B&H Dairy

"B&H Dairy is the kind of place you go if you want to feel like a New Yorker. Not an NYU student or a lived-here-for-three-years New Yorker, but a guy reading a newspaper in a diner in an ’80s cop movie New Yorker. This cash-only spot is mostly just one long counter, and you order from the guy who makes your food. The menu is extensive, but you can’t go wrong with one of the soups or giant sandwiches. Come here for a quick breakfast or lunch where you can pretend to be some OG East Villager before you head off to class or work." - hannah albertine, matt tervooren

"B&H Dairy, a tiny kosher spot on 2nd Ave., is the kind of place where you can walk in with today's copy of The Times under your arm, make conversation with the people next to you, and be transported to a previous East Village era. It’s been around since the 1940s, and there’s something about eating an overstuffed tuna sandwich on their airy, baked-in-house challah bread, or eight perfect pierogies, that leads to thoughts about how everyone from Lou Reed to Keith Haring might have refueled here, after a late-night show around the corner. The menu of diner and Eastern European classics is long, but it’s dwarfed by the sense of pride and loyalty that long-time East Villagers have for this place." - sonal shah, bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman

"This Kosher lunch counter is the kind of classic New York place that makes us say, “goddammit I love B&H Dairy” every time we pass by. Their breakfast and lunch menus are extensive, but for a one-order snack, we like to go with their pierogies. Get them filled with potato or sauerkraut and mushroom, and you’ll spend your afternoon living in a sour cream-allium-filled paradise." - hannah albertine

"This Kosher lunch counter is the kind of classic neighborhood place that makes us say “Goddammit I love New York City” every time we pass by. It’s been open since 1938 and is now run by a couple who met in the East Village (named Ola and Fawzy). The Eastern European breakfast and lunch menus are extensive, and the pierogi are always a good choice. Get them filled with potato or sauerkraut and mushroom. Otherwise, try one of the soups or giant sandwiches like the tuna melt on toasted homemade challah." - will hartman, bryan kim, kenny yang, neha talreja, hannah albertine

"Choose between boiled or fried pierogies filled with cheese, potato, spinach, or sauerkraut and mushrooms at this old-school East Village spot, which has been around since 1942. B&H Dairy is a narrow, cash-only coffee shop that feels untouched by time and serves dairy-only, meat-free kosher food to a single row of two-top tables and diner counter seating, swiveling stools and all. The place almost closed in spring 2015 due to a gas explosion on the street, but dedicated fans mobilized to raise nearly $30,000, and B&H reopened a few months later. The challah and blintzes here are also worth seeking out." - Alexandra Ilyashov