By Gus Saltonstall
Zabar’s — the iconic Upper West Side food emporium — is offering a special deal on coffee this month in honor of its 90th year in business.
For the month of October, the grocery store at 2245 Broadway, on the corner of West 80th Street, will offer 90-cent cups of coffee at its cafe. The grocer will also offer an exclusive Zabar’s Anniversary Coffee Blend at its store for $9.99 through the end of the month.
“For 90 years, Zabar’s has been serving generations of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world, becoming a beloved institution that transcends food,” Saul Zabar, co-owner of Zabar’s and son of the original founders, said in a news release. “We are proud to mark this milestone and deeply grateful to our customers for their loyalty and love for our unique food products.”
The Zabar’s store first opened in a 22-foot-wide shop on Broadway and West 80th Street in 1934. The business was opened by husband and wife Louis and Lillian Zabar, and initially focused on serving the highest quality coffee and smoked fish.
The storefront expanded over the years and the business was passed down through different generations of the Zabar family, many of whom still work in the store. Zabar’s has kept its focus on coffee throughout the decades, and now sells around 400,000 pounds of it a year.
“The principles and practices of our founder and father continue to guide us: Respect the customer. Never, ever stint on quality. Offer fair value. And last but not least, keep searching for the new and wonderful,” reads a description on Zabar’s website. “Back in the 1960’s, we introduced New York to Brie, in the ‘70’s we brought them sun-dried tomatoes and gnocchi, and in the ‘80’s, we got so excited about caviar – and wanted everyone to taste it – that our prices set off a so-called “Caviar War.” (Incidentally, we won.)”
In 2022, Lori Zabar, the granddaughter of Louis and Lillian, posthumously published a memoir of the Zabar family and store. The book includes details about how Louis and Lillian both fled the persecution of the Jews in what is present-day Ukraine in the 1920s.
The Zabar’s Cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here.
Much as I have liked and enjoyed Zabar’s for my 45 years two blocks away–and greatly admire the Zabar family’s devotion to the neighborhood–the coffee at Zabar’s is not good. Actually, it is sub-par; unusual for Zabar’s overall quality..
That said, theirs is a generous gesture in gratitude to its customers.
To be more specific, the brewed coffee in the cafe; not the beans they grind in the store.
I have been living on the UWS since 2004 and only recently discovered how wonderful Zabar’s coffee is. I had a cup at a friend’s brunch last year and asked him where he got the beans. And it took me a year to switch from another brand but better late than never.
How about they sell at the price they sold it for 90 years ago?
$2.98 per lb. Later, they put up a big banner explaining and apologizing for having to raise the cost by a dollar.
A very nice gesture by Saul Zabar.
As a Neighbor, both here in the city and East Hampton, it has been a wonderful relationship the past 56+ years patronizing Zabar’s as my number one deliciousness eatery.
I was first turned on to the store in the late 1950s when I was 11years old by my parents who would make it one their main stops before heading back to Westchester after a full day in Manhattan, what a thrill it was walking into that store back then! It still is today.
Try this combo where Zabar’s sells loose beans: 1/2 lb Columbian; 1/4 lb French Roast; 1/4 lb Viennese Roast.
Who can ever forget the Sat night ritual of packed lines of people, checking out at 11:30 PM with Sunday morning breakfast…mmm what a good time ! Ahhh those were the days !
I wish Zabar’s would start phasing put all the plastic packaging- what did they use in the past?
Stanley Zabar is our next door neighbor. He is an absolute delight (as are the rest of the family). Zabar’s is such a NYC staple, I love that they did this!