Astoria Bagel Shop — Restaurant in New York

This is one of (if not) THE oldest bagel places in Astoria. I used to get my morning bagels here in the mid-90s before jumping on the train to go to high school. The interior is spartan and hasn't changed in three decades, but the bagels are still great. Don't expect wifi, ample seating, or a carefully curated Spotify playlist painstakingly put together by the hip young people with tattoos and nose rings on order duties. This place is no frills but still very good at what it does. Making amazing bagels.

Payment remains CASH ONLY and they're closed by 4pm. If you go early in the morning on weekdays, you'll be waiting in line with neighborhood blue collar folks and budget conscious teens on their way to work and school respectively. It's the kind of place I grew up with and still like to go to, despite some of the fancier bagel places that have popped up nearby.

I'm deducting one star for the owner's grumpy attitude and their inability to change with the times on a couple fronts. I'd be a daily supporter of this place if they somehow figured out how to make egg sandwiches alongside their bagels. If a guy in a cart on a street corner can do it, these guys can figure it out, but they're not willing to, for whatever reason. That and the cash only thing is an inconvenience when I'm low on greenbacks and need to hit an ATM. At that point, if I go across the street to the bodega's ATM, I'm gonna get hit with the 2.99 fee which negates any cost savings I was hoping to get by coming to the "older" bagel place. If I choose to walk 1.5 blocks to my bank on 31 st to avoid the fee, I might as well walk to NYC Coffee & Bagel house and get proper eggs with my bagel.

As it stands I only come here when I'm not getting eggs for breakfast, which is pretty infrequent, but I realize this is my specific scenario. Otherwise,everything that Astoria Bagels offers for consumption is...

Although this bagel store has been open for many many years the owner has still not learned how to treat customers. On more than one occasion not only have I been treated horribly but, I have witnessed this woman treat other customers with absolutely no respect. I refuse to give her anymore business. Brooklyn Bagel or New York City Bagel make better cream cheese and are actually nice to their customers!

Unfortunately my daughter recently made the mistake of going to Astoria Bagel. She was charged the wrong amount for her order and asked to see the receipt. This woman refused to give her a receipt and instead verbally told her what she was charged. Now not providing a receipt to a paying customer is against the law.

Unfortunately many people are not aware of this. But then the owner proceeded to get nasty with my daughter because she was annoyed that my daughter had the nerve to question what she was being charged. If I did not know first hand how nasty the owner of this store can be I would have thought my daughter was mistaken. I mean how could a business owner deny you a receipt??? Well that’s how they operate at Astoria Bagel. I cannot even say that the employees are nasty because if you have any issue with your order the owner immediately gets involved and the customer is NEVER RIGHT!!!

I am all about supporting small businesses but I would give your support to any of the other bagel stores in that area! This woman does not believe in...

Best bagels in NYC.

First tried 30 years ago when I moved there, they were a daily staple for me for many years. I moved away long ago, recently went back to visit and was pleased to find they are exactly the same. I went into the (gasp!) non air-conditioned space, placed an order with the (gasp!) gruff lady at the counter (who [gasp!] may or may not have been grabbing a bite between orders) for a non toasted everything with cream cheese, grabbed an OJ from the fridge, paid my (gasp!) cash, walked on over to Astoria Park, and surrendered to the bliss as my taste buds triggered memories of the days when all of NYC was my playground.

Now, if the gasps resonate with you, I'd say White Plains might be a good place to try when your lease is up - same rents, you may even get a bit more space, and the breakfast establishments are certain to be sanitized/modernized more toward your liking, albeit blander. You won't be writing home about the taste, but hey, there'll be AC, and no one will give you attitude because their job will be at risk if they do. In fact, they probably won't engage with you much at all. But be assured there will be nothing there that will make you gasp. 😉

Otherwise, enjoy these amazing old-school Astoria bagels and this gem of a neighborhood. You're lucky...