By Claire Davenport
Despite the morning drizzle, the sidewalk near Broadway and West 108th Street was bustling early on Monday, December 29.
Upper West Siders flocked by the dozens to sample “New Absolute Bagels,” the new bagel shop at the famed 2788 Broadway location that was formerly home to “Absolute Bagels.”
Monday was the informal opening of the updated shop, and to entice customers, the staff was offering free bagels (limited to around two-to-three a person) until they ran out (bagels were still being handed out three and a half hours after the store opened).
The very modest storefront of New Absolute Bagels belies the anticipation that greeted news of the opening. Reporters from Spectrum 1 and The New Yorker were on hand to record the big UWS event Monday morning. And according to a Facebook post by Upper West Sider Daniel Marks Cohen, by the time it opened at 8 a.m., the line of customers already stretched down the block, with folks arriving as early as 7 to snag the seeded breakfast favorites.
The mood was “joyful,” Cohen told the Rag in a phone interview. “Absolute returning gives people a sense of hope and renewal,” he said.
The new store shares the location and has a name nearly identical to the business it replaced (a temporary sign earlier called it “New Absolute Bagel,” but this morning a new banner proclaimed it plural: “New Absolute Bagels”). It also employs many of the people who worked in the original Absolute Bagels when it closed a little over a year ago after a failed Health Department inspection. The spot, which had opened in the 1990s, was a mainstay in the neighborhood, and the closure devastated Upper West Siders.
According to previous reporting by the Rag, the owners of New Absolute Bagels have no connection to the Thongkrieng family, the owners of the earlier store, but are a group of partners who own a small number of bagel shops in New York and New Jersey.
One early riser, Richard Robbins, told the Rag over email that he’d arrived at 6 Monday morning, hoping that New Absolute Bagels would be open, but that no one was there yet.
“I then drove past at 7:30, and there were half a dozen people outside. Unfortunately, I had to leave for a flight, so I couldn’t wait around and didn’t get the bagels,” he told the Rag in his message.
All of the customers the Rag spoke with Monday morning were elated.
Longtime Upper West Sider Nat Lafa (order: onion bagel with cream cheese, double-toasted) told the Rag she was “so happy” the storefront reopened as a bagel shop. “I walk my boss’s dog every morning, and I love coming here with them,” she said.
“Our building group chat was blowing up this morning about it,” said Rachel, who had come in with her daughter Annabel to check out the hype (order: two everything bagels with scallion cream cheese).
“These are the bagels I grew up on,” said Daniel Wittenberg (order: everything bagel with scallion cream cheese), who recounted coming to Absolute Bagels in middle school every day with his friends. He told the Rag they’re planning on having a reunion at the new spot.
One shop visitor in full bagel regalia was Sam Silverman, the “Bagel Ambassador” for New York, whose company, BagelUp, produces New York’s annual BagelFest.
Silverman recalled that when Absolute closed last December, folks wept. “People were sitting shiva for Absolute Bagels. That’s how meaningful it was,” he said. “It’s part of people’s identities and the identity of the neighborhood.”
And it wasn’t just the customers who were excited about Absolute’s return.
“We’re so happy to be back,” said New Absolute Bagels staff member Addi, who told the Rag that she’d worked at the old Absolute Bagels before it closed.
While some things about the new Absolute are different — the interior has been redesigned, the shop is no longer cash only, and there are now two registers instead of one — a manager named Amy said they tried to keep everything as true to the taste of the old Absolute bagel as possible. “It’s the same recipe,” she said.
And the early-bird customers seemed to agree: the taste was pretty much the same.
“You can’t exactly recreate perfection,” mused Cohen. “But they’re still fabulous.”
“We’re sooo back,” said local Dylan Pager after biting into his sesame bagel with lox spread. “We were so sad when it closed. I have an Absolute Bagel hat. I’ll be back tomorrow and Wednesday for sure.”
“It tastes how New York is supposed to taste,” his friend Jacob, who was visiting from Chicago, added.
Longtime Upper West Sider Hannah Tolan, age 31, said her cinnamon raisin bagel toasted with butter was “a 10 out of 10!” but that her real litmus test for whether they hold up to the original is how they freeze.
“We used to buy two dozen and freeze them for months,” she said. But she was hopeful that they would live up to their predecessor after surveying the shop. “The scallion cream cheese looks the same. It’s comforting,” she said.
And Wittenberg’s review of his everything with scallion cream cheese? “Fantastic. Maybe a little crunchier on the outside. But the real test will be when the egg bagel comes back,” he added.
Luckily for Wittenberg, the New Absolute Bagels staff said the egg bagel will once again be available tomorrow, December 30. The shop will be giving out free bagels Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, after closing for New Year’s Day, New Absolute Bagels will officially open on Friday, January 2nd, according to staff.
