Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery

Came here as part of a Nosh tour. Had a Knish which tastes like a thick mashed buttery potato and a flaky crust. Also had an egg cream which is a drink with milk, seltzer and chocolate and tastes similar to a yoohoo. It was good, but not something I would crave. Definetly something to try if you haven’t before.

Location: You can easily pass this place without noticing that you just passed a landmark. This place is shaggy, dark and bit creepy. Inside, everything is old –styled. Walls are full of newspaper news and famous people pictures and so on.
Owners are Jewish couples. From the pictures on the wall, I can see how time has changed this place, and those two people. They are tired while I was there by sitting at the empty place even though it was a Saturday afternoon.
I felt a little bit sad for them, is it how I gonna to be when I am old?
So I orded spinach knish.
They heated up — unevenly but still some are over heated others are at least warm.
I first thought this must serve the wrong one because I tasted mouth of potato… Later I realized, that this was spinach one.
I guess.
Even though it was not what I expected, the quality is still good. The smoothy but creamy inside the knish where the crush immersed with the potato so well that you may have a hard time to know which one is which.
And the portion is huge.
And it’s cheap.
4 star
I would recommend to get their fresh hot one in the morning. It’s gonna be better compared to come here in the afternoon.

This is almost like a mom and pop’s shop. There’s tables for sit in but you can also get to go. This was our first time trying a knish-​so we ordered two kinds. The potato and the spinach. They come with mustard. These were huge – bigger than my fist. The potato was very bland and it is almost like eating a plan baked potato but as a bun. While the spinach was more flavorful. We liked this more! It was a good experience but I can’t say this place leaves me craving for knishes.

I don’t get the draw of this place. Yes it’s old and historic and if you love a good knish maybe this is the place for you but for me it was tired and cramped. I ordered the mushroom knish and shared it with three other people. It was lukewarm on the outside and almost frozen on the inside. I guess it wasn’t microwaved long enough :/
Maybe it was just a bad day or because we came with a food tour but a number of «hot pocket» jokes ensued. Boiling lava hot on the outside, frozen on the inside.

The potato one was really great. And the kasha was mixed with potato for a perfect blend of rustic hearty kasha without being a doorstop. The mushroom one was very light on mushrooms but still tasty. The apple one had bits of apple mixed into what seemed like almost a full block of Philadelphia cream cheese. This one could have easily been ½ or ¹⁄₃ the size or had more fruit in it. As it was it was way too rich. Brought the vegetable one back to Calif. Looks potato heavy with bits of what look like frozen mixed vegetables.

Three things to get:
The vanilla egg cream (#1 in the city)
The borscht
The blueberry and cheese knish
The borscht is so hearty and comforting, while the blueberry and cheese knish could last you as a dessert for three days. Massive amazingness.
But the egg cream… Nothing is like their egg cream.

I must say that I will give this place another try. I am certainly not an authority on knishes, but have eaten them throughout most of my adult life. This bakery has seen better days, and does not have the crowds that Russ & Daughters, and other legendary lower east side haunts. I had the potato and spinach knishes, and was certainly not impressed. Perhaps I found this place on a bad day, but I certainly value consistency, and expected more.

I love this place. If it ever shuts down, we’ll know that we failed as New Yorkers. It’s simple, no frills, no nonsense old-​school goodness. Yonah Schimmel isn’t trying to impress you. Yonah Schimmel doesn’t need to try to impress you, because everything about it is represented in its perfect knish: it is simple, authentic and delicious. Come at a later hour while everyone else is overpaying for a meal at some hip new raw food joint. At this time, business is winding down and the old timer employees are more relaxed. If you’re lucky you’ll get to chat with them about some local history or the secret to their delicious rugelach. They won’t rush you out and will genuinely be happy when they hear you comment on how delicious the food is. Look around at the pictures on the wall… there’s so much history in this place! Best of all, you can have a great fulfilling meal here for about $ 8 dollars. A perfect order=a potato knish (don’t forget to add mustard as you eat it), a latke with sour cream and a fresh rugelach for dessert. They also have Dr. Brown’s diet black cherry soda here. Yummy!

