best challah in NYC

[alyssabrooke]

im looking to buy a challah in NYC. preferably in either the west village or mid-upper east. thanks!!!

[MartyB]

Best challas come from Brooklyn, check local stores if any get challah deliveries from Brooklyn. Here in the 5 towns we have a few bakeries, and still we have a few stores like Chap A Nash, that get challah deliveries from some of the Brooklyn bakeries. You could call some of the Brooklyn bakeries directly and ask if they have any deliveries to Manhattan. Try Chiffin, Schreiber's and Weiss to start with.

[Barry Strugatz]

Not sure if it's kosher, but I think B&H Dairy on 2nd near St. Marks is the best in NYC.

[GilaB]

I do not think B&H Dairy is certified.

[meateater]

B&H is certified by Rabbi Malek.

ps - Zaro's is the best, albeit expensive -soft but not sweet or gooey like zomicks -

[downtownNYCjew]

Also, Alyssa asked about West Village or Upper East Side. But for picking up a challah in the East Village, Associated on 14th Street off of 1st Avenue stocks a brand of challah that's great, and Key Food on 1st Avenue near 4th Street stocks a decent brand as well. There's also always Zomicks at Whole Foods, which is probably the most ubiquitous challah in NYC but I wouldn't say it's the best.

I don't know where to get them on the east side, but Supersol on the Upper West Side stocks Bagel City and Zaidy's brand challahs, and those, in my opinion, are the best (though Zaidy's is technically a NJ brand, not sure about Bagel City).

My favorite challah not available in Manhattan is the challah from Mazur's in Little Neck, Queens. It's perfect. Cakey and chewy but without being too sweet or eggy. Most underrated challah around.

[EvanM]

On 2nd Avenue around East 6th is Moishe's bakery, heimishe place which makes a few different types of challoh. Some of them are really good, personally I think the high pan baked ones are much better than the twisted ones. Its the only place that is reasonably convenient to the West Village

[momrn]

Bagel City challah is excellent ,better than Zomick's. I believe that it is from Washington Heights.

[GilaB]

No, Bagel City definitely isn't from Washington Heights, although it's available in the Key Food on 187th and Broadway. (The only bakery up here is Gideon's, part of the larger Gruenbaum's chain, whose challah is OK but nothing to write home about.) I agree that BC is far better than the cake Zomick's sells as challah - it's sweet, but still bread.

[froike]

B&H was a favorite of mine for years....Best dairy restaurant on the lower East Side bar none! Who took it over...haven't been there since the early 80's?

[cheesecake17]

Zaro's in Penn Station. Expensive, but awesome.

[alyssabrooke]

really? in penn station? that is interesting.

[DeisCane]

There are two in Penn Station. One by the Staples and one by the Amtrak waiting area. I don't love their challahs, but they're good enough. They do have good crusty breads, which are much harder to find, imo.

[cheesecake17]

The one by Staples is near the main entrance on 7th Avenue. I personally go there rather than the larger one by Amtrak because the staff is sooo much nicer and the lines move quicker.

Their challas are good, but I agree with DeisCane, their regular breads are much better. The rye bread is awesome and so is the baguette. If you go early in the morning, you can sometimes get a hot baguette.

[MartyB]

Zaro's in Penn Station is kosher? I was looking for anything kosher there, thanks for the heads up!

[momrn]

There are kosher sandwiches in Penn Station,in the front of one of the sandwich stores,not cheap though. I have not tried them.

[MartyB]

As a layman who has no connections in the world of hashgachas my philosophy is that if it has a hashgacha then I will eat from them. If it turns out that the people giving the hashgacha certified a non kosher item as kosher then g-d will punish them, while I would be an "oinus"(sp).

If I may be so bold, give me an example of a "bad" hashgacha and why it is bad. Not a theoretic example but a real live and current "bad" hashgacha.

[queenscook]

re: If I may be so bold, give me an example of a "bad" hashgacha and why it is bad. Not a theoretic example but a real live and current "bad" hashgacha.

I would not do this at any time, and certainly not today, motzaei Yom Kippur. However, I try to take more responsibility for what I eat and serve, and hope those that feed me do as well. I bet if you ask the Rav of your shul, he would be happy to name and explain a current "bad" hashgacha and why he doesn't trust it. Chowhound is not the place for this discussion, but just as there is a need for oversight in many fields, so too with kashrus. In my opinion, an individual that says his hachgacha is good should have to be backed up; there IS such as thing as "conflict of interest," or in Hebrew "nogaya b'davar."

[vallevin]

Sooooo off topic, but Queenscook - Yasher Koach (Kudos) to you for stating things so eloquently. I will merely second the comment above.

[ariellasdaddy]

Depends what you're looking for in a challah. If you like super eggy, try Pomerganate, which is essentially a fresh version of Zomicks. If you like it somewhat eggy but not cakey, try Chiffon's. For water challah, Korn's.

[EvanM]

Head for Williamsburg! The Green's restaurant on Ross Street, and Tiferes bakery on Lee Avenue have challoh that is really good..... If just reasonable challoh is acceptable then go either to Moshe's on 2nd Avenue or Grand St. or to the other kosher bakery on Grand Street near Essex. Some Moshe's challohs are excellent (the high bulkas) others are so-so. Korn's challohs are sold all over Manhattan, at Kosher Market and several otehrs. Some like Bagel City challohs that the kosher stores all over the city carry. If you ask me Weiss on 13th Avenue is pretty good.

[addictedtolunch]

Wm. Greenberg.
Next is Zaro's (which has improved over the recent years).

[abu applesauce]

I guess if we are already off the original post''s request of specific areas in NY City, I might as well add Eagle Bakery in Boro Park for some kick ass water challah.