By Gus Saltonstall
The Absolute Bagels name is no more.
The New Absolute Bagels, which took over the longtime home of the original Absolute Bagels, has changed its name to 2788 Bagels.
The bagel shop is located at 2788 Broadway, between West 107th and 108th streets, which is where the number in the new name comes from.
West Side Rag visited the store on Monday morning to see if we could get more information about the new name. A manager, who did not identify herself, told us the original Absolute Bagels owners wanted them to change the name.
“They [owners of the original Absolute Bagels] said that they would take legal action if we didn’t change the name,” the manager said. “And we said yes, rather than fight it.”
The bagel shop opened in December of 2025 as the “New Absolute Bagels.” Before the business opened, a temporary sign called the incoming shop, “New Absolute Bagel,” but when the store welcomed customers on the first day, a new banner made it plural once more.
The original Absolute Bagels permanently closed in December 2024. The longtime and beloved bagel shop was owned and run by Sam Thongkrieng, along with other members of his family.
At the time of closure, and in the more than a year since, Thongkrieng has never responded to journalists’ requests for comment, including from the Rag, or issued a public statement of any kind.
When asked if 2788 Broadway would remain as the name, the manager on Monday morning said, “This is our name for now.”
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Absolute was overrated and vermin infested. It was crazy to keep the name.
And yet the line is always out the door… obviously your neighbors agree with you!
You really seem to have your finger on the pulse of the community with that comment!
apparently the vermin is what made them so good?
poopy seeds don’t grow on trees.
There was a line out the door there yesterday afternoon. Are they as good as the former Absolute?
These are almost the same as Absolute. Which is to say, great f’ing bagels! I don’t understand the negative comments —they must be competitors.
I think they’re pretty damn good and as good as they were before. I taste-tested other bagels after Absolute closed and thought that Bo’s were great too. (They deliver, in case you want to try them.) But if you’re in the neighborhood and it’s before the line grows, or later in the day, you can’t do better. (And if you don’t like them or think they’re over-rated, that’s fine too.)
Where is Bo’s?
Bo’s is on 116th St., I think between FWD Blvd and ACP Blvd.
Abso-f$&@ing-lutely!!!
They are okay. They need to use the original recipe.
They are using the Absolute recipe. Many of the staff are the same.
The key ingredient, after good unbleached flour, is barley malt syrup. Without that, it’s not a bagel, it’s a bun.
There are long lines for many mediocre food places throughout Manhattan. All it takes is a few dubious reviews for a place to get unearned praise and everybody bum rushes the place. I saw that yesterday in Chinatown at places that offer nothing that special. Same goes for Joe’s pizza around Times Sq – definitely not pizza worth waiting 1/2-1 hour for.
It’s the “Emperor’s New Clothes “ effect. Just start a long line and your business will take off. Even better, require reservations but make too few available and you’ll be golden.
Quality? Secondary at most.
Which bagels do you like better?
It’s the “slave to the NY Times” and “trend-follower not leader” effect. Sheep. Why are New Yorkers so insecure?
yes
Got there 6:15 am got warm bagels…no line…got ’em home CC and Nova at the house, ready to go…The bagels were “meh ” …at best… overrated, really! ( I have many years in the business) Better bagels from coffee cart on Bdwy. I
CC? You left your credit card home? So?
Cream cheese card, silly
How about calling it Ultimate Bagels?
At least it isn’t Dissolute Bagels . . .
absolutely
This name should be temporary too…
The original owner is a piece of work. He was silent and surly when he ran it … and his disposition hasn’t changed. Instead of dealing with the violations he just shut down and a day later threw everything – and everyone – out. Jerk.
I phrased it differently but I doubt my version will get approved lol
“No bagels for you!”
Shame on Absolute.
Seems like it’s time for a naming competition! Winner gets one free bagel with cream cheese each week for a year. 🙂
Suggest it to them! But then with all the hype about that, the lines would be even longer.
FWIW, I think they are pretty good. I wasn’t that keen on the old place (I got undercooked bagels with uncooked dough inside too many times, and it creeped me out) so I actually think they are better now.
Lenny’s please come back!!
Lenny’s wasn’t that good. Columbia Bagels on the other hand was GREAT and being open 24 hours meant you could get hot bagels any time.
LOUDER, PLEASE. That spot is just a black hole now.
Is the Lenny’s space still empty?
Yup, too bad.
Yes and like so many businesses that left the neighborhood in the past ten years, nothing has moved in.
