Gabila’s Potato Knishes

46 Responses to “Gabila’s Potato Knishes”

1. Crow on October 11th, 2006

   Jewish vegan grandma? My grandmother was a sensible woman who would never consider going vegan, and people back then were overall more reasonable and skeptical of harmful New Age diets.

2. Sarah on October 12th, 2006

   Crow, I don’t know about your grandma but among the most sensible things that BOTH of my sensible Jewish grandmas “considered” (or did) was not insult people — strangers or friends, needlessly or otherwise.

   I’m a “reasonable” omnivore too, but that doesn’t mean 1.) I can’t appreciate a vegan and 2.) I’m not “New Age”y (whatever that means).

   How ’bout laying off the assumptions and insults? Better yet, if you can’t say something RELEVANT, don’t say anything at all.

   Heather, I say keep it up. You’ve got wit and good taste. I love your reviews and I regularly buy items that you plug (and skip those you dis).

3. Crow on October 12th, 2006

   I like the HeatEatReview staff, but this Sarah person, don’t hire her.

4. Abi on October 13th, 2006

   Crow,

   You might notice that I edited your last comment. Either you and Sarah know eachother and you’re giving her a hard time or the middle school style flirtation is going a bit too far. No matter, we’re trying to keep the site friendly for the non-profane.

   I actually saw these for the first time in the Fairfax, VA Safeway. I feel like the store is in the middle of nowhere, then it goes and surprises me with vegan knishes and brown rice california rolls.

   That said, I don’t think I can pay money for something that contains that much potato and no cheese. What’s inside of that thing? Is it just potato? Is it spiced? Savory? Sweet? Do you top it with applesauce and call it a day?

   On an unrelated note, I had a sweet potato at the Outback Steakhouse the other day. Ok, it was definitely not a ‘Steakhouse’ kind of meal: French Onion Soup and a Loaded Sweet Potato. What is a loaded sweet potato? It is a marvelous native of the tropical Americas split open and topped with butter, brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon. It was amazing.

   I wish they made pre-roasted microwaveable sweet potatoes that came with a butter pat, brown sugar packet, and cinnamon packet. Are you listening frozen food companies?

5. MaryAnne on October 14th, 2006

   Frozen knishes? Hmm. I don’t know. I’ll have to try these.

   Abi,
   Knishes can have anything on the inside from broccoli to meat to, are you ready for this- sweet potato and cinnamon. Sometimes they’re spicy, sometimes they’re sweet. The best knish is the sweet potato knish filled with brown sugar and cinnamon at Katz’s Delis (made famous by the movie When Harry Met Sally). It would put your loaded sweet potato to shame!

   And, you can preroast a sweet potato! I’ve tried it. Roast it for several hours after spraying the outside with butter spray. When you’re done, wrap it in foil and stick in your fridge. In the morning, grap your potato and some brown sugar splenda packets and butter packets (stolen from restaurant) and you’re ready to go! It’s a great break from frozen food.

6. Heather on October 16th, 2006

   Wow, who knew a humble little knish could inspire such commenting? To Crow, I say ‘posh.’ You clearly don’t know me at all. New Agey, my foot. Bah to you, I say, bah. To Sarah, I say, thanks for having my back.

   Abi, dear, knishes are yummy. I think potato knishes are traditionally smothered with spicy mustard, but I’ve dressed them almost like baked potatoes…broccoli and a sort of vegany-cheese sauce one day, chives and vegan sour cream another, and then salsa and corn when I was feeling Tex-Mexy.

   And MaryAnne, do try them! They might even fare better in the oven, but I was always in a hurry and nuked ‘em.

7. NewYorkDave on November 7th, 2006

   A potato knish with cheese? Oy… No self-respecting New Yorker would do that!

   As for the frozen Gabila’s, I like to nuke them to defrost, then finish in the toaster oven at 400 degrees F for a few minutes. This gives a better texture than microwaving alone.

   The Gabila’s plant in Brooklyn closed months ago–a victim of gentrification–and rumor had it that they were to re-open on Long Island, but I haven’t been able to confirm that. If you buy another box, please let me know what address is listed.

8. alanz on November 8th, 2006

   I’m interested in the location of Gabila’s new plant. Any info would be appreciated. thanks, alanz

9. Hip on November 9th, 2006

   Joshua’s Coney Island Knish’s are the best.

10. NewYorkDave on November 13th, 2006

    You’re kidding, right? Joshua’s are horrible, the filling is runny and they have sugar in them. Gabila’s are a hundred times better.

