You've either had amazing smoked fish or you haven't. I'm lucky. I had cold-smoked salmon from a fisherman in Norway. Nobody will beat what he did, but this place is a true joy. They don't need another recommendation, but I love this place!

Great choice in Lower East Side for breakfast or lunch! I enjoyed their bagels and coffee two days in a row. Was staying nearby, and this place was perfect. They offer much more than bagels and coffee! There's fish, sandwiches, salads, soups, dried fruit, and sweets. They're open early. Even though it's busy, the line moves quickly. The staff is friendly. Most importantly, the bagels were fresh. The coffee was really good quality and strong. I would definitely visit here again! If I'm in this area.

I've been hearing about Russ & Daughters for years, so I was excited to finally check them out during my recent New York City trip. We popped in pretty early on a Thursday morning and the place was already packed. We figured we'd keep it simple by grabbing the Classic Bagel & Lox ("Gaspe Nova Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese"). It was ready a few minutes later and it's good. We'd just eaten a next-level sandwich from Zabar's a day earlier, so I couldn't help but compare it to that. We ordered it as advertised on the menu but this is a sandwich that needs capers and onions. The bagel was great, though, and so was the salmon, so it's not like I didn't enjoy this concoction. I also grabbed their chocolate caviar to take home and it's terrific.

The servers were so friendly and nice. I enjoyed talking with them. Make sure to take a number stub for your place in line. The quality is fresh and tasty. Definitely a pick up and go place. They have another location for sitting down and eating nearby.

Ordered: Classic Bagel & Lox with The Works (~$19): Gaspe Nova smoked salmon with scallion cream cheese with onions, capers, and tomatoes on a toasted everything bagel Aya's take: Russ & Daughters is on so many "NYC best bagel" lists in the city and it's insane that I'm only trying it now for the first time as a native New Yorker! It was around 9:30am on a Sunday; not quite busy yet so we were able to order right away. The bagel is crisp on the outside yet dense and airy on the inside with just the right amount of everything seasoning. The smoked salmon is unbelievably fresh, melts in your mouth, and doesn't taste fishy at all. I love the scallion cream cheese with it which adds a bit more flavor with the scallions that compliments the other must-have toppings of onions, capers, and tomatoes for ~$2. It's a true classic NYC breakfast and now I completely understand why this is a staple and must-visit! Highly recommend.

Delicious bagels! Probably my favorite bagels in town, considering the bagel itself and fillings inside. We waited for maybe 20 minutes at around 11am for brunch which wasn't too bad. We ordered the daughters delight and classic lox bagel with capers tomatoes and onions. The Daughters delight had salmon roe, which was interesting, but the classic salmon everything bagel with scallion cream cheese was better, possibly because we added the capers tomatoes and onions. The best bagel sandwich I've had in NYC! The E Houston location has no seating, so we sat outside on the benches and atw, which was fine since it meant we probably didn't need to wait as long. Will definitely try to come back again!

How this place doesn't have a perfect 5 star review is beyond me. As a self appointed bagel junkie, I immediately made plans to come here when visiting NYC with friends and ensured that I ordered from Goldbelly within two days of my return home. 1) take a number when you come in. Don't just stand there looking awkward, grab a number it's a deli. The only reason you should not take a number is if you realize you have no idea what you want. Do this if there are only a few people in the store. Figure out bagel, cream cheese, fish, sandwich, whatever. 2) order and be polite. Yeah, lotta tourists inside. No reason to be rude or weird (aka asking young teenagers how long they have been there and then getting rude when they don't answer how long the store has been there, saying they are being rushed-two awkward things I saw while there. Be kind. It's free!) 3) enjoy on a bench or down the block on a bench. My favorite: an everything bagel (perfect chew, perfect flavor, perfect), horseradish cream cheese (whipped cream cheese and just enough horseradish to taste, not to burn) hot cold smoke salmon (literally the greatest fish you will ever eat. It melts. Perfection to no fishy deliciousness) and a slice of tomato. Yes I was home two days before ordering Goldbelly and it was Worth It.

Awesome bagels in NYC and a must-visit! I recommend knowing what you'll order before going in as the lines can build up fast (gets cramped when busy!) and it helps the workers keep the flow going. When you walk in, grab a ticket near the front door and keep an ear open when they call for your number. There's no indoor seating, but there are a few benches right outside for you to enjoy your bagels. The service was quick and friendly! They're generous with the cream cheese, and my favorite was the scallion cream cheese. They have all kinds of bagels, smoked fish, and spreads so have fun experimenting! Can't wait to come back!

We knew we needed to try one of the most famous bagel places in the city. Luckily there was a location just a couple blocks down from our hotel. Saw that you had to grab a ticket at the front and wait for your number to be called in order to place your order. It was a little confusing for newcomers since half of the people did not grab a number but stood in a line that went no where. Luckily it went rather quickly and we were able to order: the classic lox on an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, orange juice, and a slice of their babka (about $30 total for all). I can see why they are so popular- the quality of the smoked salmon was insanely fresh and paired well with the scallion cream cheese that was recommended to us. The bagel was nice and chewy but fluffy? So delicious for breakfast and worked with the orange juice. The babka piqued my interest and I am so glad I got to try it. It was a soft, perfectly sweet and chocolately goodness that I wish I could eat again. Happy we were able to try Russ & Daughters after hearing about it for while. It was well worth the hype even if it's on the pricier side, but what isn't these days?

Made Russ & Daughters my first stop after a red eye flight into NYC and didn't regret it one bit! I was a little confused when I first entered as I wasn't sure how the ordering process worked. There wasn't a line so I idled around hoping to get a staff member's attention. After 5-10 minutes, I realized there was ticket dispenser where you take a number at the entrance. I went over to pull a ticket and someone approached me saying "You've been waiting here for a while now, right? Let me help you." I explained that I didn't realize there was a ticketing system but the person then walked me directly over to an employee and my order was taken right away. I imagined this person to be the owner or somewhere up the ladder, and I had seen other reviews about this person as well. This heartwarming experience made my morning and was a great start to my trip. As for the food -- the cream cheese options are incredible and look amazing too. I was intrigued by the Caviar Cream Cheese that looked almost like black sesame but played it safe and ordered a toasted Garlic Bagel with Scallion Cream Cheese. The bagel was so delicious as was the cream cheese. They were very generous on the cream cheese (honestly a little too much for me, and I usually like my condiments on the heavier side) so the sandwich was quite filling. I ended up eating half and saving the other half for later!