Zabar’s is well known for their smoked fish, but also have a huge variety of gourmet goods, prepared foods, cookware, and so much more. And if you think they are more of an “expensive” store, let me tell you, their coffee mugs are less than $2!

Ok, so this is a food blog, and you are thinking why do I write about a supermarket? Because they also have a nice size cafe, just like the Fairway (you can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/fairway-cafe/).  Zabar’s Cafe is a place to get a quick breakfast on the go, a cup of Zabar’s famous coffee, delicious smoothie, hot grilled panini, cappuccino and sweets all in one place. So, even though there are not huge amounts of seats, one will open up pretty quickly.

The menu is all listed on the wall, and you go through the counter towards the register like a cafeteria with your tray. They have plenty of sandwich and panini selections, on top of soups and breads and baked goods. We went on one morning during a week, and even thought the place were mostly full, we managed to get 4 seats within 3 minutes of arriving. People really do come and go quickly here.

All sandwiches and paninis are $6.98 each, making it simpler and easier to choose and order. We ordered Ruben and Croque Monsieur.  Ruben Panini came with conrned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and russian dressing. It had really great flavor, and it was nice size as well. All the ingredients went perfect together, creating this amazing panini! Each bite was a delight.

Croque Monsieur came with French ham, gruyere, bechamel sauce, and butter. It was pretty nice too, bigger than other paninis, but I felt it was not as flavorful as the Ruben or some other panini they have. Still good though. Maybe because I prefer Croque Madam (have egg), which they did not have on their menu.

We also ordered Matzoh Ball soup and Strawberry Banana Smoothie. They have 2 sized for their soups, large ($4.50) and small ($2.95), again all same price for each soup offerings. Smoothies are $3.95 each, and Strawberry Banana had “fresh fruite” sign on it, so we got that one.

The Matzoh Ball soup had nice flavor withe one big Matzo ball, and all the soup comes with a selection of a bread. We chose one with raspberries in it, and it was really great.  The smoothies, I can tell you they certainly were fresh! No “fruit concentrate” or anything like that, but simply real strawberries and banana, and it was superb!!! 

 

The ordering process is (and needs to be) quick, so don’t go up there until you decided what you are going to have. They have enough staff behind the counter to take care of several customers in line, but they don’t like it when you are indecisive, which I can totally understand on a busy morning. Great place to get a quick delicious bite at a good price.

Zabar’s – 2245 Broadway, New York, NY 10024