Celebrate Zabar’s 90th anniversary with 90-cent cups of coffee all October
All photos courtesy of Zabar’s
Upper West Side legend Zabar’s turns 90 this year and to celebrate, the gourmet deli is offering its loyal customers some special discounts. Throughout October, the grocery store at 2245 Broadway—known for its smoked fish, bagels, and coffee—will sell 90-cent cups of coffee and one-pound bags of its Anniversary Coffee Blend for $9.99. Zabar’s will also roll out a series of new specials through the end of the year.
Founded in 1934 by husband-and-wife duo Louis and Lillian Zabar, Zabar’s began as a 22-foot-wide shop on Broadway and West 80th Street, dedicated to serving the highest quality coffee and smoked fish.
Louis arrived in the United States in the early 1920s after fleeing persecution against Jews in Ukraine. In Brooklyn, he rented a stall at a farmer’s market, where he reconnected with Lillian, whom he knew from his village in Ukraine and who had also fled to America to escape the pogroms, according to the New York Times.
The couple married in 1927 and had three children: Saul, Stanley, and Eli; the latter of whom went on to found Eli Zabar’s, a chain specialty food store inspired by the food halls and markets of London and Paris, according to their website.
The couple’s guiding principles of always respecting the customer, never compromising on quality, offering fair value, and constantly searching for the new and wonderful, formed the foundation of the family business and led it into the future.
Over its nine-decade existence, Zabar’s has earned a reputation as a cultural and culinary institution cherished by New Yorkers, tourists, and celebrities alike.
The store has helped pioneer a variety of food trends, including the introduction of Brie cheese to New York City in the 1960s, gourmet cookware in the 70s, and kicking off the so-called “caviar war” with its high-quality, affordable caviar offerings.
Zabar’s has also appeared in numerous television and film productions, including “You’ve Got Mail,” “Will & Grace,” “Dream On,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Mad About You,” “Friends,” “Sex and the City,” “The Nanny,” “Seinfeld,” “Heart of Dixie,” “Law & Order,” and “Gossip Girl.”
Today, the store has expanded across the block front and offers its goods online, where Zabar’s sons, daughters, and cousins masterfully slice smoked fish, offer tastings of artisanal cheeses, display fresh-baked pastries, and oversee the roasting of its famous coffee blends.
“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. We are proud to mark this milestone and deeply grateful to our customers for their loyalty and love for our unique food products,” Saul and Stanley Zabar, co-owners of Zabar’s, said.
“We are honored to celebrate not only our history but the community that has made us an iconic part of this great city. We look forward to continuing to offer the same quality, tradition and service that have defined Zabar’s for nearly a century.”
Zabar’s is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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