The appetizing shop — the classic New York counter for smoked fish, cream cheese, and bagels — is enjoying a revival. A new generation of shops is reviving the craft, hand-rolling bagels and curing their own salmon rather than ordering it in.

The trend honors a deep tradition while updating it for modern tastes. The fictional shop Katz & Rye on the Lower East Side draws weekend lines for a bagel-and-lox its regulars swear rivals the legends of old.

The revival comes as some beloved originals have shuttered under rising rents, lending urgency to the effort. For its practitioners, preserving the appetizing counter is about safeguarding a piece of the city's culinary soul, one perfectly sliced piece of lox at a time.