I finally managed to make a stop at this quintessential New York culinary landmark.
The place is small, but has a back area where you can sit. I got here with a friend around 6:30pm and they still had some of their staple knish. I had a…
Potato knish: pretty thick, but tasty; not overly starchy.
Spinach knish: I liked it better, because it had a more various taste.
Make sure they warm your knish well, because they tend to leave the central core cold.

This is as good as a Knish will ever get. After this many years in business and keeping everything virtually the same, I really can’t argue that you’ll ever find one that exceeds these. I’ve tried so many different types, with or without cheese, dessert or snack. It doesn’t matter, they are all delicious and even if you «like» knishes you will love this one.
Here’s the caveat, only come to this place if you want to take it to go. The tables are for table service only and I really don’t think it’s worth it. Also the lovely couple that run this place aren’t exactly the nicest. There is some old charm about that, but I wouldn’t try to strike up conversation with them.
Sticking with 5 stars though because of how delicious these are.

Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery is a bakery and a restaurant that was started by Yonah Schimmel, located in the LES neighborhood. The place has been around since 1890 and are known for their knishes, which first started out by being sold from a pushcart. It’s currently run by his great nephew, Alex Wolfman, who you can see behind the glass counter, getting the orders ready. I tried a traditional potato knish, that was jampacked with mashed potatoes and ground pepper. Just note that all the knishes are already made and are cold; you can request them to be heated up, though (they will use a microwave) — mine was a little soggy, and this could be something of an afternoon snack on-​the-​go. I highly recommend that when knishes are bought, you warm them up in an oven or a toaster oven instead. When you step-​in, just stand in line in front of the bakery case; if you’re dining-​in, just go towards the dining ‘area’ — the place is small, so space is limited.
+famous for their knishes
+knishes are cold

I can’t say that I’m intimately familiar with knishes — not Jewish, not a native new yorker, etc. But just from visiting this place, I think I’m a big fan.
Firstly, never get the knishes at Katz’s, these are much better. The sweet knishes here are the perfect after-​meal complement after scarfing down your pastrami from Katz’s.
I’ve had the cherry cheese and the blueberry cheese, and both were outstanding. Any of the sweet ones are great. The savory knishes are ok, but not as good as the sweet ones. Spinach was bland and flavorless, but the potato was decent. the egg creams are also great.
Egg creams: 4 stars
Sweet knishes: 4.5 starts
Savory knishes: 3 stars
Overall verdict: 4 stars, and stick with the sweet ones with an egg cream to drink. Goes great as a dessert after Katzs

I pass by this place all the time and never tried it. So today I decided to go in and try the famous knish. This store is since 1910 but started in 1890. I decided to get the Potato Knish. The traditional 100 year old knish. The knish was hot, peppery and delicious. People can add deli mustard but I prefer to eat it just plain. This is the best knish I ever tried. Lots of celebrities come here to try the knish. Next time I will come back to try the Kasha Knish. This is the world’s second favorite knish lol. Everything was good except for the waiter. He place my plate with knish on the table super loud. If they want the customers to enjoy the knish and have a good time please treat others better. Overall I will come back here to try the other knish.

Stumbled upon this place on the way from the Subway to Katz’s deli and I’m surely glad I did. Being a Jew from Miami, there’s not many places that offer a good old-​fashioned knish like Yonah Schimmel. In fact, I don’t think South Florida has a single shop that specializes in Knishes.
Yonah Schimmel offers a pretty large selection of knishes. In fact, I had no idea that they made knishes stuffed with other things than just potato. Unsure if the cheese knishes all had sweet fillings and in a rush to get to Katz’s, my wife and I shared a plain potato knish.
The knish was absolutely perfect! You can have your knish hot to eat right away or save it to heat yourself at home. We ordered ours hot and although it took two times around in the microwave it was definitely worth the extra 90 seconds. Pair it with a bit of their mustard and you got a classic Jewish winner! So glad we came across this place.

