A Delicious Jewish Food Tour in New York with Ultimate Food Tours!

Living in New Jersey/New York area spoils you rotten when it comes to experiencing good food. You get fantastic cuisine from almost every culture which sets your expectations high when it comes to any food activities. When I heard about Ultimate Food Tour’s Jewish Food Tour in New York, I was curious to check out something new in my neighborhood.

Now let me tell you. If you want to eat some seriously delicious food, learn about local Jewish history, and spend time with an awesome host, this tour is just that!

In this post, I’ll take you on this Upper East Side Jewish Food Tour journey with me! I hope it inspires you to check out this unique NYC activity 🙂

A little bit on Ultimate Food Tour’s background

I gotta say, aside from my curiosity about the food and its history, I always love learning about how unique ideas were born. Rarely are cool things carefully planned and executed, often times they happen because of a random life circumstance that pushes us to do something different. That follows Scott’s baby, or Ultimate Food Tours, which started as hobby, turned an Airbnb experience, and now is a well-established NYC Food Tour company offering 4 amazing options through NYC’s most iconic neighborhoods.

Things born out of pure passion and interest often reflect that in the actual experience and that’s certainly how I felt listening to Scott. He walked us through the history of the food and the neighborhood all with a personal connection and passion radiating from him. He was very knowledgeable about the topic and genuinely excited to take you on this tour. There is such a difference in the quality of your time when your guide has his full heart in what he does!

And Some Quick Logistics about the Jewish Food Tour

• The tour starts on the Upper East Side and continues throughout it
• This is mostly an outdoor walking tour so wear comfy shoes and dress weather appropriate
• Yes, there will be bathroom stops along the route
• Don’t eat much prior to the tour and portions will keep you full so no need to book resys for after either!
• The cost of the Jewish Food Tour is $90 per person which is very standard for a food tour experience

Let’s go on a Jewish Food Tour in NYC!

Stop 1: Orwashers’ Bakery

What’s more iconic than a real NYC bagel with lox? Nothing, so it was only appropriate to start this awesome food tour with the most delicious bagel topped with cream cheese, lox, and some green onions. If you know me, you know I am very picky about my lox and I do not overhype anything subpar. But let me tell you, Orwashers nailed this!

In addition to the tasting itself, this is where our history of Jewish foods begins. We learned that traditionally this was a sandwich that in order to become appropriate with kosher customs, had to get “re-invented” a little. This combo was originally intended to have a herring addition but since salmon was more available and cheaper in NYC, that ended up being the winner. Who knew that this substitution would become such a staple! Since the Yiddish word for Lox is Laks, that’s where that name came from. Today, this iconic sandwich is something most New Yorkers enjoy for their weekend breakfast!

In addition to their amazing bagels, Orwashers also serves bread, pastries, and cakes! Make sure to grab a traditional rugelach cookie as well!

Stop 2: Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar

For our next stop, we had some delicious New York hot dogs. But this wasn’t some simple hot dog from a street vendor, this was some next-level meat. A perfectly done hot dog in a pretzel bun with sauerkraut and mustard was the perfect next bite!

At first, I was surprised about how hot dogs can be tied into local Jewish history. But we learned about how the famous Hebrew National Dogs came into the market and how they are still one the most popular selling hot dogs around! They’re iconic slogan of answering to a “higher authority” got them national attention and was one of the first major kosher items to start selling in supermarkets.

We also learned about the kosher custom of eating meat vs. dairy and how kosher restaurant certifications come about. I absolutely love learning about the influence of cultures on food and especially the new inventions that come about in melting-pot cities like New York!

Stop 3: Pastrami Queen

Continuing on our tour, we headed over to Pastrami Queen. If you’re a New Yorker, a good pastrami sandwich is a staple in your diet. While some will argue that Katz’ has the best one in town, after trying Pastrami Queen, you might change your mind. This hole-in-the-wall spot does indeed serve an awesome sandwich that I will cross the Hudson River from Jersey to have again. Not only was the pastrami perfectly cured and seasoned, the rye bread (which comes from Orwashers Bakery!) perfectly complimented it as well.

Stop 4: William Greenberg Desserts

Last but not least, we stopped at William Greenberg Desserts for the one and only, Black and White Cookie! If you’re from this area, chances are you had dozens of these in your life. Although what appears to be a pretty simple cookie, it’s not as easy to find a well-made black and white as you’d imagine. This bakery did indeed nail this and it was the perfect way to end our Jewish Food Tour in New York.

As many black and white cookies as I enjoyed in my life, I had no idea it carried a Jewish-American history nor that it’s thought to have roots in Manhattan itself. It also carries some interesting stories related to the war! Who knew this simple classic cookie carries so much cultural importance!

Thoughts on the Jewish Food Tour in NYC

I personally love learning about cultures through their food. It’s especially fascinating in areas like New York City where multiple nationalities, religions, and customs all come together in search for a better life. With that, different combinations of origins along with substitutions for traditional ingredients created masterpieces like a lox bagel, a pastrami sandwich, a hot dog or even a cookie! While we may be eating these foods on a regular basis, learning about their origins makes each bite that more special.

Going on this Jewish Food Tour in New York with Scott’s Ultimate Food Tour was such an awesome weekend activity. I’d certainly recommend it if you’re looking for a unique thing to do in NYC! I loved it for its history, exploring the Upper East Side neighborhood in a different way, and most importantly the delicious food choices.

Whether you are a local like myself or someone visiting NYC for the first time, I’m confident you’ll enjoy this activity as much as I did!

And if the food stops on this route don’t necessarily go with your taste palette, Ultimate Food Tours has other routes in Chinatown, Times Square, and their Iconic Food Tour throughout the city.

I want to thank Scott for inviting me and my guest to spend the day with him! The opinions in this post are my own!