Last Updated on May 4, 2025
There’s New York City cheesecake and then there’s Junior’s, touted the best cheesecake in the world.
Walking into Junior’s, you enter a different place in time. Brightly lit bulbs direct your attention to rows of cheesecake lining a showcase. Wood paneled walls, and orange and brown vinyl booths are a reminder of the all-night diners that once dotted the Brooklyn landscape. And of course, the classic orange lettering spelling out ‘Junior’s’ is always within reach, never to be confused with any other place.
On a spring afternoon in 2025, I had the opportunity to chat with someone who happens to know the secret of Junior’s success. Alan Rosen, the third-generation owner of Junior’s. He shares a passion for one of New York’s greatest treasures which was started by his grandfather and continued by his father and uncle. Despite juggling the responsibilities of a famous restaurant, he hasn’t lost sight of the roots of its success.
While sipping coffee and noshing on fried cheesecake smothered in fresh blueberries and pineapple slices, Alan pulls back the curtain on what has made Junior’s a success.
“Look around… this is a mosaic of Brooklyn,” he said.
Everyone comes here and everyone is welcome.”
A gracious host, he gets up to greet a family from London enjoying the juiciest of burgers and a side of strawberry cheesecake. At another table, a young couple from Colombia is celebrating their wedding day. Nearby a woman sips champagne while eating a turkey club. Another senior couple sits quietly studying the menus that feature mouthwatering, delectable dishes along with the famous cheesecake. All of this happens while 60’s music plays in the background.
“You come to Junior’s not only for the cheesecake, but also for the experience,” Rosen said.
I couldn’t agree more.
History of Junior’s
Harry Rosen’s parents immigrated from Eastern Europe to New York in the late 1800s. Like many immigrants, his family settled on the lower East Side in Manhattan. Over time and with hard work, Harry opened four luncheonettes in the 1920s. The Great Depression came and only one survived – Cafe Enduro, on Flatbush and DeKalb Avenues in Brooklyn. It would subsequently close in 1949.
The following year, Harry Rosen opened Junior’s on Election Day. New York City had a special mayoral election that year, the Dodgers ruled Brooklyn, and the nearby Fox and Paramount Theaters had full houses every night. Downtown Brooklyn was ‘the’ place to be.
Junior’s represented the start of a brand-new era. Rumors say that Harry Rosen named the place after his two sons, Marvin and Walter, but Alan confirmed that isn’t true. No matter where or why the name originated, it wouldn’t be long before Junior’s would become a Brooklyn landmark.
Junior’s menu was an ethnic smorgasbord offering traditional matzah ball soup, cheese blintzes, thick corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, and home cooked plates of turkey or chopped steak.
During the 1950s and 1960s, meals came with dessert, and who doesn’t love dessert? Harry Rosen was always perfecting his menu and looking for something new to whet the appetites of his customers.
He would say, “Sprinkle a little sugar on the table and the ants will come.”
Harry and his Danish baker, Eigel Petersen, struck gold when they introduced their famous cheesecake. The soft, velvety dessert wasn’t like others, in fact, it could never compare.
What made this cheesecake so special?
For starters, the crust wasn’t made with crushed graham crackers, but rather a spongy vanilla cake. Next came the main ingredient, premium Philadelphia cream cheese along with heavy cream, sugar, eggs, and a touch of vanilla. Baked in a spring form pan on a tray of warm water and before long, you have a cheesecake that could only carry the label – Junior’s.
Rosen’s sons, Marvin and Walter, worked alongside their father since they were teenagers, making sandwiches, scooping ice cream, flipping eggs, and running the cash register. They also learned the secrets to the perfect cheesecake and became a natural fit to assume the reins of the business in 1969.
Despite economic and political changes in New York City, Junior’s weathered the times. In fact, the restaurant thrived, frequently visited by celebrities, politicians and sports figures.
Every mayor since John Lindsay in the 1960s made a campaign stop at Junior’s. Presidents also spent time here, most notably, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. On any day, you may run into celebrities like actress Sandra Bullock or Brooklyn native and director Spike Lee. The former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Evander Holyfield, has also paid a visit.
Memorabilia, photographs, and interesting treasures are on display at Junior’s. The restaurant featured in the 2014 film, The Angriest Man with Mila Kunis and Robin Williams. Junior’s also served as the background for Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big’s wedding reception in Sex and the City (2008).
Like the generations before, Alan and his brothers worked at the restaurant with their father and uncle since they were youngsters, learning every aspect of the business. Alan had a lot of ideas for Junior’s and during the late 1980’s, the restaurant began a mail order business.
By 2015, Junior’s was shipping over five million cheesecakes per year. These days, baking and shipping take place in a southern New Jersey facility. Workers and robots also work together to create cheesecakes for supermarkets like Costco, Krogers, ShopRite, and Publix.
As the mail order business grew, Alan said to his father, “I think we should expand the business.”
Walter Rosen could hardly conceive of such an idea, but nonetheless, Junior’s opened in Grand Central Terminal Station in 1990. Before long there were other locations including 45th Street in the Broadway theater district and nearby at West 49th Street. Junior’s even expanded to LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B, Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, and Resorts World in Las Vegas. Junior’s cheesecake and its popularity grew – and its loyal fans couldn’t get enough.
The landscape in downtown Brooklyn has changed a lot since 1950. There are huge glass and steel buildings towering over Junior’s Restaurant. Buses have replaced streetcars and once familiar department stores are long gone. The famous Fox and the original Paramount theaters are only a memory.
However, there are signs of rebirth.
There is a neon marquee for the ‘new’ Paramount theater across the street from Junior’s. Live entertainment is drawing people back to Flatbush and DeKalb Avenues, now known as Harry Rosen Way.
Junior’s turns 75 this year, a nostalgic reminder of Brooklyn’s past. Today, Junior’s, like Brooklyn remains resilient, confident, and ready to serve future generations.
Happy Birthday Junior’s. Now, how about a slice of that famous cheesecake?