Having never had knishes before, and coming in off of the recommendation of a friend, we decided to go with a potato knish and a cherry cheesecake knish. They were both outstanding! The shop itself is very small, and we were the only ones in the place. While I thought the potato knish could have used a little more seasoning, it was still very delicious. We split both of the knishes, which was the perfect size for an early-​evening snack. If you are looking for a full-​on meal, I would recommend not sharing. Next time I’m in NYC, I’m definitely coming back!

I was on a mission for knishes we could take back on our flight to Orlando and have them survive and also be frozen for later. Yonah Schimmel’s knows their knishes want to travel, because the guy behind the counter knew exactly how to box them and provided instructions for transporting and saving them like it was an everyday question.
We got a potato pancake to eat while we were there and it was delicious, had a great amount of seasoning without being overwhelming, and it was big!
The knishes survived the plane ride perfectly and were enjoyed both fresh and later re-​heated by all. If you want knishes to go, this place knows what they’re doing!

I do believe that once upon a time this place served up amazing knishes. Nowadays, for $ 3.50 you can get a pre-​made knishe pretty bland in flavor microwaved.
I understand that knishes are basically mashed potatoes wrapped in dough, but this one seemed to be only seasoned with pepper, since that’s the only flavor I could discern. A little bit of onions or garlic would have lifted up its taste.

My friend and I decided to check out this place due to its historic background and were highly disappointed.
A few weeks back we had Latka for the first time, fresh made Latka with applesauce on the side, given out for free in Union Square during Hannakuh and were instantly blown away by the warm and delicious potato goodness.
Eagerly wanting to replay those flavors amongst our tastebuds, we saw that this location sold Latka and were very excited.
It was probably the worst $ 4 I have ever spent. The Latkas were pre– made and they had the audacity to heat it up at the front in a MICROWAVE where customers paid and charged 1.50 $ extra for applesauce that was clearly not homemade, it was Motts! You’ve gotta be kidding me.
The cherry on top was actually the fact that you have to PAY to sit in the back, not pay for food, but you had to pay separately to sit.
Incredibly horrible experience.

Couple of days ago, my friend and I decided to check this place out. (I’ve heard a lot of good things about it). So we ordered potato latkes with apple sauce. Let me tell you, the lady or the guy behind the counter popped our food in the MICROWAVE. We live in one of the finest cities in the world. Downtown, Manhattan, New York City. And you microwaved our latkes?! That’s so rude and disrespectful. I can do that too.
As for the apple sauce, it was Mott’s apple sauce. How do I know? Because I’ve been buying Mott’s Apple sauce for the past week at key foods!
Now, let’s talk about the quality of the potato latkes. It was bad. It tasted like frozen pizza but potato form. It also tasted like it’s been there for couple of days. I’m very disappointed in this place. I will not come here again.

Hands down best knish I’ve ever had. Id be lying if I said I didn’t come all the way from San Diego to NYC in part for a real New York Jewish knish and we hit the jackpot here.
I suppose it doesn’t really matter which one you get, but we did the mushroom knish and it was heaven.

An institution and a worthy one. The perfect place for a late Sunday morning. It will be a miracle if this great place still exists in a year. East Village is changing very rapidly. Get here soon.

The ladies at the counter are so nice. For 3.75, you will get a knish the size of a large fist. I got the red cabbage one and are it with mustard — very filling and it had a nice sweetness to it. Will come back again for sure!

Ok, so we stopped by here to get my goy brother-​in-​law an authentic knish. Obviously we came to the right place. Yes, the staff is a bit rough but I’m Russian so am used to it. We ordered one potato knish and «
.god» it was good. The potatoes were so flavorful and overflowing and the dough was flaky. It was easy to eat the whole thing but enough to be full. Would highly recommend this place for an authentic knish.

