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

Had a great time! Loved the food and vibe. Bar service / tender was very attentative. Visiting from UK. I could not find any faults. Tge Kippered Salmon was different/ interesting. Bought some merchandise (a mug). Sorry as ate a bit before taking the pics 😞

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 wa

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.

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