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10 places to get latkes in New York City this Hanukkah
By
Samantha Max
Published Dec 25, 2024
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By
Samantha Max
Published Dec 25, 2024
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‘Tis the season for potato pancakes.
Wednesday marks the first night of Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish holiday also known as the festival of lights. Rabbis and scholars have a few competing ideas about the holiday’s true meaning, but many American Jews would tell you Hanukkah is about one small jar of oil that miraculously kept a light aflame for eight days. That storied oil jar has inspired generations of Jews to celebrate the holiday by eating foods fried in oil.
Enter the latke, a pancake made of shredded potatoes, often accompanied by applesauce and sour cream.
Whether or not you’re a member of the tribe, if you’re hoping to observe this oil enthusiasts’ holiday with some greasy potato pancakes, Gothamist has you covered. We've compiled a list of delis, restaurants and stores in all five boroughs that feature latkes on their menus.
This list is unscientific and by no means exhaustive — so your favorite might be your secret to keep. Let’s just say there are a latke of options for potato pancakes in this city.
B&H Dairy
127 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
B&H Dairy is self-proclaimed to be one of the oldest surviving kosher dairy lunch spots in New York City. Throughout the year, you can find classics like blintzes, knishes and kasha varnishkes. Potato pancakes are also available on the menu year-round and come with your choice of sour cream, applesauce or — in an uncommonly sweet twist — maple syrup.
Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen
211-37 26th Avenue, Bayside, NY 11360 (and other locations on Long Island and in Boca Raton, FL)
This deli in eastern Queens and on Long Island boasts on its menu that its latkes are “Great, because we grate our own” potatoes. Potato pancakes are part of the menu even when it’s not Hanukkah and can be ordered a la carte or to accompany an omelet or hot sandwich.
Katz’s Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002
Established in 1888, Katz’s bills itself as New York City’s oldest deli. You might know Katz’s from its cameo in “When Harry Met Sally,” or from the line that often snakes along the sidewalk outside its Lower East Side storefront. If you’re willing to brave the crowd, you can get potato latkes with applesauce and sour cream, or you can treat yourself to “Katz’s Hanukkah Dinner,” which includes matzoh ball soup, brisket, a latke, pickles and a dessert of your choice.
Kubeh
464 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10011
This Middle Eastern Restaurant in Greenwich Village is serving gourmet latkes on a special holiday prix fixe menu, available through January 1. Kubeh’s “classic” latke comes with spiced applesauce, labneh and za'atar. The menu also features “crudo” latkes with sea bass, harissa yogurt and castelvetrano olive and “kashk bademjan” latkes with eggplant, walnut, mint and yogurt. If you come during brunch or lunch during the holidays, you can order a large spinach latke with an herb salad or various egg dishes featuring latkes, including a twist on an eggs benedict.
Liebman’s Deli
552 West 235th Street, Bronx, NY 10463 and 472 Ashford Avenue Ardsley, NY, 10502
Liebman’s has been dishing out deli fare in Riverdale since 1953, according to its website. You can order latkes with spiced applesauce to eat there, to go or catered for a crowd if you’re having over the whole mishpachah. Liebman’s also now offers nationwide shipping, and you can order a set of 16 or 32 latkes to locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Miriam
Various locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan
The menu at this Israeli restaurant features latkes in a couple of its year-round brunch dishes. But during the holidays, Miriam is also offering a Hanukkah menu with a choice of root vegetable or potato latkes, served with labneh and quince marmalade. You can add salmon roe if you’re feeling fancy.
Russ & Daughters
179 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002 (and other locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan)
This “appetizing shop” on the Lower East Side is more than 100 years old and now offers Jewish delicacies at various locations in the city. At the original shop, you can order latkes for $3.75 apiece or in packs of five or 12. They’re also available for shipping outside New York.
Sandwich and Pickle Modern Delicatessen
1949 Richmond Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10314
At Sandwich and Pickle, you can get deli classics like turkey sandwiches and matzoh ball soup — or more inventive deli fare, like a banh mi brisket sandwich or a pastrami omelet. In terms of potato pancakes, you can get a “latka, egg and cheese” sandwich, a “latkes benedict” or an order of latkes with applesauce and sour cream. For extra, you can add smoked salmon or caviar.
Veselka
144 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003 (and other locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan)
It’s a rare treat when brunching in New York City to order eggs and find out that instead of the standard hashbrowns and toast you can get your omelet with a side of latkes and a slice of challah. But that’s how it works at Veselka, whether or not it’s Hanukkah. You can also get an eggs benedict on potato pancakes with smoked salmon, capers and scallions.
Zabar’s
2245 Broadway, New York, NY 10024
If you’re looking for latkes to go — or to ship to a loved one outside New York City — Zabar’s will send you a set “made by hand from our Bubbe’s recipe,” according to its website. And if you’re looking to splurge, you can get Zabar’s latke and blintz bundle, which includes latkes, blintzes, applesauce, sour cream and babka.
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Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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