To hear more from UWSers who tested the new bagel offerings on Monday, click the Rag Radio report below. Music courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions.
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Looks so yummy! love the vibes
The best part is seeing the smiling faces of the workers. Best of luck to all!
Wish I were back in the ‘hood! I could use an excellent NY bagel. Best wishes to you, T Sato, for a Happy New Year!
The decor makes no sense. It looks like pizza shop tiling with a mural of a Parisian coffee shop and a lighting fixture of the moon. If it’s around in 15 years we may consider it with nostalgia but for now it looks like it was decorated from a restaurant supply store.
I would have gone with a historical mural of the Upper West Side (similar to what TD Bank had at 109th street) or even something reminiscent of an old bagel cart.
Removing the tables and replacing them with a standing counter is also a let-down. Its as if corporate ordered the fixtures is for maximum foot-traffic at minimal expense.
Bagels were good, though they suffer from shrinkification. Two checkouts will expedite the queue but at the cost of nostalgic waits in line, which though a trudge, offered free advertising to the desirability of the place
Bitch, bitch, bitch…
Its commentary or critique.. Bitching is providing a stream of complaints, often where the bitching party considers themselves a victim.
You know what goes out of business? Places with gorgeous decor, plenty of nostalgic atmosphere, and cardboard bagels. I’ll take great bagels and smile at the tiles.
One can have both. They aren’t exclusive nor are we provided a limited choice.
you’re free to hang out in front of the store for half an hour before buying a bagel if queuing is the part of the experience you desire
You misread what I stated. The queue – something I personally never took part in as I would just wait until later – is a talisman of desirability, in essence, “here is a place so desirable thai people are willing to wait in line”
Shrinkification is not a word, darling. I think you mean shrinkflation. In any case, Absolute always had slightly smaller bagels. If you want a bagel as big as a dinner plate, go to Brooklyn Bagel.
It’s a word as obviously you understand the meaning. English is dynamic. “To enchain syllables, and to lash the wind, are equally the undertakings of pride,”
Pretty negative, aye?
On the decore, yes. On the bagel, no. Much has been focused on the return with little written about the layout
Even in shoulder bag, dogs aren’t allowed in bakeries.
Is the point to get the New Absolute fined?
This woman and dog looked really threating. We need undercover customers to police this menace.
It’s a matter of law and avoiding a significant fine.
The phlegmatic bagged dog isn’t the real issue here.
It’s a matter of public health law, not size of dog.
Once again, dog owner behavior is ATROCIOUS these days. They are trotted into grocery stores and restaurants blithely despite this being a nailed-on health code violation. This is part & parcel with poop left all over the sidewalks and dogs off-leash in local parks despite posted regulations everywhere.
WSR, please report on this. It’s an ever-present gripe in your comments and seriously degrades the quality of life in the neighborhood.
All over the outdoor farmer’s market too–paws up on tables and at least one vendor feeding them cheese! Disgusting..
There is always one who will find something negative to say……
Mary,
It’s something like a $2000 fine. This is a massive to a small store, so unlike Morton Williams where I constantly see dogs.
How is it negative when it’s in the best interests of keeping the new Absolute Bagel open. They’ve had enough trouble.
You can’t ban dogs on the UWS and you can’t ban cars either.
No, but we responsible dog owners know that we are not above the law
Dogs are already banned in food stores.
There’s no enforcement.
Pioneer has a letter in the door glass from the Department of Health, dated 2023 I believe. The store received a big fine for a dog in the store.
I agree, I see dogs in Fairway and Morton Williams all the time. Doesn’t make it right.
Anyhow, $2000 is a massive fine for a small bakery or no corporate coffee bar.
To quote from your article 5 hours before this dropped “West Side Rag will publish on a reduced schedule this week to give our hard-working staff a holiday hiatus… and if any big stories break, we’ll of course cover them.”.
Love that this qualifies.
Please, someone send me a pumpernickel bagel with scallion cream cheese please!
Nice to see the joy that a reborn bagel shop can generate. But it’s tempered, to my mind, by the customer who reports bringing her employer’s dog to the store, and the other one pictured with her pooch by her side. Dogs are not allowed in stores where food is sold or prepared, except for trained service dogs which are permitted under ADA rules. (Emotional support animals excluded.) New Absolute, with its fresh, shiny new store and loyal customer base, ought to be a bit more careful about breaking the law.
I know that some nyc shoppers treat their animals like children. They are not. Aside from health code. Iolations it just seems common sense to not bring animals into shops selling food. I guess it ain’t that common
Whole Foods customers bring in dogs all rhe time.
Didn’t I read a story on this very site about one taking a dump on the floor right in front of the meat counter there?
I have pointed this out to store managers in various Whole Foods locations with no action taken by any of them. One manager said “Well how do I know its not a service animal which is allowed?” “You can ask the owners. Would you like me to show you the laws on what you are and aren’t allowed to ask?”
