Hot Bagels and Bialys — Restaurant in New York

Bagels and Bialys: A Love Letter in Sesame Seeds and Steam

Some places aren’t just stores. They’re cathedrals. Bagels and Bialys is one of them.

You walk in and the smell hits you — not the antiseptic whiff of “artisanal” nonsense, but the honest, brutal heat of ovens working overtime, cranking out old-school New York bagels like it’s still 1975 and people actually gave a damn about what they fed you. There’s a kind of quiet dignity in that. No Instagram stations. No ironic neon signs. Just flour, water, yeast, and soul.

For me, stepping inside was like a hit straight to the chest — a thousand Saturday mornings with my Zadie flashing back at once. Hot bag in hand, a smear of whitefish salad barely contained inside a still-steaming everything bagel. Pure memory. Pure comfort. Pure joy.

Their own words say it best — they don’t like to talk, they like to prove it. And brother, they do. The spreads are lush, the Nova lox is a silky, briny revelation, and the bialys? If you know, you know. That oniony, chewy kiss of old-world magic that too many have forgotten. Muffins, coffee, a cup of tea for the old-timers still doing things the right way — it’s all here, made fresh, made right.

Forty years. Forty years of feeding a community, no shortcuts, no sellouts. That deserves your respect. And your appetite.

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself standing outside their unassuming storefront window, do yourself a favor: go in. Order something with a schmear. Rip into it while it’s still hot. Don’t overthink it. Don’t Instagram it. Just eat.

Because places like this? They’re a disappearing act.

And every bite is a small, beautiful rebellion against a world that keeps trying to forget what real tastes like.

Five stars. Would follow the smell of those...

I was a customer of theirs when they were on Kings Highway. They were the nicest folks and made amazing bagels. They closed, I moved, and that was that, or so I thought. When visit Brooklyn I get my bagels from the place on Kings Highway and Ocean Ave., and have been very happy with them. I just learned that this place is still open and had moved to Ave U, so I took a drive over and got half a dozen sesame bagels and half a dozen bialys. The guy there was very friendly, wore gloves when appropriate, and the place was very nice. The register was very modern and I used my phone to pay.

Sadly though, the bagels were completely lackluster. They were better than frozen bagels but completely generic. Very little flavor. The bialys were not bialys. They were more like half bagels with no hole and the oniony stuff in the middle. They were the same diameter as a bagel and fluffy like a bagel. Bialys aren't supposed to look like that. They're supposed to be smaller and flatter. The bialys were just as bland as the bagels and even the center onion mix was unimpressive.

Just to be clear I am very sad having to write this review as such. I was really looking forward to writing a review where I could share that I found a place to get fantastic bialys since the place on Coney...

I’ve been going to this place for years, I am always friendly and sure to tip $1-$3 every time I order. Last night I came in around 11pm and ordered a bagel with cream cheese. I got my sandwich and left. Unknown to me I left my phone on the counter. When I got home I realize my bagel had butter on it not cream cheese, and I payed for what I ordered. I walked back and asked the man if he can change my bagel. Not only did he only wipe off the butter and put cream cheese on the same bagel, but he didn’t mention anything about my phone that I had left there 20 minutes ago. I went back home to soon realize my phone was missing. I searched my phones location using find my iPhone and It showed its location at the bagel store. I rushed back and asked if I left my phone, the man looked at me confused and shook his head. I sounded my alarm from the find my iPhone app and my phone was in a plastic bag hidden under the counter. I was so disgusted and disappointed because this man had 2 opportunities to tell me I left my phone. Instead he decided to try to steal it... these are not the kind of employees you want to have or have making your food. I will not be coming here again after years of...