The 100+ year old bagel icon is getting ready to debut an ambitious new expansion.
You’d be hard pressed to meet a New Yorker who doesn’t rave about Russ & Daughters on a regular basis. One of New York’s oldest culinary institutions, the concept began all the way back in 1904, when Joel Russ, a jewish immigrant from Strzyzow, Poland began peddling herring out of a pushcart he operated in the Lower East Side. In 1914, Joel finally saved enough money to open his very first store on Orchard street, and then six years later in 1920 he moved his store to the location we all now recognize at 179 East Houston Street.
Today, the company is now operated by fourth generation owners Josh Russ Tupper and Niki Russ Federman, who began the company’s first-ever expansion in 2016, when they returned to the store’s original Orchard Street location to launch the Russ & Daughters Cafe. They continued their expansion once again in 2019, when opened up a brand new retail counter and Jewish bakery in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Celebrating New York’s long and storied tradition of Jewish appetizing shops, Russ & Daughters is recognized by all as New York’s finest purveyor of the highest quality smoked fish, caviar, baked goods, and specialty foods.
Now, the team is once again gearing up for a brand new expansion that will take their signature smoked fish to Hudson Yards, one of Manhattan’s fastest growing commercial districts. Owners Josh and Niki have just inked a deal for a 4,500 square foot space at 502 West 34th Street, on the corner of 10th Avenue and West 34th. Opening up in the newly developed 50 Hudson Yards building, the new space will feature an appetizer counter with fish sliced by hand, a glass-encased bagel bakery on view, a self-seating dining area, a private event space, and even its own caviar and champagne bar.
Owner Niki Russ Federman said of the deal that “This newest Russ & Daughters will provide an immersive appetizing experience that celebrates our roots in the Lower East Side and the innovative spirit of New York,” adding that the company is “still a family business that continues to serve four generations of New Yorkers and visitors.” The team is expecting to have the new location operational by this Spring, and for more information you can follow Russ & Daughters on Instagram for updates on all of their latest endeavors.
