The subway station at 79th Street now honors an Upper West Side icon. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled a tribute to Saul Zabar, the owner of the famed Zabar’s deli, who passed away last week at the age of 97. The agency has put up vinyl posters of Zabar in his signature white coat along the 1 train platform. The deli recently collaborated with the MTA to celebrate the subway’s 120th anniversary and Zabar’s 90th birthday.
“This tribute is the MTA’s way of honoring Saul, Zabar’s, and this special family that I’ve known my entire life, at the 79th Street station, where thousands of New Yorkers can be reminded every day of his impact,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “The Upper West Side won’t be the same without Saul, who helped a lot of businesses, not just his own, including the MTA.”
Established in 1934 by husband-and-wife duo Louis and Lillian Zabar, the deli began as a 22-foot-wide shop on Broadway and West 80th Street, devoted to serving the highest quality coffee and smoked fish.
Louis arrived in the United States in the early 1920s after fleeing anti-Jewish persecution in Ukraine. In Brooklyn, he rented a stall at a farmer’s market, where he reconnected with Lillian, a fellow villager who had also fled the pogroms, according to the New York Times.
The couple married in 1927 and had three children: Saul, Stanley, and Eli; the latter of whom went on to found Eli Zabar’s, a chain specialty food store inspired by the food halls and markets of London and Paris, as 6sqft previously reported.
Now, four generations and 91 years later, Zabar’s has become a culinary institution, renowned for its carefully curated selection of smoked fish, bagels, pastries, coffee, cheese, and other specialty foods.
“For generations, New Yorkers and visitors alike have made their way up here, often by subway or bus, to experience what my father built, a true Upper West Side institution,” Annie Zabar, Saul’s daughter and assistant vice president of Zabar’s, said.
“The store has always been a beacon for the neighborhood, and it’s such an incredible honor to see that spirit reflected back today. We are so grateful to the MTA and to all the city leaders who helped make this tribute possible.”
In 2024, the MTA partnered with Zabar’s to celebrate the subway’s 120th anniversary and Zabar’s 90th. The deli offered a “commuter special” featuring a $1.20 bagel with schmear, a $2.90 bagel with schmear and coffee, and a $9.90 bagel with cream cheese and lox, wrapped in subway- and bagel-themed paper illustrated with stations, cars, and signage.
For one month, Zabar’s also sold 90-cent cups of coffee and one-pound bags of its Anniversary Coffee Blend for $9.99.
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