Kossar’s, a 79-year-old bakery in the Lower East Side that’s famous for its bialys, is looking to expand to the Upper West Side, one of its owners told us on Monday. Although they haven’t found a space to rent yet, Kossar’s is hoping to open a bakery here, because of our deep love for bagels and bialys.
“With the loss of H&H there has been a gaping hole (pun intended) in the bagel and bialy world on the upper west side,” wrote co-owner Evan Giniger, who bought the company in 2013. “With our 80 year history, and fans all over the world, the UWS is the natural next stop as we look to expand our business. We do sell at Fairway and Zabar’s now, so we know the demand is there.
Kossar’s is currently renovating its downtown store to add a sandwich section and to have employees put butter or cream cheese on the bialys instead of making customers put it on by themselves, according to the Wall Street Journal. They’re hoping to elevate the bialy as a fantastic baked good in its own right, instead of simply the forgotten cousin of the bagel.
Photo via Kossar’s.
YES! Please come to the UWS. My son just graduated from college…. you can have his room. And there’s a full bathroom for you too.
Please take my room. Mom’s crazy and I need an excuse to not visit.
Swwetheart,you know I don’t let you talk to strangers now get back in your room and clean. Kossar’s is coming to the UWS and I told them your room is available and you’re outta here.
Sounds better then my current apartment. I’d move in with you
Yes!!! There are lots of open storefronts. We’d love to have you in the neighborhood!
Three storefront openings on Columbus between 82 and 83 on west side of the street!
Oh, great! One request: please do not butter my bagel or bialy. I like to do that myself. There are many places to open around 100th St.
Please let this happen.
This is really great news. But have they factored in that the “other” H&H is opening a store on the UWS?
https://www.westsiderag.com/2015/07/30/new-hh-bagels-set-to-open-on-the-upper-west-side
Personally, I think the neighborhood could easily support two good bagel sources, especially if one specializes in bialies too. (Heck, I’ll bet even our new rich neighbors will appreciate fresh baked goods to put their caviar and designer mustard on.) So I wish Kossar’s the best of luck in finding an available location!
Not to worry. There are already lots of good bagel stores on the UWS. I especially like Lenny’s – above 96th St.
Good bagels but Lenny’s is stingy with the butter. They kinda pass the knife over the bagel.
Will Kossar’s bake bialys and pletzl at the new location, or deliver them from the LES?
I add my voice to the choir: Let your bialys and bagels rain (and reign) on the UWS!
Absolute Bagels (your only potential peer in quality in the neighborhood) has Columbia U. vicinity covered. I’m hoping you find the right spot in the 90s or upper 80s. But wherever you make it, if you make it — I’ll be there.
Yes yes please come here! We’re telling not asking!!! Ok, we’re begging. We need bialys here. Whether we butter them or not.
Check out 93 st & Columbus ave—PLEASE
I found it hard to believe that with the UWS littered with shop closings they can’t find a space.
THERE ARE 2 FOOD LOCATIONS FOR RENT ON WEST 72ND STREET
There’s tons of open space on Columbus Ave btw 97th and 100th street–come on up!!
I love bialys and Kossar’s bialys are awesome.
I’m surprised bialys aren’t more mainstream like bagels.
I how I hope they do mail order!!!!
Oh Hell Yes! I will eat many many bialys. Look near 100 st. Then I can come in my slippers.
What say we dump the caviar bar (really? Is it 1986?) and make room for Kossar’s. Bialys deserve to be vaulted to the forefront of the comfort carb scene. They are ready for their close-up. Their time has come!!
@Ted … What? Caviar suddenly disappeared from the earth in 1986? People have been relishing it for centuries! (Come to think of it, a spoonful of caviar would fit perfectly into that little dimple in the center of a fresh, warm bialy … maybe with a dollop of crème fraiche on top … YUMMERS!)
From the mid 60’s to the mid 70’s I would go to the lower east side to shop and to eat. The last stop was Kossar’s for my fresh out of the oven bialy and bagel fix. The smell in the bakery was heavenly and you could see them making the bagels the traditional way – hand rolled, boiled and then baked.
I hope that the reason they are still looking for a location on the UWS is because they want to hand make and bake bialys and bagels on site.
I welcome Kossar’s to the UWS and can’t wait for their arrival. Their bialy’s are tasty and would be a great addition to the neighborhood. They are a staple bakery of the LES looking to continue their legacy by expanding. Atleast its not another bank looking to take up space in our area. I’m sure they just need to find a suitable location to set up shop.
always amazing, whenever there’s an item about bagels on this site, the comments section lights up.
And please, please, please can we also get smears instead of half a pound of (bad) cc on our bialys and bagels?
oops: shmears (no c there in Yiddish)
Old bank space on 91st & Broadway would be great
Location.
Please open on uws
I love bialys
Not able to find them easily
Their biyalis would be a nice addition; their bagels not so much. I haven’t been down to Grand Street in some time; I am guessing the new owner jacked up the prices, and I am guessing the UWS prices will be even higher.
Old bank spot. Good location @ 91 st & Broadway.
I love bialys. We could use a good bagel shop here on the UWS. Can’t wait.
i love “bialy” because it’s one of the few nouns ending in a consonant followed by “y” whose (scrabble-valid) plural is formed simply by adding an “s”. in fact i can’t think of any others off hand.
i love the taste
There are at least a dozen empty storefronts along Broadway (and that’s a conservative number). Hope they come to the neighborhood!
NIMBY
just kiddin
Hope you open a shop close to West 72nd St. There are lots of vacant stores around here lately. Looking forward to hot bialys and bagels.
I went to the LES Kossar’s just last week to buy some real McCoy bialys as a farewell gift for a visitor returning to her Virginia-diaspora home. Shocked to find it closed! UWS Kossar’s can’t open soon enough! Best things are the onion disks. I hope the new place will have a reliable kosher certification so that the large kashrut-observing UWS community can enjoy Kossar’s heavenly offerings.
Read the article… they’re temporarily closed for remodeling.