Commercial rent control now
That’s because landlords can get tax credit for keeping empty storefronts.
I would have rename it Resolute Bagels 😁
Or Relative Bagels, to be more mathematically accurate.
Absolution Bagels – Free yourself of your sins with some lox and cream cheese!
😂😂😂
The threat of legal action is ABSURD. Did the new guys even consult a lawyer?
Yes naming rights are serious business, that is why the new 80th Street block association had to call themselves the 80th Street society.
Wow
What a loser move to threaten legal action over a name you’ve abandoned and will never use again. The neighborhood loved the nostalgia and it hurt no one. Spiteful much?
The original owner is Thai and there are a lot of names that would sound crazy in English that he could use to promote his business other than Absolute Bagels. Somporn or Wanatit which means Sunday in Thai!
Uber bagels?
I hope they keep that name. 2788 bagels has a certain ring to it.
Not to mention that folks will remember the address…
Relative bagels
Absolute Value Bagels – always a positive review!
The logical move here was “Ultimate Bagels.” How we ended up with a “PIN number” style is anyone’s guess.
It’s their address.
I was very disappointed in their bagels and won’t bother to go back again.
Good – more for the rest of us. The comments on this site are always so miserable, you people need to touch grass.
If the owners are different , it’s not the same place, with the same bagels. The name should be different too.
Absolutely Bagelicious!™
As a longtime fan of Absolute Bagels I have to say I am a bigger fan of the new store. IMO the bagels are way better. They are somewhat smaller and less doughy. They freeze remarkably well. The store is clean, bright and the staff is super nice. They have a system that gets customer through quickly.
They should change the name to remove the now tainted name of Absolute. I do like the suggestion of Ultimate Bagels. The address does not quite cut the cream cheese.
The poop-bagel shop closed because of the poop, and a new bagel shop uses the poop-bagel name, but the original poop-bagel owner sues over his poop-bagel name. — because, what, he’s going to open another poop-bagel shop?
Whatever became of H&H and why doesn’t anyone remember them? No old-timers left?
I remember them! They were lovely.
When I was in high school I sometimes walked to school and bought a bagel at H&H on the way. Thinking about that always reminds me of spring, because the first time I did it was on a wonderful spring day when I couldn’t bear to get in the subway to go to school because it was too lovely outside. So I walked (4 miles) and arrived an hour late. On my late card I wrote “it was too nice outside to get in the subway so I walked to school.” The administrator said “but you can’t do that!” And I said “yes, but I just did!”
After that when I wanted to walk to school and get a bagel I left home a lot earlier, though. I was a bit of a goody two-shoes about going to class and stuff.
Why not call it Absolutely Bagels!
Oh my god the comments on this article are just as low class as expected. If you don’t like the bagels, enjoy your own favorite spot and leave our favorite place alone! You’re all so miserable
If the community doesn’t like something, they’ll let you know. That’s not low class, that’s free speech. Don’t like it? The good news is, there are plenty of countries you can move to where free speech is limited.
I suspect people are exercising their free speech but haven’t even tried the bagels. They just enjoy being miserable.
You must be new around here.
Spot on!
They should call it “Absolutely Bagels!”
Bagel Solution/Soulution.
IF there is a line in front, I’m avoiding it.
Why not Resolute Bagels? Hour Bagels? Legal Bagels?
“a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”
Phoenix Bagels
Heaven Leaven
There’s a couple for ya. PS the bagels are just as good if not better than before.
Did we ever get the inside story as to why the original owner walked away? Or could they have been pressured out?
Something I’ve seen before, is a landlord conspiring with someone involved in a small business, to push out the lease holder. Could be pressured over taxes, violations, owed rent…
With the tenant out, the landlord reclaims the space and all the equipment. They just need to grab a few of the essential employees, who are usually easy to get with even a slightly better deal than they had prior. A few long overdue renovations and they’re off.
If something like this happened, then really the only thing the prior own has to fight over is the original name.
Even with the name change, we will forever refer to it as “Absolute”
This is the mark of the true New Yorker … when my cousin and I meet in Flushing we always park near “Tony & Vinnie Pecora’s gas station on Lawrence Street”. That Texaco station has been gone for decades and Lawrence St. has been College Point Blvd. for just as long. And, YES, I take the Triboro to get there.
Cease and Desist Bagels
😂😂😂
New name:..BIG-ASS BAGELS(!)
TBA Bagels