Zabar's is trading bagels and rugelach for card tricks and mentalism next month, as the Upper West Side grocery institution hosts its first-ever magic show on October 1, complete with complimentary cocktails and after-hours shopping access for ticket holders.
The one-night-only event, produced by Underground Overground Magic, will feature a mix of stage acts and close-up performances, according to Time Out. Doors open at 7:00 pm with the show beginning at 7:30 pm, and Zabar's will let ticket holders browse the store after its normal closing time. Tickets are available only through the Underground Overground Magic waitlist, with prospective guests signing up via the group's Instagram bio.
A Grocery Institution's Second Act as a Nightlife Venue
This isn't Zabar's first brush with after-hours entertainment. Underground Overground Comedy previously staged a show inside the store, according to the same Time Out account.
Underground Overground Comedy was founded in April 2021, according to Underground Overground Comedy. Since then, the company has hosted more than 350 pop-up shows across over 90 non-traditional New York City locations, including Katz's Delicatessen and Economy Candy, staging stand-up in laundromats, barbershops and food institutions along the way.
From Comedy After-Parties to a Dedicated Magic Brand
Mansoor and Levine launched Underground Overground Magic in November 2025 as a spinoff, after noticing how enthusiastically audiences responded to magicians booked for after-parties at their comedy events, according to Genii Magazine. Levine said there are not many magic shows happening in New York City, and per People, he described audience reactions to close-up magic as showing real excitement for the art form. The brand now presents magic performances, including sword swallowing.
Underground Overground Magic's venue portfolio already stretches well beyond grocery stores. Genii Magazine reports the group has staged shows at a scuba shop and an abandoned barbeque restaurant, alongside the planned run at Zabar's. The approach mirrors the operational model established by its sister comedy brand: Underground Overground Comedy tickets are all-inclusive, and its performer lineups stay secret until the artists are on stage. For the Zabar's event, prospective guests sign up through an Instagram-linked waitlist.
A Store With Deep Roots Now Embracing Late-Night Buzz
Zabar's is an Upper West Side grocery institution known for its bagels, smoked fish and rugelach, and its history stretches back nearly a century. The store originally opened in 1934 at the Crystal Pure Food Market at 2249 Broadway between West 80th and 81st Streets, founded by Ukrainian immigrants Louis and Lillian Zabar, according to The Jerusalem Post. Today the business spans roughly 20,000 square feet across five contiguous storefronts on Broadway between 80th and 81st Streets, employs over 200 workers, and sells more than 400,000 pounds of coffee per year, per CBS News.
The store's leadership has shifted recently. Longtime co-owner Saul Zabar, known as the store's smoked fish czar, died at age 97 in October 2025 after leading the grocery for more than seven decades alongside his brother Stanley Zabar.
Joining a Crowded Field of Intimate NYC Magic Shows
The Zabar's event enters an already competitive marketplace for boutique, speakeasy-style magic in New York City. Time Out lists Speakeasy Magick among New York's magic shows in Flatiron. Close-up magic in non-traditional venues has increasingly become a nightlife alternative to standard theater settings across the city.
For now, the details attendees can count on are the date, the doors, and the drinks: October 1, 7:00 pm entry, a 7:30 pm start, complimentary cocktails, and a chance to wander Zabar's storied aisles after the registers have closed.
