Russ & Daughters Cafe

Russ and Daughters has been feeding the Lower East Side since 1914 and the cafe on Orchard Street is the sit-down extension of everything that made the original appetizing shop legendary. The smoked salmon and cream cheese on a fresh bagel is perfection in its simplest form. The fish is silky the cream cheese is hand-whipped and the bagel has that perfect New York density that you cannot find anywhere else on earth. I have eaten bagels in a hundred cities and nothing comes close to what Russ and Daughters puts on the plate. The matzo ball soup is the benchmark warming golden with a matzo ball that is fluffy and dense at the same time which should be impossible but here we are. The egg cream is a New York institution and they make it the old-fashioned way. The room is simple and bright with tiles and a counter that pays respect to the original shop without trying to be a museum. This is living history. Four generations of the Russ family have kept this standard and the fact that the line is still out the door more than a century later tells you everything about quality and commitment. New York food culture starts here. Not at the trendy spots that open and close every year. Here at the place that has been doing one thing better than anyone else for over a hundred years. That is the standard. That is Russ and Daughters.

Save your time and money and don’t eat here. The wait wasn’t bad on New Year’s Day, they said a half hour and it was about 20 minutes total. We were excited for the food given the Anthony Bourdain endorsement, but it was incredibly disappointing. The kreplach was the only saving factor, it was delicious but the bagels and the Pastrami Russ were under mediocre. The gluten free bagel should not be called a bagel. I’m an advocate for if you can’t do it well, don’t do it at all. The gluten free bagel was crumbly, dense, dry, and flavorless. From the first bite I was disappointed. (On the left in the overhead photo, in the front in the other photo) The pastrami salmon was not particularly interesting in flavor and there was hardly any of it. The bites largely tasted of sauerkraut. The pickle was actually bad, I couldn’t eat it. My partner said the pretzel bagel was just fine, absolutely nothing special. Neither of us finished our food. For $25 a bagel, it was incredibly disappointing. Overpriced and overhyped, I wouldn’t send anyone here.

Had a fantastic time here. Showed up with no reservation, but another party hadn't shown up so we were able to take their table. Can't remember the name of our waiter, but he was fantastic. He recommended us the Daughters Platter, the Potato Latkes, the Kreplach, and his favourite - the Eggs Benny. We hadn't been to Russ & Daughters before so we decided to order everything he recommended. Everything was incredible! The smoked salmons, the Latkes (like a hashbrown), the Kreplach had fantastic brisket flavour, and the brioche bread really sold the Eggs Benny. The bread basket was lovely too. We finished all the dishes, which seemed perfect for a party of 5, and were too full for dessert!! Would highly recommend and will be returning next time we're in the city.

Literally the most top tier brunch in the Milky Way galaxy!!!! Kreplach was life changing. That is the MUST order!!! It was the perfect texture. Delish brisket. Caramelized to perfection. WOW!!!! The latkes were amazing, salmon roe went well with them (although I’d probs get the apple sauce and sour cream version next time). The bagel & pastrami cured fish is always a hit. R&D is just the finest institution and I will sing its praises till the end of time!!!!! The vibes inside are perfectly executed. The waiters are SO nice. We got so many fantastic recommendations. The atmosphere is immaculate. Feels like you’re transported in time. Walk ins only. I really respect that. For a group of 3, we waited 30 mins at 9:30am on a Sunday. No wonder this is NYT top 100 restaurants

Ok COOK Rus & his highly highly skilled daughters. Wow. 10 stars. Don’t leave the continent of North America without trying the Kreplach. I’d sacrifice running water for a week to eat that again. The latkes are very good. The bagel & pastrami cured smoked salmon slapped. The coffee is really good coffee. But I repeat. The Kreplach. Get your hands on that asap pls. It has no business being that good. Their gluten free bagel is the best I’ve ever had. We got there 9:40am on a Saturday and waited around 35 minutes for a table (waitlist via text). Very reasonable. The service was top tier. Sorry to our server for my friend accidentally flexing her income. She didn’t understand your comment about the floor lol.