Yeah, that went well.
Whole Foods is breaking the law.
No employees stop people with dogs anymore, as far as I can see. Today I accosted someone in the park whose dog was off leash. This person allowed that special rules applied to them. Great for Absolute Bagels. Not great that lots of quality of life rules/regs/laws are not enforced.
Why not shop elsewhere?
I concur. Stop giving Bezos money
I don’t shop at Whole Foods, but the point here is that the New Absolute Bagels is setting itself up for a large fine.
Fantastic, but please bring back garlic bagels!
Excellent photos! And what a fun, uplifting story — thank you!
is it as good as “Ess-a-Bagel” the one on 32nd ?
Uh oh. Doggie drama.
Some day we might evolve and become like much of the developed world and recognize that a dog in a bakery doesn’t actually present a risk of disease.
At least I’ve never heard of any negative public health incidents in Paris, London, Madrid, Berlin, etc.
The interaction with a dog in a food related setting is enough to pass infections.
Dogs can cause infections in people, In food-related settings, primarily through bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli found in their feces or contaminated pet food, spread via hand-to-mouth contact with contaminated surfaces, utensils, or direct contact with the pet, especially if proper hygiene like handwashing isn’t practiced after handling dogs or their supplies, leading to foodborne illnesses
Sorry but this doesn’t happen in real life. Dog owners can also have fecal particles on their hands and pass the same infections. At some point one needs to move beyond the theoretical and look at actual reality. There is no greater incidence of these kinds of infections associated with dogs in food establishments where that is permitted.
Reality beckons. Welcome.
Okay, but today it’s a massive fine, which a small bakery really can’t afford.
I get and appreciate that.
It doesn’t change the underlying illogical hysteria that many react with when seeing a dog in a store or restaurant.
Not the issue here. It’s keeping the bagel place open.
Anecdote: pre-Covid noted dog in my regular coffee bar, said to the manager (who’s still there) that though the dog was well behaved, it’s a big fine if the dog is found by the Health Dept.
Fast forward 5 years, there’s now a sign in the door specifying no dogs. Obviously, they were fined.
It’s not hysteria. People are deeply frustrated with this behavior. It’s anti-social and, frankly, disgusting
Sounds hysterical to me…
I’m not commenting on the behavior of individual dogs/owners. I’m commenting on a fine that the New Absolute can’t afford.
I think Jane already acknowledged that.
No she didn’t.
She said, “but can’t we be like Paris”. (Does Paris ask dog owners to pick up excrement, Paris didn’t when I was last there 30 years ago.)
Yes, Jay, I did acknowledge it. Please read my post again. I literally said “I get and appreciate that” in response to your post.
And perhaps a trip to Paris is in order. Things have changed in the past 30 years.
Sick how people wait in line for the unhealthiest thing you can possibly eat = BAGELS.. they cause massive sugar blood spikes like nothing else and for hours… another fact is they add sugar…
LOL, there’s lots of things a lot worse for your health than bagels!
Yeah, I pretty much can’t eat them anymore. Sigh. Still, I’m happy that the shop is back in business.
Good luck to them. We need more businesses in the 100’s and 110’s.
many PEOPLE NEVER eat bagels. calorie count as high as 250 to 400. FILLINGS LIKE CREAM CHEESE NOT EVEN INCLUDED IN CAL COUNT.
what’s your point?
Great to see.
They did it without a Go-Fraud me also.
I still love Pop Up Bagels!
Now THAT’s a scam
A suggestion: signage in ‘qualifying’ establishments should read something like: NO ANIMALS ALLOWED (except humans and seeing eye dogs).
Hi – I was born and bred in Brooklyn, soI know bagels,
The best bagels are made by Ess-A- Bagel. There are a few stores in Manhattan, so do your research and go to one of their stores. You’ll be happy you did.
nah. overrated
Have you been to the New Absolute, did you ever shop at the original?
I knew things would improve in the Mamdani era!
Bagel review! First, I was devastated about the old store’s closure, but equally annoyed by the former owner’s refusal to clean up their act. I’m among the hard core fans who greet this phoenix, reborn from the old store’s ashes, with tremendous joy.
I arrived on Tuesday (second day of the soft opening) to a long line of eager bagel enthusiasts, all of waiting without complaint in “feels like” 9-degree chill. As you can see from the photos, the interior is now very different — it’s bright, clean, welcoming, and with some charming signage. The two registers and fact that they now accept credit cards etc (not just cash) are smart moves.
I was so happy to see at least 4 or 5 staff members from the former store, several whom recognized me and others on line — it was mutual reunion that was clearly heartwarming on both sides of the counter.
