Russ & Daughters
16 people recommend, 5 warn against itvia r/FoodNYC, r/AskNYC25 comments cited below
What people say, in short
Recommendations span Russ & Daughters' New York shops and cafe, rather than this cafe alone. Diners praise lox and chopped liver, but several dislike the bagels and some find it expensive. A commenter specifically recommends the sit-down cafe for caviar and snacks. Shop-specific dishes and criticisms should not be assumed to describe the cafe's menu or service.
Address
Russ & Daughters Cafe, 127 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
At a glance
- Opinions divided
- Yes
The evidence
Every point below is paraphrased from a real public comment, ordered by how much the community engaged with it. Caveats and negatives are kept in — follow any link to read the original for yourself.
- Recommendsu/Pedestrian2000 in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026taste
Says the shop is worth exploring beyond its fish, and its chopped liver is tasty even for those who usually avoid it.
- Recommendsu/MrMiyagiOBE in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026taste
Strongly recommends the shop's snacks, especially a chocolate treat and a coffee that stood out to them.
- Recommendsu/Quantumercifier in r/FoodNYC · Jun 2026value
At that price, Russ's is the better choice over Kossar's.
- Mixedu/VillageAdditional816 in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026taste
Calls it a quintessential NYC spot and loves its lox sandwich, but finds the bagels underwhelming and the shop crowded.
- Recommendsu/NYEDMD in r/FoodNYC · Mar 2024taste
Suggests bagel and lox there as an obvious NYC pick.
- Mixedu/bustertriscuit in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026taste
Says they love the place but think its bagels are poor quality.
- Caveatu/Desperate_Wallaby966 in r/FoodNYC · Jun 2026taste
Thinks the bagels are dreadful, a serious letdown for anyone who likes bread.
- Mixedu/cheeesygorditacrunch in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026taste
Has been craving their lox and is excited to get it, though agrees the bagels disappoint.
Show all 25 cited comments
- Recommendsu/spk3z in r/FoodNYC · Jun 2026value
Recommends buying smoked salmon by the pound at Russ instead of on a bagel.
- Recommendsu/Malsperanza in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026taste
Calls their caviar cream cheese the best spread around, and says they chose it over the lox.
- Recommendsu/parisidiot in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026
Says the sit-down cafe is great, particularly for caviar and other snacks.
- Caveatu/muffinman744 in r/FoodNYC · Jan 2024taste
Says the Orchard Street branch never produced a good bagel; they found them hard and not fresh.
- Recommendsu/NKB246 in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026
Calls Russ & Daughters a great spot to happen upon.
- Mixedu/kovanroad in r/AskNYC · Apr 2024price
Says the bagel sandwich was decent but priced absurdly high, feeling overcharged for a bagel.
- Recommendsu/Illustrious-Film-592 in r/FoodNYC · Jun 2026
Names Russ & D as a top pick.
- Recommendsu/GimmeBooks in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026taste
Enthusiastically agrees with praise of the liver and says they fondly dream about it.
- Recommendsu/Efficient_Hyena_563 in r/FoodNYC · Jul 2025taste
Calls the toasted egg-salad bagel heavenly.
- Caveatu/DinerEnBlanc in r/FoodNYC · Jan 2024taste
Was similarly unimpressed by a delivery order.
- Recommendsu/Electrical-Sense-156 in r/FoodNYC · Jun 2026taste
Says Russ and Daughters' product and slicing are clearly superior to grocery store lox.
- Recommendsu/NinersInBklyn in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026
Agrees with praise of Russ & Daughters.
- Recommendsu/LeicaM6guy in r/FoodNYC · Dec 2025
Calls Russ and Daughters great and a favorite, though pricey and crowded.
- Caveatu/FancyApricot58 in r/AskNYC · Apr 2024price
Points to a very costly eggs-and-caviar dish as an example of excess.
- Recommendsu/Fast-Benders in r/FoodNYC · Dec 2025
Lists Russ and Daughters as good too.
- Recommendsu/nutslichi in r/FoodNYC · Mar 2025taste
Says Russ and Daughters does lox very well.
- Caveatu/phatbeatz2152 in r/FoodNYC · Feb 2026taste
Ranks the place as mid-low tier smoked fish, saying its salmon comes out dry and its sturgeon lacks flavor.
Also on
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Freshness
Details last checked 4 Nov 2026. Recommendations reflect what people said at the time; confirm current details before you go.