1. Eisenberg's wins for overall old-world ambiance. I've written about the place here and here, where owner Josh Konecky extolled the virtues of Fox's U-bet syrup, which he uses with seltzer, now that the fountain is back up and running. With my egg cream, I like the big, fat tuna salad on rye.
2. Prime Burger comes in a close second for the best atmosphere in which to enjoy an egg cream. They don't use U-Bet, but a syrup called "Royal Treasure." If it weren't for the tourists, Prime might be perfect. Either way, their egg creams are good for washing down an un-fancy burger in those fantastic faux-bois vintage booths.
3. The Peter Pan Donut Shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is another fine place to loiter at a lunch counter. Unfortunately, they make their egg cream with seltzer from a can, but it is probably the most interesting to look at, with its many striations.
4. Joe Jr's on 6th Avenue is best known these days for being ripped from the arms of its many loving customers. I got an egg cream as part of my last meal there. It looked a little sickly, like it had a skin disorder, perhaps a manifestation of the stress it felt about its impending doom.
5. The Roxy Luncheonette is nothing special, but it serves up a serviceable and super foamy egg cream from its non-descript little hole in the wall lunch counter.
6. Tom's Restaurant in Brooklyn requires, as I've said before, the taking of a benzodiazepine before you go inside to eat on a Saturday. Their egg cream comes with whipped cream and shredded nuts. I don't approve, on principle, but it is tasty nonetheless.
7. The Soda Shop is totally ersatz and filled with loudmouths. I thought their egg cream was decent. However, a more discerning egg-cream lover and commenter here wrote, "Sorry to be the killjoy but that egg cream was obviously made incorrectly. The big bubbles on top and single color demonstrate that they mixed the syrup and milk before adding the seltzer. The two tone color scheme of the proper egg cream (the white foam head atop the chocolate soda) seems to have been lost to the ages--I have only seen one egg cream made properly in the last fifteen years."
I'd like all seven please.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1970s I worked in the garment district, and one of my favorite places to stop for my break was the Don Alvaro's on 35th & 7th Ave in the bottom corner of Macy's. They had chocolate egg creams, vanilla egg creams, and lime rickeys (my favorite...and they were red, not green).
ReplyDeleteThere don't seem to be any places like that anymore. I used to like egg creams at Dave's near Canal St.
Eisenberg's is good, But Sammy's Roumanian is far, far superior. Don't overlook Lexington Candy Shop either!
ReplyDeleteSammy's mixes them at your table and will give you a blow-by-blow on proper manufacture.
I spent a summer selling egg creams from a wagon across the street from Radio City Music Hall. I spent more time telling tourists that there were not eggs in them than selling them.
ReplyDeleteI would never serve an egg cream if the foam was not white.
Anyway, I love Tom's but whipped cream and nuts is an abomination.
Have you checked out Mill Korean Restaurant? I mean, how many Korean restaurants serve an egg cream?
ReplyDeleteThe current owners took over from the couple who had long run the Mill Luncheonette in the same spot, and kept the egg cream on the menu.
There was no champagne growing up on the les. just egg creams. I'm going to Eisenberg VERY SOON!
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Lexington Candy Shop? It's the Upper East but they still have pretty good ones.
ReplyDeletelexington candy corner is great. only trouble is, when i am there, i want a MALTED--which is hard to get anywhere else.
ReplyDeletehere's my previous coverage of the candy corner
...and sammy's is definitely at the top of my to-do list
ReplyDeleteI know you've already done this, and I think you're only talking about non-LES egg creams, but I still think Ray's (on Avenue A) should be mentioned, only because.... it's Ray's, it's an institution, it's special, he's special.... And the egg creams are great!
ReplyDeleteyep, ray's is in my LES egg cream round-up. but certainly worth mentioning again. great to have more egg cream recommendations--i am sure i'll do another in the future.
ReplyDeleteRay's every time--the best ever!!! My favorite is coffee followed closely by chocolate.
ReplyDeleteYou fail to mention one important thing that has fallen to the wayside - the accompaniment of an egg cream with a pretzel. It was the way I always had them, from street vendors who used to sell them on the lower east side, every time I was in the city with my mother or grandparents. I yearn for it frequently.
ReplyDeletehttp://chowhound.chow.com/topics/641218
ReplyDeleteOn a recent sojourn uptown, I made a point of stopping at Lexington Candy Shop for an egg cream. It was good, came in a real glass, but at $3.50 seemed a little steep.
ReplyDeleteYesterday in the West Village I stopped at La Bonbonniere on Eighth Avenue. It was probably the most well-constructed egg cream I've had, with a clear strata effect and white foam. Yet at $3.80 I again felt ripped off (their beers are only $4).
Eisenberg's offers a top-notch egg cream (albeit in a plastic cup) for just two bucks, which I think keeps them top of the tree (just).
eisenberg's is good - but sammy's roumanian is superb
ReplyDeleteAddresses would be helpful.
ReplyDelete