Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse Explained

Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse is a Romanian-Jewish restaurant in Lower East Side, Manhattan that closed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, but has reopened in a new location nearby in Spring 2024.^{[1] [2] [3]} The original Sammy's was considered something of a NY foodie institution.^[4] Sammy's opened in 1975, in a spot occupied previously by another Romanian restaurant on Chrystie Street. ^[5]

Sammy's occupied a basement retail space in the Lower East Side for 47 years where it served Romanian-style steak and offered entertainment by lounge performer Dani Luv, who also does Borscht Belt-style stand-up comedy replete with Yiddish.^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} The entertainer, whose legal name is Dani Lubnitski, has returned to the keyboard at the restaurant, which is also known for its vodka-fueled nightlife scene (with bottles served frozen in blocks of ice) and garlicky beef.^{[10] [11]}

Sammy's is known for fried kreplach, chopped liver, sweetbreads, latkes, ice block-encased vodka bottle service, and syrup jars filled with schmaltz or rendered chicken fat, at the tables as a condiment.^{[12] [13] [14] [15]} The owner is David Zimmerman. ^[16] Chris Frantz refers to the original Sammy's as a restaurant frequented by music business executives during Talking Heads' time in the CBGB scene.^[17]

See also

• List of Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2021-01-05 . Legendary NY Jewish Restaurant Sammy's Roumanian Closes but Vows to Reopen After the COVID Era . 2023-12-09 . JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency). en.
2. Web site: Orlow . Emma . 2023-04-27 . NY Icon Sammy's Roumanian Plots Its Big Return to Manhattan . 2023-12-09 . Eater NY . en.
3. Web site: Diamond . Jason . 2024-04-22 . Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse Is Back, Along With Its Schmaltz . 2024-07-04 . Grub Street . en.
4. Web site: Askinasi . Rachel . 2021-01-06 . Heartbroken fans of NYC eatery Sammy's Roumanian are mourning the loss of the iconic basement restaurant . 2023-12-09 . Insider . en-US.
5. Book: Sietsema, Robert . New York in a Dozen Dishes . 2015 . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt . 978-0-544-45431-6 . en.
6. News: Wells . Pete . 2014-09-23 . Come. Eat. There's Plenty of Food. . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-12-13 . 0362-4331.
7. Web site: Duckor . Matt . 2012-11-04 . After Sandy, Sammy's Roumanian Steak House Parties On . 2023-12-09 . Bon Appétit . en-US.
8. Web site: Feldmar . Jamie . 2021-01-08 . RIP Sammy's Roumanian, Where Every Night Was a Bar Mitzvah . 2023-12-09 . Food & Wine . en.
9. Book: Sheraton, Mimi . 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List . 2015-01-13 . Workman Publishing Company . 978-0-7611-8306-8 . en.
10. Web site: Keys . Lisa . 2023-04-27 . Sammy's Roumanian, iconic Lower East Side Jewish restaurant, mounts a comeback . 2023-12-09 . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . en-US.
11. Web site: 2019-05-20 . Famous Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse New York Magazine The Thousand Best . 2023-12-09 . New York Magazine . en.
12. Book: Wex, Michael . Rhapsody in Schmaltz: Yiddish Food and Why We Can't Stop Eating It . 2016-04-12 . Macmillan . 978-1-250-07151-4 . en.
13. Book: Rose . Anthony . The Last Schmaltz: A Very Serious Cookbook . Johns . Chris . 2018-10-09 . Appetite by Random House . 978-0-14-753004-2 . en.
14. Book: Stone, Emily . Did Jew Know?: A Handy Primer on the Customs, Culture & Practice of the Chosen People . 2013-10-29 . Chronicle Books . 978-1-4521-2957-0 . en.
15. Web site: Diamond . Jason . 2021-01-05 . Good-bye to Sammy's Roumanian and Its Glorious Schmaltz . 2023-12-09 . Grub Street . en.
16. Web site: Chang. Sophia. 2021-01-03. Legendary Sammy's Roumanian Restaurant Will Reopen, Owner Vows. 2023-12-09. Gothamist.
17. Book: Frantz, Chris . Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina . 2020-07-21 . St. Martin's Publishing Group . 978-1-250-20923-8 . en.