Historic! No words can describe the great feeling to sit in the location and soak up the history. You could spend hours reading the walls. I took so many pictures. I’m posting some here. You have to go in to see for yourself.
I was the first one there when they opened. I am so glad. I saw people come and go taking out their knish. I sat and ate mine hot out of the oven. So delicious! You have your napkin and silver ware right on the table, help yourself. The place was clean and comfortable.
I had the spinach knish and the sweet potato knish. Breakfast and lunch! I would have liked a lot more spinach in mine, but it was very tasty. Not too garlicky! I didn’t have indigestion later!
They have the cutest little bathroom. Very clean and white washed. The employee was so kind and nice to talk to. He likes the product too. He said he puts the mustard on his! He ended up very busy by the time I left. A big class of students came for education experience, and eats. I hope they enjoyed theirs as much as I did mine! Plus I hope they saw the process and the history behind a successful family business.
I need to go back for the cheese/​apple and the blueberry. They looked so good. I’m sure they are great on a cold day when they are heated up! Go in and try this place. It’s a time in history that we can’t get back if we don’t support them!
I forgot to add that you can’t beat the prices!

I love the fact that it has been open forever and I thought the younger guy behind the counter was awesome, he was friendly and very helpful. The place looks it’s age though, it doesn’t have the most inviting décor but that’s part of the charm. It seems like the place hasn’t been updated in decades.
The food:
Sweet Potato Knish– This was the item I saw a lot of from Unilocal and it really didn’t wow me. It really just tasted like a mashed sweet potato, the addition of mustard did offer a nice pop of flavor and it is almost a must, but it could only help so far. Think I should have went with the original knish.

Yonah Schimmel
NY Manhattan LES
3pm Thursday 18^th November 2015
Five Stars
After listening to the Bowery Boy’s Podcast on LES food I had to complete the trifecta of Jewish Food: Katz, Russ & Daughters, and Yonah Schimmel.
The place is old looking complete with old Jewish man sitting in the back and New York Lady running the place. I had a seat and tried their special of the day: Cheddar and Jalapeño Knish. The Regular Knish was $ 3.75 and the special $ 5.25 plus 46 cents in tax.
These Knishes are big and filling. The outer crust was golden brown with a bit of crunch. The inside is steamy hot, silky potatoes. On top is a thick layer of melted cheddar. In the center is a dollop of jalapeños. You should mix it up with a huge amount of spicy mustard.

I’m so so so glad I found this place somehow on Unilocal one day! The famous knishes definitely live up to their name. I ordered the kasha knish and it came out quick, hot, and fresh. Having never had this pastry before, I can’t compare it to other places but I can definitely say that it’s got me hooked!
The couple running the shop were very friendly and nice as well — really gave off that family restaurant sort of atmosphere. It might seem like a tiny place from the outside, but there are actually quite a few tables you can sit at (and devour the food immediately). According to the sign and Wikipedia this place is almost a historical landmark, so make sure to check it out if you’re in the area — I promise it’ll be worth it.

You don’t go on a Jew Tour of New York without visiting Yonah Schimmel. If you forgot, make a U-​Turn on the FDR right now. [It’s okay, the cops have given up on trying to control traffic there]
They’ve been around forever — the fact that the faded sign can barely be seen from across the street is evidence enough that they don’t need to advertise; enough people know this place to keep the knishes flying off the shelves into perpetuity.
It’s remarkable. On one hand, they make the same old potato, kasha, mushroom, and spinach knishes they’ve been making since before you were born. But they also come up with wild new stuff all the time… sweet potato, jalapeño and cheese, par baked ones to throw on the grill… ridiculous. One might think a place like this would dig its heels into the ground and never change with the times, but they do, without abandoning their roots.
That’s just fantastic. You come back for your old favorites, and the new stuff. A business well run, and a Houston Street institution. Get your pastrami at Katz’s, and your knish here. The perfect meal.

I can’t believe I only found out about this place after I went vegan and went looking for veg-​friendly restaurants. All of the non-​cheese knishes are vegan. My fiancé and I tried the sweet potato and spinach knishes, they were both really good and reasonably priced, and even better with mustard. If you’re someone who loves potatoes, you need to come here. The staff was really polite. Another thing that was nice about this place is that you can tell the building hasn’t changed much since they first went into business 100ish years ago. It’s by no means glamorous, but a dumb waiter and the original tin ceiling are still there, it may have been painted over a bunch of times, but the little rare things like that really make a difference. It’s wonderful to see such a rare gem untouched by the evils of gentrification. I plan on coming back here and trying every vegan item on their menu.

