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Five Months After Fire At L.I. Factory, Square Knishes Back On The Menu At Katz's Deli

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- They're back!

The first shipment of square knishes in five months arrived at Katz's Deli on Monday morning after a fire at a Long Island factory stopped production of the popular treat.

At 5:33 a.m., a truck from Gabila's Knishes in Copiague arrived at the 125-year-old landmark on Manhattan's Lower East Side, 1010 WINS' John Montone reported.

"They're going to fly off the grill today," Katz's Oscar Deluna told CBS 2's Weijia Jiang.

Square Knishes Back On The Menu

"My mouth started watering," Lower East Side resident Mike Navarrete said. He rushed to Katz's as soon as he could to buy two. I was pretty hungry, so that's why I'm here now."

Australian Kendall Crocker scored a knish on his 50th birthday.

"It's very good," he said. "Worth ordering to give it a go."

Gabila's is the only factory that makes square knishes, which are sold from street carts and at delis across the region.

Fans of the deep fried potato treat, which also comes filled with kasha or spinach, have been kvetching since Sept. 24. That's when a fire damaged the machinery that makes "The Original Coney Island Square Knish."

For five months, the round knishes were the only choice. Katz's Deli ordinarily sells about 6,000 knishes a month.

"People left angry cause they weren't here," Deluna said.

Gabila's, which also makes matzoh balls, blintzes and latkas, sells the knishes both online and at retail outlets around the country, with New York, Florida and California leading the sales.

Gabila's has been in business for more than 90 years with more than a billion knishes sold.

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