NYC Legend Shopsin’s Back Open In Essex Market

The Shopsin family has been hosting and feeding us for nearly 50 years now, first at Kenny and Eve's general-store-turned-diner in the West Village, then at the old Essex Street Market, and now at the new Essex Market across Delancey. This latter venture, following Kenny's death in 2018, is run by three of the Shopsin kids.

Rightfully admired as an endlessly inventive chef who put care and love into everything he served—at one point there were some 900 dishes on the menu—Kenny Shopsin was just as notorious for his explosive personality, vulgarity and strictly-enforced rules. Among the restaurant's many policies over the years: no parties larger than four, no "copying" by ordering what your table neighbors or your dining companions were eating, no phone calls, and no photos of your food!

Kenny threw me out of his place on one occasion, and threatened ejection on another, but that never stopped me from going back as often as possible to eat the Shopsin family's glorious, often demented takes on classic comfort food. Besides, the Shopsins always make me smile. It's such a classic NYC attitude, and you've got to admire anyone doing something exactly how they want to do it, not for anyone else, and then delivering a goddamn masterpiece.

For most of the spring, of course, eating at Shopsin's hasn't been an option, but after a seven-week shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the family restaurant is open once again, with Tamara and Zack cooking up a somewhat abbreviated menu of favorites. And you know what? I'm thrilled.

Here's how it works: You pre-order online for pick-up only (no delivery). And it's only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Last Sunday I ordered way too much and feasted in that little nook on Essex Street below Seward Park. The online menu recreates the Shopsin's aesthetic nicely, with vintage photographs and illustrations accompanying each dish. There may not be 900 items anymore, but there are 14 dishes in "Eggland," seven kinds of Slutty Stuffed Pancakes (or, better, French Toasts), four different soups, a bunch of sides, and a whole mess of burgers and sandwiches.

I went all-in for my picnic, which featured the hall-of-famer Blisters on My Sisters, which involves fried eggs, cheddar broiled to chewiness, rice and beans, wilted greens, chilis, a pair of tortillas, and added-on chunks of chorizo. The ridiculously overflowing Sloppy Joe is as good as you want it to be, not too sweet like most versions of this cafeteria classic, and the side of freshly-fried chips were crisp and salty.

Another Shopsin's classic, the Mac and Cheese Pancake with hatch chilis, delightful as ever, especially when drenched in the house hot sauce. And if you're in the mood for something sweet, any of the stuffed French Toasts will hit the spot. I got the Iran, covered and filled with grilled bananas, peanuts, brown sugar, and almond butter, and with a side of spinach leaves; I drowned the whole thing in maple syrup and it was a soul-satisfying meal.

Shopsin's is located within Essex Market, right inside the northernmost entrance on Essex Street, and is currently open for take-out only on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m to 3 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (shopsins.com)