11. Lisa on November 22nd, 2006

    Gabila’s are the best! They relocated to Long Island: 100 Wartburg Ave, Copiague LI, NY, 11726 631-789-2220

12. Eric on December 7th, 2006

    Where can I buy your Knishes in Jacksonville, Florida or can I buy them direct from you?

13. Andrew Gabay, VP of Gabila's Knishes on December 18th, 2006

    Heather,

    Thanks so much for your review! We have a new website, gabilas.com. If you are ever in the area, please feel free to stop by for some complimentary knishes.

    Andrew Gabay
    Vice President
    Gabila’s Knishes

14. Michele on January 3rd, 2007

    how can i get knishes delivered to my front door????

15. Dawn on January 8th, 2007

    these knishes are the most horrible things I have ever had, I prefer Joshua’s

16. Sarah on January 17th, 2007

    Dawn, you must be either employed by Joshua or paid to write such dribble. Your comment doesn’t even make sense. How can Gabila’s be the most horrible thing you have ever had yet you prefer Joshua’s? Your statement is a hypocreaceae. You deserve to eat the garbage that Josua produces. Enjoy!

17. Leonard Jablon on January 22nd, 2007

    I miss my square NY Knishes. Gabila’s are the closest I have found, since I left NY and moved to CA. There is only ONE thing wrong with them….they are small….Make them BIGGER! People will enjoy them for a longer time….

18. bill libertoff on January 24th, 2007

    need gabilas potoo kniches hilton head island south carolina 75% are northeastern do you have a local supplyer maior food dist do great business in beaufort s.c.

19. NewYorkDave on January 24th, 2007

    Yeah, the pro-Joshua comments must be from shills. Joshua’s are terrible, terrible, terrible. I feel bad for people outside NY who try them and assume they’re representative of a ‘real New York knish’, because that couldn’t be further from the truth. Gabila’s, Knish Nosh, Schimmel’s, Shatzkin’s, Mrs. Stahl’s, etc. never put (yuck!) sugar in their potatoes as far as I know!

20. Alzie on March 2nd, 2007

    OK, Here’s the real scoop on Gabila’s Knishes…. I’m an old time friend of the Gabila family and I just spoke to the big KNISH himself ! Yes, they recently moved from Brooklyn to Copiague Long Island. They were looking to expand their Bakery/Factory for some time and all the pieces recently fell into place. Fear not! Everything is still made the same way, in the same ovens, same recipies, same staff. A new online factory outlet store will be online in early April 2007 with many NEW flavors and styles of knishes and other products. See GABILA.COM or GABILAS.COM

21. Liz Wiatre on March 5th, 2007

    I purchased, as I do regularly, a six pack of Gabila’s Knishes wit the bar code 7 44548 11235 0. Much to my dissatisfaction, as I sliced into the knish to eat it I found a black particle. At first I thought this was an eye of a potato, but as I sliced into it further I found a large piece of this black substance. When I picked it out with my fingers it felt like a hard piece of foam. Needless to say I was unhappy with my findings and do not plan on purchasing your product in the future. Is there any explanation for my findings?
    I would appreciate your attention to this matter.

    Thank you,

    Liz Wiatre

22. Andrew Gabay on March 8th, 2007

    Liz,

    Sorry you are unhappy with finding a black particle in our knish. Rest assured, as you stated, it was merely the eye of the potato. During certain times of the year, as is the case currently, some potatoes have large black eyes deeply embedded in them. While we thoroughly wash, peel and cook the potatoes with high pressure steam, we cannot remove all of the eyes. We want our customers to be happy, however, so if you are ever in the area, please stop by for some complementary knishes.

    Andrew Gabay
    Vice President, Gabila’s Knishes

23. NewYorkDave on March 12th, 2007

    I’ve noticed the little black particles before… they’re just potato eyes, no big deal. They’re usually pretty small but every now and then you find a big one. I could certainly understand being freaked out by an unusually large eye–but look at it this way, it proves you’re eating real potatoes and not reconstituted “mashed potato powder” or whatever.

    I think a piece of skin makes it in there every now and then, too, but that’s no different from when I make mashed potatoes at home. (Some people actually leave the skins on purpose, supposedly it’s more nutritious… I dunno).

    Hey, Gabila’s just re-appeared at my local supermarket, quite unexpectedly after a long absence. (I’m only 90 minutes north of the city, so I could never understand why they’re so hard to find around here). Of course, this discovery comes about a week after I finally perfected my recipe for home-made baked knishes Still, sometimes I’m in the mood for a fried knish and I’ve never had one better than Gabila’s.

