By Eileen Katz

In 2024, The New York Times once again included Barney Greengrass among its 100 Best Restaurants in New York City, elevating it, paradoxically, from the 91st position up to the 66th. No introduction could top that of Pete Wells, the Times’ food critic who compiled the list, which follows in its entirety here.

The place is a cyclone of smoked-fish commerce on weekends and before any major Jewish holiday. On certain other days, a diner at Barney Greengrass can achieve a state close to serenity. There are eternal questions to contemplate: Sour cream or apple sauce? Nova or sturgeon? Toasted or untoasted? There are minor rituals to be observed — the most sacred of all is laughing at the servers’ jokes. Staring at the faded antebellum scenes of the French Quarter on the wallpaper can lead to the sensation that time has stopped moving forward. By your third cup of coffee and second order of latkes, it should be clear that you are sitting at the spiritual center of the Upper West Side.

This iconic Upper West Side restaurant is a third-generation institution. Barney Greengrass himself started the business in Harlem in 1908, moving to 86th and Amsterdam in 1929. By 1938, New York Senator James Frawley had crowned him, “The Sturgeon King.” When he died in 1955, Barney’s son Moe took the reins of this shrine to smoked fish. After his death in 2002, the reins were passed and have been securely held ever since by Moe’s son Gary. In his early 60s, Gary describes this neighborhood, where he lives with his wife and son, as the only place he has ever called home. With charm, wit, and endless hours spent perfecting the “schmear” (the secret, he says, is “not too much or too little cream cheese, finding the perfect balance”), Gary continues to keep this cherished neighborhood spot “destination dining.” He took the time to share with West Side Rag why this could only happen on the Upper West Side.

WSR: Why the West Side Gary?

GG: Why not? It’s the hand I was dealt. I grew up on the West Side, I’ve only lived on the West Side. I’ve lived in this neighborhood my whole life. I have moved, but only in this neighborhood. Even in college, I went to NYU but couldn’t afford to live in the dorms.

Have you ever thought of living anyway else?

GG: I’m too busy to think. I worry about my day-to-day. My life revolves around the business. It’s been in this spot for almost 100 years. We started up in Harlem in 1908, moved to this spot in 1929, or as I like to call it, “the new location.” It’s easy to walk to work! And like a fireman, you get a call to put out a fire, you don’t like to be too far away. I spend so much time here that when my son will call me and say: “Dad when are you coming home?” I say: “I am home.” This is a legacy business. I was born into this and went to college thinking I would do this. I see what’s special about it and I try to keep it going with my ideas and if my son decides he wants to come in, he’ll bring his own ideas.

Do you think he will come in?

He’s still in high school, so we’ll find out. If he decided not to, I’ll send it to Sotheby’s and let them auction it off. It’s a hard business and consumes my life no matter where I am or what else I might be doing.

Obviously, BG is your favorite restaurant in the neighborhood, but when you’re able to get out are there other places you enjoy?

I always try and support other places here! We like Celeste, Elea, Noi Due and Dagon. We try to keep it simple.

Can you describe your typical Upper West Side customer?

There’s really no typical customer! What’s great about this business and this store is we get people from all over and all ages. They’re all happy under one roof. And that’s what makes it unique. It sort of binds the generations together. We have all types – our Upper West side regulars, our out-of-towners, our European customers. Jewish, non Jewish, alike. We don’t advertise. It’s all word of mouth and somehow the word has gotten out about the quality of the product and it brings people in. We don’t try to be everything to everybody and we stick to what we do best. And I guess there’s some success in that as we’re still standing. It’s just really nice that people feel this way about us. Maybe it’s the connection to comfort food and we’re a part of so many families’ holiday traditions. There’s just something special here. I remember Anthony Bourdain was recording his show and he’s on a Safari in Africa, with a highly skilled guide who is fifth generation Tanzanian, and Anthony says, “This guy knows this region like I know the deli counter at Barney Greengrass.” He’s so far away from the Upper West Side, but he’s thinking about Barney Greengrass!

Not just standing, but getting continued recognition! Last week you were on The New York Times list again.

It’s a big honor for us. And it’s a big honor for the other restaurants to be in my company. I’m sure the guy from Le Bernadin’s going “Ah! We’re on the same list as Barney Greengrass. Now we’ve really arrived”

Can we talk about your iconic décor?

It’s like a comfortable shoe. The wallpaper [which depicts street scenes of New Orleans] has been there since I was a kid…at least 60 years. The craziest thing is I happened to be watching something on TV about (chef) Bobby Flay and they showed a picture of him and his mother in the kitchen he grew up in and can you guess what the wallpaper was? I’ve never seen it anywhere else before that. I need to ask him about it next time he comes in.

Most customers probably don’t realize the behind-the-scenes work that goes into keeping it looking this way.

During Covid I had three decorative painters come in here and it took them five days to restore it. Any restaurant goes through a lot of wear and tear, and no one would believe what it costs to maintain this comfortable shoe. I want it to look like it always has. Some people will look around and say what a dump and others see it as a gem. It’s this look that has ended up making it an attractive location for TV and film shoots. “Seinfeld” has shot here, “Billions,” Jonah Hill directed a video for “Vampire Weekend,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “Law & Order!” It was New York State Senator James Frawley who dubbed us “The Sturgeon King.” His grandson turns out to be a director on [Law & Order], which as anyone who lives up here knows, is always shooting something, but it’s always a fictitious address. So, he makes the connection that it was his grandfather who coined it and he took a bit of a liking to us. He shoots an episode in here using the actual name of the store. It’s about a woman’s murder, which is initially blamed on our delivery guy, who didn’t like his tip, but nothing’s ever that easy and the episode goes on from there.

Now for more behind the scenes fun facts, is it true your Dad, Moe, was a magician?

It started as a hobby. On Mondays, when the store was closed, he would go down to a club in Midtown — I think it was called The Gaiety — this is like in the 40’s, and he got certified as a magician from the American Society of Magicians. He loved to entertain customers with it. He used real cards, real sleight of hand. David Blaine would come in and they would show each other tricks. There are so many great stories about my dad. In his day, George Burns used to tell the story how Al Jolson used to fly sturgeon [from us] into the Hillcrest Country Club in Beverly Hills and share it with him. George Burns then goes on Larry King’s show, all the morning shows, and starts telling everyone, “after a while, I started to like the sturgeon more than I did Jolson!”

What’s your favorite thing to eat here?

Whitefish (piece, not salad), nova, vegetable cream cheese, tomato and onion on a toasted bialy.

How can you tell when a customer is ordering like a pro?

They order nova, eggs and onions, the latkes, some orange juice. A bagel or bialy.

The wait staff is definitely part of the experience when you come here: big personalities and they’re always tempting you with the latkes when you order. The truth now, do they get a bonus if they sell the most orders?

I swear to you, they don’t. There’s no team meeting about it, no incentive, but they’re here to sell, to do a job; most of them have been here a long time, and it’s just a quality product! They’re delicious.

What are the biggest changes you’ve seen up here over time?

You can walk on Amsterdam Avenue here at night now! The gentrification that began in the 80s has re-set the place. I miss some of the small businesses that made it special. I remember when I was a kid, the Lowes theater used to be one big theater and after the movies, you could go next door to this toy store, Cheap Charlie’s, that was packed with every toy. You literally couldn’t turn around in there.

If they were going to name a street after you which would it be?

You have to ask? 86th and Amsterdam. They’d have to move Issac Bashevis Singer off — I think he’s had a good turn — and move me in. He was a great customer here for many years when I was a kid.

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