Culture

are there good knishes left in NYC?

There are the handmade knishes at Liebman’s in the Bronx that are good, though inconsistant. But having stopped into Knish Nosh with TheWanderingJew and being absolutely horrified and disappointed with their product; and having been saddened by the product at Yonah Schimmel’s, I have to ask the Jewschool reading public: are there any good knishes left in NYC? Can you point me their way?

35 thoughts on “are there good knishes left in NYC?

  1. I’m not much of a knishoisseur, but on the Lower East Side you might try Katz’s or Noah’s Ark on Grand St. I prefer both to Yonah Schimmels, although the variety at Schimmels is obviously better. I think Russ & Daughters might have a knish, too, though I haven’t tried it. And like I said, I don’t know much about knishes. Bagels and nova, on the other hand…

  2. Why don’t you people stick with the whole wheat/tofu/wheat grass “knishes” at your local organic health food store? Those are probably more your speed.

  3. Sorry y’all.
    The last couple times I’ve been to Yonah Schimmel’s, I’ve been sorely disappointed. Ever since Mrs. Stahl’s went way of the pizza shop a couple years ago, I’ve been less and less satisfied. Since y’all seem shocked at my reaction to Schimmel’s, I’m happy to give them another shot.
    Does anyone have any other recommendations?
    Just to be clear, I’m looking for potato knishes. Apparently DK’s got some health food store recommendations for you if you’re looking for tofu.

  4. FWIW, Ruby you’re not alone. I know plenty of people who have been disappointed by Schimmels knishes. Me, too.
    Like I said before, I really don’t know that much about knishes, so it’s possible the problem isn’t that Schimmels knishes aren’t outstanding, but that Ruby and I (and the others I know) just don’t like good knishes. But we’re not a small crowd.
    I live pretty close and am totally happy to give it another shot. Maybe we should have a big Jewschool LES knish-off some on a Sunday some time? We’ll go to Schimmels and Katz’s and Noah’s Ark and maybe Russ & Daughters (if they have knishes) and we’ll all be pooping potatoes for a week. DK, when’s the best time to go to maximize our knish experience?

  5. I grew up eating Yonah Schimmels knishes (and Ms. Stahls) and agree with Ruby K that they don’t taste anything like they used to. I was there last year and both the potato and the kasha were dry and verging on tasteless.
    About two years ago I had a random encounter on a city bus with a woman who approached me to ask about what I was reading (Talmud). We started chatting and somehow it came up that her late husband had been the last owner of Yonah Schimmels who was related to the original family. She was upset with how much the quality had gone down since he had sold it maybe a decade before that. I also remember something about a family dispute over the store, but I don’t remember the details. She also told me that Yonah Schimmel had been a rabbinical student and took up selling knishes to support himself. Has anyone else ever heard that?

  6. Mrs. Stahl’s before they left us over YS in a walk, people. Not even close.
    TheMicah, I’m up for any kind of knish-off. I also figure you were jokingly suggesting we don’t know much about knishes. Let me be clear: despite whatever “you people” moments DK may have, I’ve had plenty of knishes all over the NY metro area. Including YS before it went downhill. And yes, I can taste the difference.
    And the only problem with a LES knish-off is imo, having one without liebman’s seems off to me.
    Anyone have any brooklyn ideas? way too many jews out there not to have good knishes, right?

  7. “Maybe we should have a big Jewschool LES knish-off some on a Sunday some time? We’ll go to Schimmels…”
    No, please don’t. Really, it’s not necessary, forget I said anything. Rooftopper Rav and Ruby K are right, all the old places have so lost their quality…might I refer you to Caravan of Dreams on E. 6th Street? Lots of organic dishes, all vegan (how cool is that?), varied types of grain-based dishes, it’s a real Jewschool type of “Lower East Side” place. Oh, sure.

  8. a knish-off.. novel idea. Maybe you can get Makor to sponsor, host and pay for for the knishes. Or maybe you can get them donated and have the event covered in the press. Talk to the dude at savethedeli.com

  9. o.k. i grew up in forest hills and as a little girl my grandmother and i would make the trek to the rego park – fh border every week (after ballet class) and have potato knishes at the knish nosh. upon visiting during college – it was mandatory that this weekly trip was repeated at least once during visits home (and believe me, strolling down QB is not a picturesque way of traveling down memory lane – BUT THE KNISHES WERE AND ARE STILL SO WORTH IT!!!). enjoy their lovely flaky tops and watch the steam emerge from their delicious, peppery and hearty centers, but make sure to ignore the cars whizzing by on the blvd. of death…

  10. “a knish-off.. novel idea. Maybe you can get Makor to sponsor, host and pay for for the knishes. Or maybe you can get them donated and have the event covered in the press.”
    Amazing. Even when it comes to something you don’t want in the first place, that only costs three bucks anyway, and still, still, “Indy” minds are at work at how to not have to shell one’s own cash for the products.
    “You people,” indeed.

