous Jewish Deli in the entirety of New York, if not the entire country; and it is no coincidence that it exists on the Lower East Side. For over a century, Katz’s has been a fundamental gathering place for the celebration of Jewish cuisine; their famous menu features huge portions of pastrami on rye, and corned beef and briskets, to name a few. These large portions of meat stuffed in their sandwiches have more meaning than might think; the mountain of kosher meat popularized in the 1950s was meant to proclaim that “Jews have made it in America”. Today, it is rated the top deli in New York by zagat.com. 

Just down the street from Katz’s, there is another Jewish deli that is known not for its overstuffed sandwiches, but another primary part of Jewish cuisine: bagels and lox. Although bagels may be understood as simply a New York tradition today, the word for bagel comes from the Yiddish word “beigel”, and has been a staple of Jewish cuisine in the Lower East Side virtually since immigration to the neighborhood began. “Russ & Daughters” was started by Polish-Jewish immigrant Joel Russ and his daughters in 1914, and the shop has been a longstanding family tradition ever since. Bucking the trend of Jewish sites disappearing in the neighborhood, this restaurant has recently expanded to multiple locations, including a cafe on Allen Street and an outpost in the Jewish Museum on 5th Avenue. Although Russ & Daughters are known for their bagels and lox, they also offer a wide variety of Jewish foods: like knishes, latkes, pastrami, and matzo ball soup. If you want to learn more about “Russ and Daughters”, and read recipes from their restaurant, there are copies of Russ & Daughters: Reflections and Recipes from the House That Herring Built for sale at the Museum’s gift shop. 

These restaurants are such an enduring part of the neighborhood that even new ones are opening! The Pickle Guys, a beloved

Menu items at the newly opened Diller. [Photo by Christina Branco]

If you are interested in learning and experiencing more Jewish foods, I would also recommend reading: 100 Most Jewish Foods by Alana Newhouse.

All of these restaurants are a must-visit for those who are interested in having the full Lower East Side experience, and enjoy a taste of American-Jewish cuisine, which has always been a staple of the Lower East side experience.

Lauren Peterson is a Museum at Eldridge Street summer intern. She is currently studying History and Diplomacy at Princeton University.