Where to get takeout latkes and treats for Hanukkah in NYC

While many families were unable to gather for Hanukkah in 2020, this year, with vaccination rates high, getting together is possible again. The Festival of Lights arrives early this year, running from November 28 to December 6. If you plan to cook a big meal for Thanksgiving just days before and don’t feel like doing it all over again, there are several New York City restaurants, bakeries, and specialty shops offering takeout holiday meals and treats. Leave the latkes and lox to the professionals and place a to-go order with a local business during Hanukkah this year.

Breads Bakery
Breads Bakery is more than just babka (although they could serve only that and we’d be happy!). The bakery, with locations in Union Square, Lincoln Center, and most recently, the Upper East Side, is offering a special Hanukkah menu with festive items available for pick-up and delivery from November 26 through December 5. On the menu are potato latkes serve with sour cream and apple sauce, an assortment of sufganiyot, chocolate babka, chocolate rugelach, and challah. In addition to pick-up, Breads is offering local delivery for an extra fee depending on the borough.

Carnegie Deli
Have a very New York holiday by bringing the iconic tastes of Carnegie Deli to the table. The delicatessen, which closed its Theater District location, but can be found at Madison Square Garden as well as fully online, is selling a to-go three-course holiday feast for $199, with standards like pastrami, corned beef, mustard, rye bread, potato knish bites, cheesecake, and black and white cookies. Carnegie Deli teamed up with Brookly-based artisanal matzo company The Matzo Project on their first-ever matzo ball soup kit. Priced at $80, the Better than Bubbe’s Matzo Ball Soup kit includes 64-ounces of Carnegie Deli’s homestyle chicken soup, four bags of matzo project sea salted matzo chips, and Matzo Project’s matzo crumb box, bringing the beloved comfort food to life in 30 minutes.

Daily Provisions
Danny Meyer’s all-day cafe Daily Provisions released its Hanukkah menu again this year, with items available for pickup and delivery starting November 28. Offerings include a la carte items like fresh-made crullers with raspberry jam and rolled in lemon sugar, chicken soup, latkes, apple butter, matzo balls, and special blue and white cookies. The cafe is also selling a Hanukkah dinner kit, which costs $125 and has enough food (matzo ball soup, latkes, large kale Caesar salad, roasted eggplant, and roast chicken) for four people.

Gertie
A self-described “modern Jew-ish diner and bar,” Gertie is an all-day cafe in Williamsburg with a menu of bagels, pastries, unique takes on classic New York deli sandwiches, and a full bar. The restaurant is offering a $50 Hanukkah package with enough treats for four. Inside, you’ll find eight latkes and sour cream, four sufganiyot, four black and white cookies, and dreidels and gelt. The order is available for pick-up and delivery between November 28 and November 30.

Katz’s Delicatessen
No list would be complete without including Katz’s, the Lower East Side institution known for its massive pastrami, corned beef, and brisket sandwiches. Their Hanukkah dinner package includes homemade matzoh ball soup, mini latkes, a pound of pastrami, a pound of brisket, a quart of sour pickles, half a loaf of seeded rye bread, knishes, noodle kugel, mustard, and chocolate babka for dessert. It costs $160 and is available to ship nationally for free.

Liebman’s Kosher Deli
A Bronx icon and the only Jewish deli remaining in the borough, Liebman’s Kosher Deli first opened its doors in 1953. Nearly 70 years later, their Kosher classics continue to inspire. Liebman’s is now shipping nationwide via Goldbelly, with options like a complete deli dinner ($129 for four, $229 for eight), pastrami or corned beef sandwich kit, a six-pack of knishes, and classic Jewish appetizers and sides (chopped liver, cabbage rolls, kugels, and more). The big draw is their famous giant potato latkes, which cost $89 for eight, come with apple sauce, and would make a great addition to your holiday dinner.

