We broke the news last year that Zucker’s Bagels had signed a lease to open a new store at 273 Columbus Avenue between 72nd and 73rd in the former home of Gotham Foods. And today the opening was confirmed in a release. Zucker’s, which has two other shops known for their “authentic, hand-rolled, kettle-boiled New York bagels,” is hoping to open in the fall, a spokeswoman tells us.
The new Upper West Side shop will offer Zucker’s signature hand-rolled bagels, a large selection of spreads made in-house, and a wide array of smoked fish and salads. Beyond bagels, there will also be a wide-ranging assortment of items for breakfast, lunch, snacks and sweets. Zucker’s sandwiches are made with the freshest, finest quality pastrami, salmon, corned beef, grilled chicken and roast turkey. In addition, Zucker’s carries pastries from black and white cookies to brownies from the city’s best bakers including Eli Zabar and Israel Beigel. And of course, a great bagel needs a great cup of coffee: La Colombe coffee will be made fresh at Zucker’s all day long.
“We are incredibly excited to open on the Upper West Side, one of NYC’s most beloved and vibrant neighborhoods and one with a very rich bagel history,” said Matt Pomerantz, founder of Zucker’s. “There is nothing we love more than becoming a favorite spot for the community, whether its helping people start their day right before work or becoming the go-to spot for families to grab a bagel and a schmear throughout the day. We can’t wait to meet and welcome our new neighbors.”
The store is working with an architect to renovate the landmarked space, preserving the tin ceilings and large columns. A new H&H Bagels, which was a spinoff from the original H&H but not associated with the H&H owners, is also set to open at 526 Columbus between 85th and 86th street.
cue the 50+ bagel comments
Will the bagels be highly curated or artisanal?
The biggest difference will be whether they’re nice, because basically no one working at Bagel Talk is.
#1
Bagel Wars!
happy?
Absolute bagels is still the best.
Mouth is watering for the pastrami & roast beef everything bagel sandwich… mmmm
Zuckers is really yummy – would make a nice addition to the neighborhood . Although their coffee ( Tribeca and Midtown East locations ) is atrocious
I wish we could merge this thread with the one about coffee shops. Then we would all know precisely where to go for the absolute best bagels and coffee on the UWS.
Gotham Foods was a big loss for the area but nice to see a good bagel store opening. The bagel stores close by to 72nd are pretty awful especially the one right on 72nd St.
Any idea on when either of these bagel spots will open? The supposed H&H location seems to be taking FOREVER. It’s still covered in paper / looks under construction!
I miss Gotham Food as well, but this seems like an excellent replacement. I’m also thrilled it isn’t a freakin’ nail salon for once (Hate that there is one in the former “Off-Broadway” space on 72nd)!
bagel
Yeah more bagel shops! Reduce the lines at Absolute.
It makes me happy there will be more bagel stores in the area. Yeah!!!
I’m ecstatic the greedy landlord kicked out Gotham and then the space sat empty for two years. How did that work out for you? Hope they lost a lot of money in the process. And for what? To wait all this time for a bagel shop. I doubt they will paying that much more in rent to compensate the losses of a vacant store for two years.
Speaking of empty storefronts and bagel shortages…can someone send us something decent to eat up between 89th and 96th? Anything will just about do these days. So many places have closed and nothing truly impressive has opened. Tal is ok, but variable. Anyone know the folks over at Essa Bagel? ?
bagel bagel bagel BAGELS!!!!
Shhhhhhh.
Yippee! for all the folks around 72nd. Bit for us in the 90’s there isn’t much. Bagels I can get at WF but there are no good restaurants for us. The pizza & Chinese are awful. No Indian or Korean…That strip between 96 to 100 on Columbus is begging for a decent sit sown restaurant. Bareburger is rhe only one.
Can’t wait to have your bagel and coffee.
I am starting to think that restaurant owner don’t think that people who live on Columbus ave between 86th and 106 the street don’t like bagels, pizza, or any good food! When is someone going to put something decent up this way?’b
Well, Pizzeria Sirenetta just opened near 88th: https://www.westsiderag.com/2016/02/05/openings-closings-equinox-bra-smyth-gastronomie-sunflower-deli
I used to have an office in the same building as the Zucker’s on Lex below 41st. We were pretty excited for a while, but the reality was kind of sobering, especially for an UWS-sider used to walking to Barney Greengrass.
The ingredients Zucker’s gets are quite good, but the Zucker’s staff was on the clueless side w/r/t to the soul of the cuisine they were supposed to be serving, so you really have to keep on them to get what you want. Sometimes the results were Brueggeresque. I felt like a tutor, and they weren’t all that good at listening.
(The Village Zucker’s staff is better, and hopefully the midtown folks have learned the ropes by now; it’s been a few years.)
The ordering system and division of labor behind the counter can be a bit bewildering, but hey, does anyone remember the ordering system at Williams at 86th Street and Broadway? It’s not worse than that, and way better than Katz’s. 🙂
Here’s the thing about the coffee. La Columbe coffee beans are indeed wonderful. If you go to an actual La Columbe cafe, the coffee they make from these beans is AMAZING. Because the La Columbe baristas have skillz, no matter any lingering hipsterish attitude, which I can forgive and even ignore based on the results, but I digress. The coffee that Zucker’s makes with the same beans: not so awesome. So there are ingredients, but then there is also execution, and you need both.
There’s a theme here.
But welcome to the neighborhood, all things considered. With a little work and care, the Zucker’s stuff is quite tasty. More bagels is a good trend.
Nothing good in the 90s ? So, move…
Agreed. The Zucker’s on Lexington Avenue has great food. As for the coffee, it’s only good for dunking a toasted bagel.
would love to see them get the recipe for the Gotham Deli’s (the old tenant) corn muffins. people would go nuts if they sold the corn muffins.