24. Andrew Gabay, VP of Gabila's Knishes on March 14th, 2007

    Thanks for the kind words, Dave! It’s knish connoisseurs like yourself that have kept us around for almost a century now.

    If you are ever in the area, feel free to stop by for some complimentary knishes.

    Andrew Gabay

25. Henry V Kaelber on March 23rd, 2007

    I had my first knish when I was 8 years old (40 years ago) on the beach at Coney Island. I remeber that it was near the handball courts. They were the highlight of every visit and brought me more pleasure than the rides at the park or the food at Nathan’s. My family was from upstate NY and thank goodness that my dad had a good friend in Queens.

    It wasn’t until I went to Manhattan College in the Bronx that I was able to find those fabulous square knishes in the local jewish delis. For 4 years, I lived off of pizza, Hebrew National dogs and square knishes.

    Now, I living in Charlottesville Virginia for a dozen plus years, I’ve found the internet to be the only way to get this delicasy. In fact, I’ve converted a few southerners. While it took some time to find that favorite knish from my youth, Gabila’s was the one. There are many other types and brands, but Gabila’s is my favorite.

    Andrew, if you’re still out there, please email me when your open for online orders. Aw heck, email me about how I can purchase them earlier.

    BTW, the black specks never bothered me either.

    Regards,

26. Andrew Gabay, VP of Gabila's Knishes on March 23rd, 2007

    Henry,

    Give us a call at 631-789-2220 and we can arrange to send you some knishes before the internet store opens.

    We appreciate loyal Gabila’s Knish eaters, like yourself, as this is how our business was built and still thrives after nearly a century!

    Thanks,
    Andrew

27. Edward Pistorio on April 7th, 2007

    Oh I have been emailing Alan from Gabila’s. I can’t wait much longer!!! I moved to Cape Coral Florida in Nov of 2005. I actually think the thing I miss the Most from NY is GABILA’S knish. For over 30 years of the Square Potatoe Heaven called GABILA. Man I wish I knew a store in these parts that carried them. Hey Andrew, please open the online store. As for the Black specks in those heavenly Knishes, If I didnt see them then I would think I was eating a fake wannabe knish. Don’t change the recipe ever!!! and good luck with the move to Suffolk from Brooklyn. (now open a plant in Cape Coral, FL). Regards, Ed

28. Andrew Gabay on April 10th, 2007

    Ed,

    Thank you for being a loyal Gabila’s Knishes consumer and for your inspirational words!

    Alan holds the reigns to the internet store. He has been working like 15 hours a day trying to get this thing up and running. He should be ready to open it up soon, I hope. There are, however, several Boar’s Head Provision distributors that sell our product. While I am not familiar with Florida, maybe one of the following contacts will be helpful:

    Westwind Provisions, Safety Harbor, FL
    Condello Provisions, Ocala, FL
    Classic Deli, Longwook FL
    First Coast, Jacksonville Fl
    Harbor City, W.Melbourne, FL
    Lords Provisions, Holly Hill, FL
    Premium Deli, Fort Myers, FL

    Thank you for your support!
    Andrew

29. NewYorkDave on April 13th, 2007

    Ed,

    I turned a friend of mine on to Gabila’s and he reports that he can find them in his local supermarket. He lives near Orlando. If you want, I’ll ask him which supermarket.

    As I write this, I’m eating a Gabila’s knish with a sandwich on rye bread slathered with Bauer’s mustard and a Ba-Tampte half-sour pickle on the side. All I need to complete the experience is a nice cold Cel-Ray!

30. Edward Pistorio on April 14th, 2007

    Great News!! I will check out the deli in Fort Myers it is close to my house. Dave, you are correct about the Dr. Browns to complete the meal!!! If you could ask your friend what Supermarkets that would be great. Andrew, Thanks for the information I am going there Tomorrow!!! in Fort Myers. Man I can’t wait ( I might not be able to sleep tonight). I will keep you all updated on the SWFL Gabila’s Knish situation!!!!!

31. Keith on April 14th, 2007

    Looking for them in Florida? I’m in Orlando and I can get them in a few places:

    Our local Albertsons stocks them, in the freezer section, near the other Jewish favourites. likewise the local Publix and even the Winn-Dixie supermarkets

    I love them! -I have some in my freezer right now… I think I’ll have some in fact!