Love this place. Got to admit I’ve never dined in but I’ve taken to go plenty of times and god damn are they good. Pick yourself up a few knishes, wrap em in foil individually, store in the fridge. When you’re ready for an orally explosive experience take em out of the fridge, leave the foil on, and pop em in the oven at 2:50 for 20 min. Then unwrap and buckle your seatbelt for a seriously shimmeltastic ride.
I recommend the potato, and any mixture of fruit and cheese, specifically the apple cheese.

You’ve got to give credit to a place that pretty much does one thing, and has been doing that one thing for 105 years. To be in business that long you have to be doing it right, and they do. You also have to respect a place that hasn’t remodeled in 105 years too, and that’s the way it should stay because it’s so very New York.
Can’t wait to go back!

There’s not a ton of «old Manhattan» left even in some of the more grungy areas of the Lower East Side. As the march of new glass and steel buildings march on, I find it’s more and more important to visit places that may not be around much longer. One of these places is Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery.
From the outside you can tell this place is old skool. There’s a window where you can look in and they generally have baking trays worth of goods on display. When you go in the place transports you back to 1910. The ceiling, the moldings on the wall, old pictures and the general sense of «age» really gives this place an authentic feel that was almost enough by itself to make me fall in love with the place. There’s a time for fancy, and there’s a time to appreciate the past.
True to the setting, it’s not very formal here. Sit down, you order and they put the food in front of you. The thing is, the food is insane. The knishes are HUGE and all you need is mustard on them. I ordered a garlic knish and it was amazing. Great chewy texture, warm and satisfying and the mustard helped give it a kick.
I’d come back any time, especially to try some of their other dishes (including «dessert» knishes!).

The place has history. Got it. It was written up in a million papers and had been on the block for millions of years and it is the traditional way of making knishes and all. Got it. It’s just that a knish is not that good of a food item. Think of it. It’s was a popular food from impoverish Eastern Europe where they had nothing else but potato to sustain on and live with. Knishes are basically mashed potatoes with no seasoning, wrapped in dough. It’s not good, it’s filling and probably served a purpose a 100 years ago when they was nothing else. What gives it some sort of a kick is the veggies added to it I guess, but still then, it tastes super bland.
I can appreciated the historical significance for the knish and understand why it is cool, but it’s not that good… I’d rather have a bagel.

Don’t expect much esthetic value from the street side views, but the beaten up 100 year old, white, dilapidated front door fronting the street, instilled within me reassurance and excitement for what lurks behind.
Reassurance of traditions far beyond my years were heavy behind this door, every corner spoke of a long history and upon stepping inside, excitement upon viewing the grapefruit sized potato treats. My excitement, preconceived images and soulful visions were confirmed.
As I read over the small black lettered board of options, I was stuck between all options, I literally could not narrow my search by even one, so with no previous experience, I bought ten, basically one of each.
I was in a rush and therefore unable to sit and eat within these storied walls, which is clearly the preferred choice if you have the time. This is all I could think about looking at the straight forward table arrangement, just past the dumb waiter and how more authenticity of enjoying my meal would be if nestled in at a table, reading the brownish news clippings upon the wall, slowing scarfing down the delicious potato knish and my vanilla egg cream.
One small ramikin of their deli mustard should be enough for each knish, if your spice sensitive your gonna want to proceede with caution.
The $ 40.00 price tag struck me as high upon receiving the bill, but the fleeting feeling was dashed quickly upon my first bite. Yummm, Mushroom!

Tenía antojo de knishes y fuimos al lugar más popular de NY para comerlos. Por suerte, abren todos los días así que era sábado y estaba abierto. Pedimos 2 knishes de papa aunque hay muchísimas opciones para probar. La atención me pareció genial y el lugar es muy típico, tradicional. Me gusta que conserve ese ambiente y en la pared guardan tantos recuerdos de todos los visitantes y prodigan mensajes de convivencia.
Volvería para probar nuevos knishes!