Black Seed Bagels - Bushwick — Restaurant in New York

In my ongoing salute to reviewing essential workers in the coffee industry, I bring you a new spot that I pass often but decided to go into today for the first time. Black Seed Bagels!! First off they were playing Velvet Underground at 9am so they automatically get a star for that! Excellent staff. The guy that helped me out at the counter was enthusiastic and exactly what we need more of in New York City. The rest of the staff was also friendly and the cold brew is vicious!

I like strong coffee and am an energetic person, so I'm not sure if this place will be a blessing or a curse. "Demons to some , Angels to others". Are these the cenobites of the coffee realm. Serving me cups of Iced Leviathan to urge me further into The Abyss? I don't know, but I definitely approve of their potent elixir. Cheers to you Black Seed Bagels. Your coffee is like raw Black Metal from the deepest darkest Scandinavian realms. Cold, Grim, and Powerful. Hails to you and your crew! I also purchased a bagel sandwich but I am currently too busy furthering my goals of world domination to taste it. Coffee forever, diet...

Just spent $12.47 for a single Pastrami Egg and Cheese bagel that is one of the worst I’ve ever had… ordered at 8:05 on a Monday morning (they open at 8) and didn’t get it toasted assuming they would be reasonably fresh. Received my order on the saddest cold and stale bagel. Thinking there must of been a misunderstanding, I went back and nicely asked if I could have a different/hot bagel and they said it would have to be toasted as the bagels weren’t fresh… I was disappointed to hear this have had Black Seed before and expected it would be good nonetheless. The staff seemed irritable so I didn’t say anything when they separated the same sad bagel from the filling and put it in to toast. When I walked the three minutes to my home and unwrapped the redone bagel, I noticed that it had about half as much filling as before. Moreover, the bagel itself was rock hard. I’m honestly so disappointed. I don’t have $12+ to throw away and that’s exactly how this feels. Definitely won’t be back and will be recommending people steer clear/stick to NY bagels at half the price and twice...

I bite in and it’s bright. Sharp. Like someone pulled the sun through a brine. I mean the pickled green tomato. It sends me. It’s glamorous. Like crying in a cab wearing last night’s dress.

The Pastrami-spiced salmon is hot in its own quiet way. It winks. Fish gone to Brooklyn and back with a secret. Scallion cream cheese like someone tender whispering yes across your teeth.

Order ahead if you’re queer about your bagel. If you want something off-menu or just so, you better text the universe first. Because once you’re there, it’s chaos and cream cheese and everybody wants everything.

But this bagel. This one. THE CLASSIC 2.0. It’s not nostalgic. It’s an update. Like your ex is suddenly good at love. And you eat it. And it’s good. And you don’t say anything when you wipe your...