    Keith

32. Edward Pistorio on April 15th, 2007

    Thanks Keith, I guess they just don’t get it down here. I checked 2 Ablertson’s and 4 Publix’s and still no luck. The local Winn Dixie’s both closed down. I tried the Premium Deli on Saturday but they were closed. I can only hope they have them or just keep waiting for Alan to get the internet store up and running. Otherwise I might have to take the 4 hour ride to Orlando believe me it’s worth it!! I will be in NY in July and I will be in GABILA HEAVEN!!!! ( close to the new facility in Suffolk County). Andrew & Alan PLEASE put a rush on it….. Only kidding I know you guys are working your potatoes off. I have spoke with the Deli Manager in my Publix and asked her to inquire to her Boars Head Rep??????

33. NewYorkDave on April 17th, 2007

    Yeah, a real kosher deli wouldn’t be open on Saturday (Shabbos).

    Speaking to the deli manager at your local supermarket can get results. It worked for me.

    See, this is one of the reasons I can never leave New York. I would miss the food too much!

34. Edward Pistorio on April 18th, 2007

    YES!!!!! Finally……. Thank you Andrew, Premium Deli in Fort Myers is ordering them for me and said they would have it in by MONDAY of next week. I will keep you all updated as soon as I can sink my teeth in to the Square Heaven Potatoe.

35. Edward Pistorio on April 28th, 2007

    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I have been in GABILA Heaven since picking up my box of 30 at the Premium Deli ( Thank you Andrew ). I’ve Had 2 per day and they have not changed one bit from when I used to live in NY. Keep up the good work!!! I will be picking up another box sometime in May!!!!!!! GABILA’S RULE!!!!!!

36. Andrew Gabay, VP Gabila's Knishes on April 28th, 2007

    Glad I could help, Ed. Enjoy! When you are in New York, feel free to stop by the new factory and I will give you some complimentary knishes.

    Abdrew

37. Andrew Gabay, VP of Gabila's Knishes on April 28th, 2007

    Glad I could help, Ed. Enjoy! When you are in New York, feel free to stop by the new factory and I will give you some complimentary knishes.

    Andrew

38. Edward Pistorio on April 30th, 2007

    The Internet Store is OPEN!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYBODY can now enjoy the Best Knish EVER!!!!!!!

39. NewYorkDave on May 10th, 2007

    Hey, the new online store looks great. And the new product offerings are very tempting. (Well, they’re new to me, anyway–I didn’t know Gabila’s made other stuff besides knishes).

    I like how the product descriptions are peppered with humor, for instance: “A perfect side dish for any meal, Family Gathering or Holiday Table. Our son calls it ‘Kasha Varnicles.’ He’s 30!”

    I was heartbroken when the Brooklyn factory closed because I figured that was the end. I’m so glad I turned out to be wrong about that. Now I’m buying Gabila’s at my local supermarket every week and eating an average of two per day… Actually, I’d better cut back a bit if I wanna fit into my swimming trunks this summer

40. Andrew Gabay, VP of Gabila's Knishes on May 14th, 2007

    Dave,

    Glad you like the new website. Al worked his knishes off getting it together. Don’t worry about your waistline, just keep on enjoying the knishes. : )

    Thanks again for the kind words and support.

    Andrew

41. evelyn goldware on January 29th, 2008

    What grocery store carrie this knish. It is so hard to find good knish in the south.

42. Jeff on February 6th, 2008

    Do you know if there is a place to purchase knishes in and around Raleigh NC. Please let me know if there is Thanks.

43. Kathy Tuders on March 7th, 2008

    Help!! I am a native New Yorker but live in Chattanooga,TN. I miss your knishes!!! They sold them here in Bi-Lo for a few months. Now they don’t! And I loved being able to have them whenever I wanted. Do you know who sells your knishes in this area?

44. kathleen on March 8th, 2008

    please make a sweet potato kinish
    i went to Yonah Schimmel’s Bakery and
    have fallen hopelessly in love : )

45. Evette on March 19th, 2008

    I was born in Manhattan, NYC and I grew up eating the square potato knishes. After school, I made sure I had money. I left Manhattan after the sixth grade, now I’m 55 and I tell anyone that goes to New York to please bring me one. I have even gone to the Deli’s here in San Diego, and was greatly dissapointed, it was not that square golden crust, the light peppery soft fluffy potato inside. Are there any stores or vegan stores that might carry them? If not I will settle on ordering them online.
    Andrew, Please help
    A lonely New Yorker

46. JIM on May 1st, 2008

    love the knishes.

    HEY ED ANY Chance u used to work in maspeth?

Leave a Reply