By Gus Saltonstall
A popular Upper West Side bagel spot has been closed by the New York City Department of Health, according to a large yellow sign on its front door.
Tal Bagels, located at 2446 Broadway, between West 90th and 91st streets, was closed following an inspection on July 17, according to the sign on the door.
“Tal Bagels at Broadway and 90th closed by the Health Department,” Nate Jones wrote in an email he sent to West Side Rag on Sunday morning, along with a photo of the closure sign. “The staff appears to be inside cleaning.”
Kathleen Zubroski-Stevens also let the Rag know about the closure on Saturday morning.
“Tal Bagels Broadway is closed,” Zubroski-Stevens wrote. “Saw workers cleaning and vacuuming. It was a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene notice.”
The details of the Department of Health’s July 17 inspection of Tal Bagels came out on Monday morning. The Upper West Side bagel spot received a staggering 157 violation points during its most recent inspection. The city agency shutters a restaurant if there is a public health hazard found during the inspection that cannot be immediately fixed.
To put the 157 point number in perspective, a restaurant receives a C grade from the Health Department if it scores more than 28 points, and is then reinspected within the month to make sure the eatery has amended the issues.
Here is some of what Tal Bagels received violations for during its July 17 inspection, according to the Health Department.
- Food preparation area or food storage area contaminated by sewage or liquid waste.
- Raw, cooked, or prepared food cross-contaminated with out food or not discarded properly.
- Evidence of mice or live mice in the establishment.
- Live roaches in facility’s food or non-food areas.
- Sewage disposal system is not provided, improper, inadequate or unapproved.
You can read the full report — HERE.
Before the most recent Health Department inspection at the Upper West Side bagel spot, the previous inspection took place on June 23, 2025, when the eatery passed with an A rating.
Tal Bagels is routinely ranked among the best bagel spots in the city and also has multiple locations on the Upper East Side.
Once an establishment fixes the conditions outlined by the Health Department inspection, it may reopen. This can take anywhere from 24 hours to multiple weeks. As of Sunday at noon, Tal Bagels on the Upper West Side remains closed.
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What is up with these UWS bagel places?? Bagel Talk, Absolute, the new absolute, and now Tal all with serious health violations! I hope Broadway Bagel, Bagels & co, and Pop Up stay on top of things and continue to keep their stores clean.
Kossar’s on 72nd Street is immaculate, it took them years to clean up the site and they keep it very clean. Plus the Food is delicious, and fresh. They have a very high quality babka as well. And their bialy’s are world famous. It’s at 72nd and West End Avenue. Worth the schlep from anywhere.
Ownership transferred to people who don’t value cleanliness. They’re using the brand as a legacy but cutting costs and corners anywhere they can. Employees reflect that. Pop up is owned by PE I would be shocked if they allowed standards to get that low. Broadway wouldn’t be surprised if there was something fishy. They work in a very tight space and the grill area is routinely active.
Meantime, there’s Kossar’s…..
Except the bagels at Kossar’s are subpar.
Not in all the objective tests from folks everywhere. They are consistently fresh and full of flavor, there is no gimmick of having to buy 3 bagels and no nonsense on their reliability of catering. Bagels like matzoballs are a subject of taste and flavor, crumb and density. I’ve been in the food business and know great bread, challah and bagels – objectively speaking. You may have your favorite purveyor, but don’t yuck everyone else’s yum. Thanks.
Love Kossar’s bagels
I go there…a lot. I remember when they opened in the 90s! Jeez. I remember their rating was good. And business seems to be booming, so I hope they do a thorough inspectikn
I’m thinking it was the everything bagels?
Waiting for “New” Tal Bagels, followed by 2446 Bagel.
I thought the same thing 🙂
It’s very important to note that excellent, clean and well-staffed Tal Bagels locations on the east side are NOT related to the Broadway location, which is separately owned and has been in decline for years… overpriced, filthy, an surly staff… will NOT be missed by us.
100% Agree Stopped going there some two years ago!
First Jacob’s, now Tal? I’m still going. 🙂
Upper East Side Tal served me a fly in their soup. At your own peril.
What was the fly doing in your soup?
Backstroke!
Meh, how much can a fly drink?
I always found that rodent feces adds to my enjoyment of a bagel.
Need to apply some de-rodorent.
Like Moses Herzog, we can share with rats too.
Now that’s an everything bagel.