  11. I’m happy to support businesses. I’ve got no issue paying for knishes, making the trek, whatever. I like the idea of bringing it a wider audience, but for me, I’m happy to shell out dough supporting. I haven’t been back to Yonah Schimmel’s in several months, so maybe I’m totally missing the boat and am happy for a chance to change my tune.

  12. I feel I need to note how much I miss Mrs. Stahl’s knishes. My father used to buy them in Brooklyn from Mrs. Stahl when she peddled them from a basket on the boardwalk at Coney Island. We often went to the Mrs. Stahl’s store under the elevated train when I was a little girl and my favorites were potato and cheese (separately, not together). I was very sad to find out they had closed. I still buy them elsewhere, and often they taste fine, but (at least in respect to knishes) my heart is broken.

  13. fyi–for your slighting of schimmel’s DK has vacated his jewschool subdomain and moved his site to his own domain.

  14. Really? I thought it was because of the monstrously insensitive circumcision in car commercial with the smiling parents standing by uselessly as their son is MUTILATED. There is nothing funny about child abuse. And since DK has left in a huff, I’m gonna put it out there- I’m not that fond of knishes of any brand. (Though they are pretty cool Yiddish slang. For what I’m not sayin’)

  15. Many years ago the Knish Man,in Wmsburg warmed
    the winter palate w/ Gabilla’s Knishes. His
    little push-wagon like the one you could get
    chestnuts from,featured hot kasha and potato.
    square knishes.If you were short of change he’d
    sell you a half a knish.
    Gabilla’s is still around somewhere on Long Island
    but the Knish Man is long gone.

  16. Well here’s one more example proving Mobius wouldn’t recognize real Jewishness even if it was rolled up into a ball of potato.
    Yonah Schimmel’s has always been lousy.
    Mrs. Stahl’s was the ultimate…
    Zabar’s is one of the few (if not only) decent options left. Try Zabars knishes.

  17. Am I the only one who fears that knishes are really made of dark matter? Damn they’re heavy. I’ve got 99 problems, but a quantum singularity in my tummy shouldn’t be one.

  18. Having been there with Ruby-K, I’ve got to second what he said: Knish Nosh was a sad excuse for a knish. The potato was totally bland, the dough was just… off. Sad as it is to waste food, neither of us could bring ourselves to finish those alleged knishes.

  19. Does any body out there remember Hirsch’s Knishes. They wer on the boardwalk in Brighton Beach (fouth street) Brooklyn. Open mainly during the summer aand fall months. People used to wait for them to come fresh out of the oven The potao, cherry cheese, blueberry cheese were the best. didn’t know then how healthy kasha was or would have had more.
    They are gone too but what a great knish. Better than stahls but harder to get to unless you were already on the boardwalk. Old world recipe.

    1. Hirsch’s was definitely the absolute best! Went to school with Mr. Hirsch’s daughter Fran. People would line the “U” shaped counter especially waiting for the cheese knishes to come out of the oven. Mrs. Stahl’s was owned by the Weigarten Brothers whom I also knew. A different kind from Hirsh’s rectangles. The cabbage round was to die for! And the potato mushroom. They sold buttermilk by the cup and what a nourishing snack! There was also a pizza/falafel place called Sam’s who sold very good knishes. All within a few blocks.

  20. Well Not A jew i had my knishes from Brooklyn Canarsie was ruby the knish man. this guy was the god of all knishes. He had the round homemade ones potatoe and kasha oy vey what a treat. He is long gone to the knishery in the sky

  21. As many of you have noted Mrs. Stahls were the ultimate knishes. Kasha was, and still is, my filling of choice no matter who does the baking. Potato comes second and a cherry cheese was good for dessert. When I found out that Stahl’s was gone I felt like a historical page had been turned, like the end of the Iron Age. I usually prefer homemade food but I never could get a knish right when I attempted it.

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