Mile End Deli
Mile End Delicatessen, a Montreal-style Jewish deli in Boerum Hill, is known for its smoked meats, homemade hot dogs, sandwiches, and other Jewish comfort foods. The restaurant has a special menu for Hanukkah, with timeless options like potato latkes (6 for $15, 12 for $30) and sufganiyot ($34 for a dozen), as well as twists on traditional offerings like buffalo chicken bites and schnitzel fingers (both $25 per pound). Pick-up is available at the store and delivery to the five boroughs is available for $15. If you’re not local, Mile End Deli delivers nationwide via Goldbelly, where you’ll be able to a convenient six-person party pack with all the goods, like hot dogs in blankets, chicken schnitzel finger, and housemade potato latkes for $89.

Pastrami Queen
Described by Anthony Bourdain as selling “the real deal pastrami sandwich,” Pastrami Queen has served some of the best pastrami in the city since 1956. Served on rye bread from Orwashers with pickles, it’s hard to beat. For the holiday, and any time of the year, you’ll be able to order various delicious items from Pastrami Queen for delivery on Goldbelly, Toasttab, and Seamless, including assorted rugelach, babka loaves, knishes, and a 12 pack of latkes.

Russ & Daughters
A New York City icon, Russ & Daughters has served up bagels and lox for nearly 110 years. The Lower East Side staple is selling a few to-go packages for the holiday, including a $100 Chanukah Essentials kit. Available for local pickup, the package includes 12 potato latkes, creme fraiche, a tin of Wild Alaskan Salmon Roe, and a pound of Scottish Smoked Salmon. Russ & Daughters has a similar package for delivery nationwide that also includes applesauce, two bags of chocolate gelt, and a box of candles. It costs $145.

Sami & Susu
Mediterranean restaurant and specialty grocery Sami & Susi are selling latkes this holiday, available every day from November 28 through December 6 until they sell out. Available for pickup from their store at 190 Orchard Street and delivery via Seamless, Uber Eats, and Doordash, each latke costs $14 and comes with creme fraiche and smoked trout roe. If you need a gift for the host this year, Sami & Susu has a holiday gift package that includes Yuki’s Bakery Baba, Seed & Mill’s Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt Halva, La Boite Tahini, Canaan Palestine Za’atar, La Boite’s Shabazi Spice Mixture, and Saifan Extra Virgin Olive Oil sourced from Lebanon, priced at $70.

Shelsky’s of Brooklyn
Known for their nontraditional twist on a classic appetizing and deli counter, Shelsky’s of Brooklyn offers an extensive Hanukkah menu for in-store pickup and shipping. From a salmon special and herring fillets to appetizers and sides (think smoked whitefish salad and homemade matzo ball soup) to a host of potato latke options (in addition to traditional, there are gluten-free and sweet potato & celery root options), Shelsky’s has everything you need for a festive meal. Of course, you’ll want desserts. There’s homemade rugelach, honey cake, chocolate babka, and Hanukkah specials like traditional chocolate gelt and dark chocolate bark on the menu. The order deadline for the first two nights of Hanukkah is November 24. Luckily for those not local, Shelsky’s ships nationwide.

2nd Avenue Deli
Like many on this list, the 2nd Avenue Deli is another essential New York City institution. This year, the restaurant is selling a $450 Hanukkah feast with enough food for 10 people. There are hors d’oeuvres, soups, meat platters, and the main attraction, latkes. Might as well add some sufganiyot, rugalach, babka, and black and white cookies to your order while you’re at it.

Yonah Schimmel
A Lower East Side fixture since 1890, Yonah Schimmel is considered the oldest knishery in the United States. While their baked knishes are no-doubt best-sellers, their potato latkes are also delicious. This holiday, the bakery is selling plate-sized homemade potato latkes. Call the store to pre-order them for local pickup. Yonah Schimmel is shipping its famous knishes, from the traditional kasha knishes to modern flavors like sweet potato and broccoli, through Goldbelly.

Zabar’s
A favorite of Upper West Side residents (and really all of New York), Zabar’s is a longtime gourmet grocery specializing in Jewish foods. While the store has everything you could need to cook your own feast, Zabar’s is also selling Hanukkah gift baskets, jam-packed with chocolate coins, a mini menorah and candles, chocolate babka, cookies, and more goodies. For $119, a “Lot ‘A Latkes” Box includes a pound of homemade potato pancakes, applesauce, Schicks Hanukkah cookies, and gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins.