damnlines.comdamnlines.comA 24-year Upper West Side institution famed for its ceremonial challah, which closed in a landlord dispute in March 2025 and reopened blocks away on Broadway that July, drawing an immediate morning line.
damnlines hasn't pointed a lens at Silver Moon Bakery yet. The most-wanted lines get a camera first.
JTA reported that when the reborn Silver Moon reopened at 2664 Broadway on July 25, 2025, "some 15 locals were in line by 8 a.m. Friday morning," with a "steady flow of customers" continuing through the morning, many arriving with strollers and dogs — a sign that the neighborhood's long attachment to the bakery's challah turned into an immediate walk-in queue on day one.
That opening-day rush followed an abrupt loss: Time Out reported the original 24-year-old bakery at 2740 Broadway closed for good on March 23, 2025, after its owners chose not to fight landlord Broadside Realty's refusal to renew the lease amid a dispute over more than $200,000 in alleged back rent, urging readers at the time to "stock up on challah and cookies while you still can."
Crain's New York Business reported the revival is a partnership with Buttercup Bake Shop owner Hazem Elgohary, operating under the working name "No Name Bakery" a few blocks from the original spot, after Elgohary crowdfunded more than $14,000 toward reviving Silver Moon once its closure became public. JTA noted the plan to sell challah daily rather than just Thursday through Saturday suggests walk-in demand — and any lines — could spread across more days going forward.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: No reservation system is reported by any source; JTA's account of the reopening describes customers simply queuing and being served in person, first-come, first-served.
Walk-ins: Yes — JTA's coverage of the July 2025 reopening shows customers walking up and lining up outside starting at 8 a.m., with no waitlist, app, or booking step described.
Per JTA, challah was historically sold 'only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays' at the original location, with the new Broadway location planning to make it 'a daily item on rotation.'
When the bakery reopened on Broadway in July 2025, JTA reported about 15 customers were already lined up by 8 a.m. on opening morning, with a "steady flow" of customers continuing afterward. No outlet has published an official average wait time, but the opening-day queue points to real morning demand, especially on challah days.
No source describes a reservation system. JTA's coverage of the reopening shows customers simply arriving and queuing in person, consistent with it operating as a standard walk-in bakery counter.
Yes — JTA's account of the July 2025 reopening describes customers walking up and lining up outside starting at 8 a.m., with no waitlist, app, or reservation step mentioned. It functions as a first-come, first-served retail counter.
At the original Broadway location, challah was sold "only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays," per JTA. JTA also reported the new location planned to make challah "a daily item on rotation," which could spread demand across the week.
Time Out reported the original 24-year-old bakery at 2740 Broadway closed for good on March 23, 2025, after owners declined to fight landlord Broadside Realty's refusal to renew the lease amid a dispute over more than $200,000 in claimed back rent. Crain's New York Business reported it returned four months later at 2664 Broadway as a partnership with Buttercup Bake Shop owner Hazem Elgohary, who crowdfunded over $14,000 to help revive it.
Sources: Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) · Time Out New York · Crain's New York Business · Silver Moon Bakery (official site)