As advertised, they are giving away everything for free during these three days of soft opening (tomorrow/Wed. is the last), and I was very surprised to see that this included all the works, for those who ordered them: e.g. schmears on a toasted bagel: also free! I think even the hot chocolates and coffee were free. The only money I witnessed was tips (mine included). I received my one allotted bagel, a sesame (they were out of everything bagels by the time I’d arrived), which I took home and toasted with butter.
It was smaller than formerly at the store, but… drumroll…. just as delicious as before! Crispy on the outside, pliable and dense on the inside, fragrant, slightly salty — just exquisite! Come Friday, single non-toasted bagels appear to run $2 — that’s a tad high, but if the quality remains like today, I will happily return and pay the premium.
For whatever it’s worth…. my go-to place in this year since the former store’s closure has been Bagels and Co, on 78/79th and Amsterdam. At $1.60 per bagel, and with generally excellent quality, it has been a solid alternative.
“For whatever it’s worth…”
You toasted a freshly-made bagel so your opinion isn’t worth anything. Your bagel cred is a solid zero out of 10.
Ah free.
Explains the lines.
Will there be mini bagels available?
The New Absolute raisin bagel is the same unique delicious almost if not all cinnamon free delight – same as the previous Absolute.
It’s going to be a very good New Year!!!
Like others, I am happy just seeing the happy people in the photos. Great that the business is back.
Perhaps if they weren’t handing out free bagels, the store wouldn’t be closed at 2:30pm on Tuesday, with a sign saying “Closed, we’re out of bagels.” The disappointment on prospective customers’ faces was sad. I’m happy they’re back, but is all the mania around this going to make it impossible to get a bagel?
They are not actually officially open for business yet. This is a soft opening – Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week they are giving out free bagels from 8am until they run out. Then they’re closed tomorrow for New Year’s Day, and open for real as of Friday.
If you can get there today before 11:45am, you should be able to score a free bagel, including spread! But if not, by Friday they should be up and running as of old.
It’s still the soft opening, and 2:30 is 2.5 hours longer than their advertised noon closure. Only one more day (Wed. Dec. 31) of the early closure, and then it’s normal hours on Friday. Patience
The free bagels were just for the soft opening, not forever! They limited them to one or two per person, and probably were basically testing the system. They expected to run out, and their sign said they would be open “8:00 until we run out.” I should think once the system has been tested, they will bake more and not run out. And hopefully the lines will not be worse than they were before once everyone calms down and they have to pay for their bagels.
Relax. It’s only for a day or two. By next week you’ll be able to queue up and pay for your bagels as usual.
Who here remembers when
Absolute Bagel had pizza bagels? I wonder if New Absolute Bagel will do that too?
I am glad the Bagel is as good as how it used to be. I need to make sure to get a Bagel from here!
Wow some of these comments are so insanely miserable. Why even spend your time, when something so wonderful for the community is back, posting about how bad bagels are for you or how you hate that they ran out of FREE BAGELS during a soft opening where they were giving back to their customers who have waited a year to have their bagels again? Some of you really need to get a life and touch grass – stop complaining so much and being miserable, your life will improve 🙂
Kvetching is a long-time UWS pastime.
This is a great review, thanks. I’m just surprised that the line went out the door and *to the right*. For years the line formed to the left of the store, only shifting (in a momentous change reported here on WSR) when Garden of Eden closed. Now that Hashi Market has opened, I’d expect the line to form in its traditional northern direction, but for some reason it’s forming to the south. I’ll keep an eye on it!
Review: the bagels are great! 🥯
All the people commenting about people bringing their dogs into stores or this shop. Be warned: I know of at least 4 dogs that were stolen from outside of Garden of Eden when it was on this block. So if you plan on leaving a dog tied up outside while you shop…there is no guarantee it will be there when you come out. Make sure you can see it from the window if you must tie it up outside or have someone watch it.
Not every old customer was happy, certainly not this one. I went by NAB on Monday early afternoon. It was closed. They had no bagels. One staff member hand signals: Come back Tuesday 8 am. Tuesday I had other matters to contend with. I came back today, Wednesday New Years Eve day at 12:30. Sign on the shop door said “Bagels all sold out. Closed New Years Day.” Sold out? Closed New Years Day? This was not the Absolute Bagels I knew for 20 years. I went to Broadway Bagels instead. It was open, busy, and the bagels were still warm.
No positive vibes from this former customer of 20 years. I went by early Monday afternoon. A staff member said there were no bagels. Come back Tuesday 8 am. I couldn’t come back Tuesday but did on Wednesday New Year’s eve day at 12:30 pm. Sign on the door read “Bagels sold out. Closed New Years Day.” Sold out? Closed New Years Day? This was not the Absolute Bagels I knew. I went to Broadway Bagels. It was open, busy and the bagels were warm.
You do know that the store is not yet officially open?
Double toasted onion? That sounds painful
I just moved to this neighborhood. Are the bagels really that good?