B&H Dairy

B&H Dairy
Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
Established 1938

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127 Second Ave.
(7th St & St. Mark’s place)
New York City
pick-up Only (call): 212-505-8065

Sun, Tues - Thurs 7 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri & Sat 7 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

A whitefish melt, on grilled challah with a large dill pickle, on a white dish with the word 'MENUS' in yellow text.

A young child with blonde hair and a red shirt sitting at a counter in a restaurant, holding a blintz close to their mouth. The text 'OUR FOOD' is overlaid on the image in yellow and red letters.

A group of diverse friends celebrating a party around two cakes, with the word 'PARTIES' overlayed in yellow text, in a decorated indoor space with photos on the wall and colorful lighting.

Two women wearing matching red shirts with green text that reads 'Challah por favor'. They are smiling, one giving a thumbs-up and the other making a peace sign. The background shows black-and-white photographs on a wall.

Black and white photo of people gathered in a restaurant, with the words 'OUR STORY' in yellow text overlaid.

Four men are standing inside a bar, engaged in a conversation. The man on the left has a shaved head with bruises and is wearing a denim jacket. The man on the right, bald and dressed in a brown jacket, is leaning against a wall. Two other men are in the background, one with curly hair and a beard, and the other with a beard and a black shirt. The word 'NEWS' is overlaid on the image in yellow.

A storefront painted green and black with colorful signs advertising a restaurant called B&H and offering art, coffee, and other items; there are signs for open status, ATM, and a sign that states no guns or phones allowed.

A city street with storefronts including a sign for 'Stetson Hats,' a 'Better Health' sign, and a 'B&H Dairy Restaurant' sign. There is a person wearing a hat and brown suit standing in front of a gate with stacks of newspapers or paper bundles. The word 'PHOTOS' is superimposed in large yellow letters.

Book titled 'The Dairy Restaurant' by Ben Katchor, with an illustration of a vintage restaurant scene with people dining, hanging lamps, and Hebrew writing on a wall.

Group of friends sharing sandwiches at a restaurant, with a man in the background looking at his phone, and the word 'VIDEOS' overlaid in yellow across the center.

CHALLAH! por favor

Plate with fried spring roll, small bowl of applesauce, small cup of whipped butter, slices of wheat bread, and a fork.

Kosher COMFORT FOOD HEAVEN

B&H Dairy is proud to serve traditional Eastern European comfort food—lovingly prepared dishes like matzo brei, blintzes (above), pierogies, cabbage rolls, and our famous soups and challah bread. Our menu has remained virtually unchanged since we first opened in 1938.

Check out photos of some of our classic dishes on the Our Food page, and view our breakfast specials and full menus here.

We are certified kosher (K-D) by Rabbi Andre Malek. Please note that our certification does not cover Passover. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Rabbi Malek using the phone number or email listed at the bottom of this page.

Two women wearing matching red shirts with green text that says 'CHALLAH! por favor,' sitting at a table with bowls of soup and a bowl of chili or stew. They are smiling, making peace signs, and posing for the photo in a restaurant.

OUR super Popular MERCH

We’ve sold thousands of our popular CHALLAH! por favor neon sign, and NO GUNS NO PHONES merchandise, which have been spotted on B&H fans across the country—and around the world.

Currently, our merchandise is only available for purchase at the register. We do not offer mail orders. If you live out of town, consider asking a friend to pick something up for you (and thank them with a B&H Dairy e-gift card!).

We’re exploring the possibility of adding an online shop to our website, but for now, come shop in person at B&H. (It's a great excuse for a blintz!)

Group of people celebrating a birthday in a retro diner decorated with balloons, balloons, and a rainbow-colored

PRIVATE evening PARTIES

Yes! B&H is available for private evening parties for up to 25-30 guests.

We’ll serve your favorite B&H Dairy dishes, provide cakes and decorations, along with a Sonos Move (you DJ!) and karaoke machine.

We can even arrange for your very own Tuna Melt lesson from Raphael and Bernardo! BYOB OK. Visit our Private Parties page to see party pics, also on our Instagram.

To arrange your party, talk to Ola, at the register most weekdays until 3PM, or fill out our Private Party Request form on the Private Parties page.

A Brief History
of B&H Dairy

B&H Dairy is one of the oldest kosher dairy lunch counters remaining in New York City. It was opened in 1938 by Abe Bergson and Jack Heller (B&H), who soon left the business. A new partner, Sol Hausman, then stepped in. The interior and menu have changed little since its early days.

In 1970, Bergson and Hausman sold the restaurant, which has since had two subsequent owners before being purchased in 2003 by Fawzy Abdelwahed.

Fawzy runs B&H with his wife, Ola, whom he met while she was working at The Stage Diner (now closed) across the street. (She cleaned his glasses one day, and that was it!)

Together, Fawzy and Ola operate the restaurant with their loyal staff, many of whom have been with them for over 10 years. Leo, for instance, has worked at B&H for 34 years. Fawzy and Ola consider both their employees and customers to be B&H Family.

B&H is located across from the historic Orpheum Theater (former home of “STOMP”). Years ago, this section of Second Avenue was known as Yiddish Broadway. In 2017, B&H Dairy was honored with a Village Award by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

Over the years, B&H has fed generations of East Villagers, including hippies, bohemians, NYU students, and actors like Shelley Winters, Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Jack Klugman, and more recently, Nicole Kidman and Helen Mirren and musicians Jimi Hendrix and Philip Glass. Sarah Silverman, a huge fan, used to live next door, and Lily Tomlin lived upstairs in the 1960s.

Take a seat at the B&H counter during a busy lunch hour to experience not only lovingly made traditional Eastern European comfort food—like matzo brei, blintzes, pierogies, cabbage rolls, and their famous soups and challah bread—but also the vibrant NYC melting pot. In just one order called out behind the counter, you can hear Arabic, English, Spanish, and Polish.

B&H is truly living New York City history. As Florence Goldberg (daughter of Abe Bergson) told the Vanishing New York blog, “The store was (and still is) more than a place to eat, it was a happy place where friends got together to trade stories about their workday and their families.”

No one is quite sure when the “Better Health” sign was added to the B&H name, but it has been up since at least the 1940s or 1950s, if not earlier. According to Florence, “Sol Hausman coined the phrase ‘Better Health.’”

More History and Photo Archives