Call it the Lazarus of lunch counters.
In March 2021, it was announced that Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop, a Flatiron mainstay since 1928, was closing — devastating locals who flocked to the vintage Fifth Avenue nook for delicious deli staples.
“When this place closed, I can’t tell you. I almost started crying,” said Rita, a Brooklyn native who has lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years. “Then it just sat deserted.”
Now, Matt Ross and Eric Finkelstein of Court Street Grocers have revived the flatlined establishment, which reopened last week as S&P — the restaurant’s original name.
Rita, an Eisenberg’s regular who preferred not to give her last name, stopped by on a recent morning, tucking into an omelet with cheddar and tomatoes. She even broke her no-carb rule and ordered rye toast to celebrate the return to routine.
“When I saw they were coming back, I said, ‘Yes, we’re back!’ I love Broadway, but coffee shops, baby — that’s just as important.”
Initially, Finkelstein and Ross weren’t looking to take on another eatery, but the building’s broker reached out to the pair, knowing the landlord wanted to preserve it, and thought they’d be responsible stewards of the nearly 100-year-old institution.
“It felt really special,” Ross told The Post.
“We’re not trying to make a theme park version. It was truly a preservation project,” he added. The previous owner, Warren Chiu, trademarked the name Eisenberg’s, so they did some research and settled on S&P, the restaurant’s original moniker — named for founding fathers Charles Schwadron and Rubin Pulver.
Ross and Finkelstein added new flooring, lights, refrigeration, ventilation and kitchen equipment. Classic furnishings, including the stools and counter, stayed.
“There are a lot of new things, but hopefully you don’t notice them,” said Ross.
They kept the egg creams, as well as one of the city’s most famous tuna melts, served on rye ($12). New options include the quirky peanut butter with bacon on white ($6), alongside beefy options like the “Dinkelburger” ($12), topped with pastrami and Muenster cheese, named for Frederick Dinkelberg, one of the architects of the Flatiron building, just across the street.
The new owners are devoted enough to the institution’s continuity to have brought back popular employee Jodi Freedman-Viera, who worked the register for 13 years under the two previous regimes.
“Along with all of the systems, she recognizes all the regulars,” said Ross.
Freedman-Viera said it was “great to get that initial phone call [from Ross and Finkelstein]. There has been an outpouring of people from the neighborhood so elated we opened again. This is a home away from home.”
The food is better than at its previous incarnation, Freedman-Viera said, praising the homemade potato latkes, the in-house cured meats and sweets such as the carrot cake, baked by Ross’ mom and the rugelach, which is made by Finkelstein’s father.
And despite a previous report, “Uncut Gems” director Josh Safdie is not working with the restaurant as the creative director, or in any official capacity.
“He’s just a good friend,” said Ross.
Randy Ko, 41, who was in the neighborhood for a work meeting, had never eaten at Eisenberg’s, but stopped for lunch after noticing a gaggle of people outside.
“I appreciate that it’s not trying to be fancy. There’s no cheffy flourish,” said Ko. “On a scale of one to 10, the tuna melt is a nine.”