Barney Greengrass

03/01/09

Worth the $$$$

by brunchfanatic at Citysearch

Brunch means a relaxed meal with good people. The food should be exactly as you imaged in your mind and the service should be friendly and attentive.

That is exactly what you get at this place. After trying to go the trendy route, I have confirmed for myself that nothing beats a classic.

• Pros: Delightfully old-time NY service
• Cons: A little chilly if you sit right near the door

11/23/08

surprisingly tasty

by amiam at Citysearch

it doesn't look like much, and boy is it cramped and uncomfortable but for smoked fishes... wow!

i didn't like the onions in the omelet, but that's clearly a preference thing.

05/21/08

Jam Packed but Good food

by uwsemily at Citysearch

Barney's gets incredibly crowded and they stuff people into little corners next to families with babies (ugh) but the servers are attentive, quick, and get your order exactly how you want it. I think the portion are just right for a normal person - if you are looking for a big satisfying brunch, go to Sarabeth's - but if you are looking for some solid eggs or some smoked fish and bagel, Barney's takes the cake. My only real issue with Barney's is that it gets soooo hot in there - wear layers if you are going to eat there.

11/07/07

Lox, Eggs, and Bagels in a Real Deal Atmosphere

by atlantajan at Citysearch

On my visits to NYC I always have to work in a meal at Barney Greengrass. The best seller in the restaurant is Nova Scotia Salmon Scrambled with Eggs and Onions ($13.00) served with your choice of a bagel or bialy and and generous portions of butter and cream cheese. Equally tasty is the Nova Scotia Salmon sandwich ($11.00) served on rye, pumpernickel, bagel or bialy, with butter or cream cheese. The entrance leads to counter service and a few dining tables with an adjacent dining room filled with folks who know good food. Some reviews note small portions but I found the Nova with eggs and onions to be plenty to eat along with the bagel and cream cheese. The quality of the salmon is excellent and the bagels are very good (although I think Murray's has the best bagels in NYC). The restaurant is closed on Mondays and it's better to go after 2:00 or 3:00 if you want to avoid a wait..

12/11/06

The "Sturgeon King" is no slouch when it comes to lox or sable, either.

by Karen Hudes at Citysearch

The Scene
The front room, which holds deli cases of smoked salmon, caviar and whitefish salad, is packed on Sunday afternoons with Upper West Siders and their wee tykes waiting for a table. Past the entrance area, the narrow 73-year-old dining room--humbly furnished with tightly packed Formica wood-grain tables and matching wainscoting--eases the commotion a notch.

The Food
You can bury your lox in an omelette, or savor it with one of the restaurant's fabulous smoked fish platters--served with two bagels or bialys, slabs of cream cheese, slices of tomato and sweet onion, and potato salad or coleslaw. Silken Nova Scotia salmon makes your bagel a beautiful thing; the drier, saltier pastrami lox, fringed in black, offers an equally pleasing variation. The kitchen's superb matzo ball soup pairs a flavorful broth with a perfectly fluffy matzo ball.

02/08/04

Food OK, Stingy Portions

by jcbweinberg at Citysearch

While there were real "chunks" of lox in the lox, onion and egg scramble, the portion was tiny for the price. Have had much better similar breakfasts for much less. Won't go again.

• Pros: old-time feel
• Cons: , high prices

06/06/03

Great Smoked Fish Is Right

by huskyduck at Citysearch

But the portions will leave you a bit hungry when you leave. But the quality of the smoked fish still justifies it's cost. You get what you pay for. Great place for breakfast or brunch.

• Pros: smoked fish
• Cons: a bit pricey

03/17/03

ugh

by murphjam at Citysearch

poor food, poor surroundings, expensive prices. go to e-s-sa bagel for better food and cheaper prices

02/10/03

Pass on Greengrass!

by ejmarin at Citysearch

Unfortunately fushape1 is right.

This place has plenty of old world deli ambience, but the prices do not backup the Depression-era serving sizes or the indifferent service. The portion size for the nova and whitefish salad platter (which barely served two) was insulting for the $23 pricetag. The bagels were completely average, as was the nova. Latke's were three for $6!!! (Appetizers cost as much as a good entree would in a decent deli or diner.) Service left a lot to be desired, and I almost had to get out of my seat to grab my waiter's attention when we needed some extras. I left feeling ripped off and would never go back.

• Pros: Old world ambience
• Cons: Way overpriced, Inattentive staff, Cash only

01/11/03

classic

by shelleyre at Citysearch

Just like the old appetizing stores with the wonderful smoked fish & cheeses. Delightful!

• Pros: tasty, aroma, old days
• Cons: wait, noisy, unatractive