Best Appetizing Shop in New York · New York, NY
Russ & Daughters has been selling "bagels & lox since 1914," when Joel Russ turned a herring pushcart into a Lower East Side appetizing shop. When he made his three daughters full partners, he renamed it Russ & Daughters — believed to be the first American business to put "& Daughters" on the sign — and four generations of the family have run it since.
"Appetizing" is the old Jewish-American art of the things you eat with bagels: hand-sliced smoked and cured fish, cream cheeses, caviar, and babka. The tiny Houston Street counter still does it the slow way, by hand.
The family has since added a sit-down café, a Brooklyn shop and nationwide shipping, but the 1914 storefront remains a New York landmark — and the 2026 Centurion Award winner.
Each Centurion Award is a dated record tied to one year’s evaluation — earned annually, never carried over. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit Russ & Daughters
This page is the standing record for Russ & Daughters (2026). It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
If you’ve put in the years, you may already clear the bar. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.