I wonder why? Just last year it got an A rating. Seems this is Mamdani’s doing. More to come…
Please tell us this is supposed to be a joke …
and not simply absurd.
Yeah, that must be it… all Mamdani’s fault… he’s clearly targeting places owned by Koreans with Hispanic staff that serve traditionally Jewish food claiming they have fllthy conditions, obviously a communist plot! OMG, stop watching Fox News, please! 🙂
I remember when UWSers had wit.
Sounds like you favor unsanitary conditions, which is an odd position to take.
What’s with all the bagels in my rat poop all of a sudden?
First they came for H&H Bagels, and I did not speak out.
Then, they came for Absolute Bagels and I did not speak out.
Then, they came for Tal Bagels and I did not speak out.
Then they came for me, and it was weekend morning,
and I would normally have had bagels and a shmear ready for guests,
perhaps some fresh-squeezed OJ, a little whitefish…
but I could not accommodate them.
So it was rather awkward and disappointing.
Oh no. I like Tal’s bagels.
I like Tal because they still have whitefish salad. I went to the new H&H on Columbus for the first time a few weeks ago and they didn’t have whitefish, which is an abomination if you’re going to call yourselves H&H Bagels.
Upper East Side Tal Bagels on 86th served me a fly. Then, when I showed them the fly they told me it wasn’t one. Literally it had wings. Lol.
only Tal makes the flagle I like so I hope they get back to work very quickly.— very flat, thick with puppies says on both sides, wonderful!
well, it won’t be the same flagle you love as yours have been made with—as proven— rodent feces, cockroach bits, pieces and, alive and kicking, quite close by.
but none of those are paid so the price should remain the same.
What about Murray’s across the street?
eeeyuck! This USED to be my go-to point for Bagels since they are close to me. Would love a list of UWS bagel spots that have not had recent violations. Might I also recommend Murray’s Sturgeon Shop on Broadway & 90th? Best place for smoked fish – staff is phenomenal and the food is delicious.
My wife & I were long-time loyalists of Murray’s until one morning we tried to pay for an order w/ a credit card & were told we couldn’t use it b/c we had to spend at least $12. Aside from a slap in the face to well-known loyal customers, this is also illegal in NYC. We don’t shop there any longer… although I really do miss their Scottish salmon.
Why not just carry some cash like a normal person?
You can look up any restaurant in NYC at this NYC site:
https://a816-health.nyc.gov/ABCEatsRestaurants/#!/Search
That is disgusting! As a restauranteur, they have an obligation to follow food safety, sanitation, and cleanliness standards. One would have to have ZERO concern for doing any of the above.
I do hope that once they re-open, if they do, NOBODY goes there and they close for good. Is this too critical? HELL NO they are disgusting and do not care.
They’re right across from Barzini’s, so it’s kind of a local flavor!
You are hilarious! Thanks for the laughs1
More than likely, the only thing that changed between the last inspection in 2025 and this one on July 17th is the leniency of the Inspector. How does a food service establishment go from an ‘A’ to 157 violations in 14 months? Someone’s palms were greased.
My code in life is never eat at a place without an A rating and never return to one that loses it. Precisely because any outward sign of issues likely masks a much grimmer behind-the-scenes reality.
It was bad; there’s an informed source that it was getting to much even for the rats that were the ones that made initial complaint 😀
Goodbye, Tal Bagels. I’m like most animals: skeeve me once and I’m gone for good.
This gives new meaning to the term “everything” bagel. I’m here all week, folks!
Has anyone actually seen sub par health conditions? Perhaps an inspector wanted to be paid off…..
That many violations after a year earlier an A rating is suspicious. As someone who worked for a municipality in NJ I have seen inspectors being told to, should we say “super inspect”, a property or business to punish them or close them. UWS, bagel, Tal, Jewish? targeted in the antisemitic atmosphere?
No surprise – always dingy
I stopped shopping there a couple of years ago. It never looked clean to me and they were price gouging!
Strange that TAL has a rating of A still in its window even though it is closed.
I’ll wait this out instead of going to Broad Nosh. They’re not very nice and charge you to cut a bagel, even if no shmear.
Presumably, you mean “schmear.”
I’ve lived by Tal for the past 25 years at least and haven’t been for about the past 20 years. This was because I visited twice and had really scary things happen both times. The first time bugs crawled out of the wall. The second time there was a roach at the register that was so big it was unfathomable! After those two incidents, I never went back so this does not surprise me.