New York Old School Bagel & Deli — Restaurant in Charlotte

Oy vey, let me tell you about this little slice of New York right here in Charlotte - New York Old School Bagel & Deli. After shpilkes (anxiety) for months, I finally schlepped over on their second day open. Mazel tov to them, it’s a bit of a balagan (chaos) with the new staff, but give it time.

The joint’s no schmancy place, just a counter and bagel bins – you’ll be noshing on the go. A bissel (little) outdoor seating wouldn’t hurt, though. Their menu? Like a kid in a candy store – from schmear to shmeer, they’ve got it all. And the homemade coffee cake? A mechaye (delight)! They even have the classics like bacon, egg, and cheese on a Kaiser, and a mouth-watering Reuben. But, where’s the Dr. Brown’s in the cooler, huh?

Now, the main shtick – the bagel. I ordered an egg bagel with lox and schmear, not toasted (who toasts perfection?). For about 17 bucks, it’s gelt (money) well spent. This isn’t just a bagel; it’s a work of art! The crust? Perfectly crispy, just how a bagel crust should be. And the inside – oy, the chew! It’s like a little nosh of heaven with each bite. Cream cheese shmear on both sides, plenty of lox – it’s like being back in the old neighborhood.

Next time, I’m trying more and getting a dozen to freeze. It’s a shlep from my place, but for a bagel this good? Worth every mile. So, if you’re craving a real-deal New York bagel south of the Bronx, this is your place. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll get those Dr. Browns soon. A mensch can hope!

UPDATE:

Alright folks, round three at New York Old School Bagel & Deli, and let me tell ya, it’s still a schmear above the rest! This time, I hauled my tuches all the way back to stock up on those divine egg bagels. A 20-minute drive for a bagel? You bet your latkes it’s worth it. Just the smell of them is enough to make you plotz!

Now, let’s talk about the new heavyweight champion in my heart – the “Staten Italian” hero. Picture this: a foot-long, soft yet chewy bread, overflowing with a who’s who of Boars Head meats – prosciutto, mortadella, Genoa salami, and provolone. Add some lettuce, tomato, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and roasted red peppers, and you’ve got yourself a sandwich that’s more New York than a yellow cab in Times Square. Sure, at $16.99, it’s a bit of a kvetch on the wallet, but it’s a small price to pay for a hero that makes you feel like you’ve won a prizefight.

Next on my hit list? The Reuben Combo with corned beef & pastrami on rye. Stay tuned, because if it’s anything like their bagels and hero, I’ll be noshing and kibitzing about it in no time. So, if you’re in Charlotte and craving a slice of the Big Apple, get your tush over to New York Old School Bagel & Deli. Trust me, it’s worth...

I love food so much. This place fills a (bagel) hole in my soul.

Food: I have only been twice so far since I noticed this place a week ago because I live about 20 minutes away, but this place is certainly worth the drive.

The bagel selection is fabulous (I'd never even heard of flagels before I found this place, but they've got 'em), and by sight alone they are glorious to behold. I have had the cheddar jalapeño and the whole wheat bagel with sundried tomato and chive cream cheese respectively and both were exceptional. Really like being back in a family owned NY bagel shop. I have no notes.

The sandwiches we had today, so good. Again, like a NY neighborhood bodega. No notes.

Staff: I'm a friendly and patient guy, and I like other friendly and patient people. I agree that they're probably understaffed, but we only waited 10 min max both times we've been (both were during non-rush hours), and each time the owner and the staff have been friendly, if real. I prefer to interact with human beings rather than machines, so I really like the staff here. Some just need more training on the menu (several times, I noted the person at the register wasn't sure where a button was for something or how to customize an order for the ticket, relying on verbal communication for inconsistencies.

Atmosphere: Let's rip off the bandaid: the place is small and cramped, and other than the gorgeous bagels in the display case, the televisions displaying the menus, and a small handful of other decorations, the place isn't very exciting to look at, inside or outside.

Putting the menu online with a QR code to scan to bring up the menu on your phone or tablet would go a long way towards helping with the menu issues (maybe a few "normal sized" inside and a huge one in the window that can be scanned by anyone waiting in the long rush-hour lines).

I would love to see more NY-style decorations and attitude but, honestly, I don't care much about atmosphere for a non-date-night, non-sit-down restaurant in the first place, so shrug emoji.

Conclusion: I hope this place stays around long enough for my grandkids to hear me complain about how much things have changed since "my time". I have no kids yet, so that's a really, really long time for those who aren't in the know.

Thank you for coming to...

I hate to do it but I must tell the truth to the community. I saw the sub shop on Instagram and so I dided to make a visit to this shop so I wouldn't gotta on Saturday morning. I was so excited. I wanted me a hot. Turkey but sub Unfortunately, they could not even get that subcorrect. I asked for the bread to be toasted which they had a toaster. They seemed to be toasting bread. The lady said that would be no problem. Then I asked for light mail on the sub. I'll tell you what what I got. I got a 12 inch cold Turkey sub. That looked like only the scraps of the Turkey was put. On the third you know, the shavings, not the actual sandwich meat. If you know if you ever eat deli meat, you know, there's the little shavings that come off the meat once it's sliced. Well, that was on this particular sandwich that I was eating and not only that, there was barely any lettuce. The tomato was wilted and oh I should have known when i saw flies. Everywhere all in the shop and I notify the front end. Hey, you gotta fly's to R Lynn eggs all over your bagel. All she did was swatter my way with her hands and rolled her eyes at me and that was sort of my q to leave but I wanted to try I wanted to see. Could they make up for the long wait and the congestion that they had going on inside of the shop with all their order? And also let me tell you. I order a Philly steak. Tell me why I got home. The Philly steak was just me. No onions, no cheese. No peppers, no nothing, no toasted bread. I am so appalled. It's all apart, it was the worst experience I've ever had for a first time visit at a New York sub and bagel place. They were busy but they missed the ball on impressing their first time customers. I would never go back there. So I tried to call to speak with someone about my order. They don't even have voicemail. We smell they don't pick up the phone to even know what's going on with their orders. I tell you be aware they have their Back Door open flies or zoom in and out and that's why most of the time you can get stomach bugs because flies lay eggs on the food and this is my experience at this place I would never go back. I wouldn't risk my health with it but they ask for a review. I'm only doing what Google want and this is the solid. True, I even have a picture...