Second Avenue Deli

The Second Avenue Deli is a kosher delicatessen in New York City. Originally opened in 1954 on the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue and 10th Street in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City, the deli is currently located at 162 East 33rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues. It was recognized by Zagat's restaurant guide as the "best kosher deli in New York." The deli's specialties include matzoh ball soup, corned beef special, pastrami, knishes, gefilte fish, cholent and other notables of Jewish cuisine. Despite the food being kosher, some Orthodox Jews will not eat there, as the meat is not glatt kosher and the restaurant is open on Saturdays. [ [http://www.toprestaurantsnewyork.com/restaurants/why-is-the-2nd-avenue-deli-not-on-2nd-avenue-in-new-york-city.html Top Restaurants New York, "Why is the 2nd Avenue Deli Not On 2nd Avenue in New York City?"] ]

The Second Avenue Deli shut down briefly in 1996, following the March 4 murder of its founder Abe Lebewohl, a Holocaust survivor, during a robbery. To date, the crime remains unsolved.

On January 1, 2006, new owner Jack Lebewohl closed the deli at its original location after a rent increase and a dispute over back rent that the landlord had said was due [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/magazine/21deli-t.html New York Times Magazine, "A Counter History", By Alex Witchel, Oct. 21, 2007] ] . (The location later became a Chase Manhattan Bank branch.) On July 31, 2007, Jack Lebewohl announced that the deli would reopen at a new location that fall of 2007. The restaurant reopened on December 17, 2007, at its new location, with Jeremy Lebewohl, the nephew of its founder, as its new proprietor [ [http://www.nypost.com/seven/12172007/news/regionalnews/back__for__2nds_804545.htm New York Post, "Back for 2nd's", Monday, December 17, 2007] ] .

The deli is now located on East 33rd Street near the corner of Third Avenue in Murray Hill. It is now open 24 hours. It is still certified Kosher.

The original restaurant had a separate room decorated with memorabilia of Yiddish actress Molly Picon, including posters, song sheets, photographs, and the like. Its new location has pictures of her lining half the deli. The sidewalk outside of the old Second Avenue location is the home to what is known as the Yiddish Walk of Fame, where the names of about 50 stars of the old Yiddish Theater era are embedded in plaques on the sidewalk, similar to the Hollywood walk of Fame. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/19/theater/newsandfeatures/19simo.html New York Times, "Where Have You Gone, Molly Picon?", By Robert Simonson, March 19, 2006] ] [ [http://www.forward.com/articles/stars-still-shine-on-2nd-avenue-walk-of-fame-survi/ The Forward, "Stars Still Shine On 2nd Avenue Walk of Fame Survives Deli’s Demise But Its Fate is Unclear", Jennifer Siegel, Fri. Mar 24, 2006] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/06/nyregion/06deli.html New York Times article about the closing of the former location]
* [http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/something-to-nosh-on-heres-the-skinny-on-jewish-delis/ July 31, 2007 New York Times City Room blog featuring announcement by Jack Lebewohl]
* [http://www.nysun.com/article/67933 December 12, 2007 New York Sun article on the restaurant's reopening]