Astoria Bagel Shop

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 excellent 👌.