**do not use on goldbelly** ** ruined the holidays** i scheduled a delivery way in advance for december 22nd. i got an email stating days later it would now arrive on the 24th. its the 24th. they just now sent an email stating it won't be delivered until the 29th. way past the holidays. holiday ruined, as this was a gift to my parents. avoid this business read more

Have no idea why anyone thinks these are decent bagels. Have had better in Worcester MA. But nice service and outdoor seating.

Amazing customer service! Found through an app. Got amazing bagels for half the price

Living in Brooklyn, I hadn't been to Kossar's in years (since it had been kosher). I found myself on Grand Street. It was a relatively warm day. I could sit outside at one of the tables in front of the store. I ordered a bialy and butter to go with my coffee; I also ordered a bag of bialys to take home. The bialys came from a basket behind the counter. I was surprised that the outside of the bialy ate at the exterior table was harder than what I remember. That bialy and the bialys I took home were okay. They weren't bad. I expected a softer, chewier exterior. read more

Let's put it this way....I"m a Jew of a certain age. Which means I don't have to tell the girl selling tickets at the movie theater that I'm a senior citizen. She knows. She knows. So I read an article about Kossar's Bialys and knew I had to check it out because I really like bialys and I haven't had a good one in 50 plus years. I mean that. I've always preferred bialys over bagels but every time I tried one, it just didn't compare to the bialys I used to have when I was a kid. I even started to think that my memory of those long ago bialys were just idealized memories of my long ago youth and I began to think I would never find the bialy of my childhood. Until yesterday. I schlepped down to Kossar's in lower Manhattan all the while thinking I must be crazy, like some kind of Hebraic Don Quixote. What I saw on entering the shop was more of a bakery than a retail store. Palettes and palettes of freshly baked bialys and bagels. A young lady having a cup of coffee by the counter at the window told me I was in luck as a fresh batch of bialys had just come out of the oven. I ordered 8 and a few whole wheat bagels for my wife. Now, I could drag this story out forever but let me just say that the bialy I had when I got home was the bialy I had been searching for for years. I even took one of the ones I froze yesterday and had it for breakfast this morning and it was almost just as good as the fresh-out-of-the-oven one I had yesterday. So thank you, Kossar's. You are the real deal. Let me just add a few comments here. For the young man from Orlando who commented that the clerk behind the counter should have retired ten years ago. You are correct...he should have but probably couldn't afford that luxury. So cut him some slack. You're buying an item for 90 cents. Did you also expect him to shine your shoes? Smile graciously while you figured out if you wanted one or two? Clap his hands in delight when you told him to butter it for you? Hug and kiss you when you asked for it toasted? But then again, your recommendation that we buy our bialys from the frozen food section at the grocery says it all. Oh, and toasted. Listen kids. You don't have to toast a bagel or bialy when it's fresh out of the oven. We toast bagels and bialys when they need to be freshened up. Toasting a fresh bialy would be like buying a new car and bringing it down the street to have it painted. It's not necessary. read more

I love your gluten-free bagels! Really don't know why, but I've been cheating on you. I mean it was really only the one time, I swear! Yours is waaaaaay better than Baz's down the street, which tastes disgusting with the heavy feel of it and the clay like texture and old bread taste. Yet I did like their pumpernickel flagel but the gluten-free ones are so clay like and don't compare to your plump chewy ones. I'd love to see you again and the bialys as well and will make sure to call in advance for my gluten-free babies. Love that they can be frozen and just warmed up in my own microwave. read more

Props to this place for the variety and the quality of spreads! I highly recommend getting a fresh bagel and some lox here, or whatever spread you're interested in. The food is fresh and delicious and it is at a great price point as well. Come and stop by and give it a try! Service was friendly and the selection was bountiful. read more

I had an everything bagel with horseradish pickle cream cheese. I was Kossar's listed as 1 of the best bagel places in NYC and thought that the fact they also have bialys and the longest existing bialy bakery would be special. Well, the was good but not great. And I didn't even really taste the horseradish in the cream cheese. (There's a doughnut place and couple doors down. GO THERE INSTEAD!) read more

The Best Bialy Known To Man You simply cant find a bialy as good as Kossar`s, period. They have some sort of magic spell over me, delicious even after freezing, I have a craving for one right now. I'm not in this area enough anymore to buy fresh but luckily the Jewish deli nearby has them frozen so I still get my fix. Toasted with butter they are incredible, the folks that work there are not so however. Absolutely Delicious read more

poppy seed, sesame, cat hair, onion... yes, CAT HAIR bagels! When I ordered my cinnamon raison bagel from Kossar's, as I have done many times over many years, I certainly didn't expect nor desire to have it covered in animal hair. As I bring the bagel close to slice it in half, I notice something poking out. A tan hair fully embedded in the top surface. huh... awkward. Yank it out, continue to cut and try to ignore my repulsion. Then I see several more; some longer than others, and all really IN there. Holding down my dry heave, I inspect the hairs and gather that they look like some sort of animal hair as they are very course and change color along the way. I pull at least 6 out and I haven't even really opened the bagel up. I march back down to Kossar's and explain the "hairy situation" to the woman at the counter. All I say is, "I found several hairs in this bagel " and her immediate response is "What, cat hair?" Odd that this is the very first thing she would say, no? Then she goes on to get all mad at me, ripping the bagel apart, and denies that they have any animals in the place. "Maybe the hair was in the bag?" she says and shakes the bag all around. Um, I don't think hair can bake itself inside of bread by being in a paper bag (and gross that they have hair-filled bags, nonetheless). So, I have ended my weekend-bagel-love-affair of the ages with Kossar's. Quite frankly, Toffuti on a cat-hair & raisin bagel just doesn't sound so tasty anymore. I don't think you could pay me to gag one of those puppies (ha-ha) down. read more

This place used to have amazingly delicious bialys loaded with onions or garlic year's ago. I would happily eat them plain. The last two times I've ordered bialys they've been really basic. Barely any toppings, and light on flavor. Not sure what happened but they aren't a must have anymore. read more

I If I can give it 0 stars I would . the girl the counter is indifferent to anyone coming in and when I asked about it she dismissed me as if I didn't just purchase any food there Definitely have to update their customer service standard When I walked in they asked me to put on a mask but yet the guy doing the making the bagels doesn't have a mask and his pants are hanging down under his buttocks really guys really?!?! Owner definitely don't check I on staff read more

So here's the deal about a Kossar's bialy; 1. Don't expect to walk into the place and see the person at the counter holding a paper bag of hot bialy's upon your arrival waiting for you. 2. IF!! you happen to arrive when a hot and fresh batch make it out of the oven and onto the aged wooden pallets then cherish the moment. And eat one before it makes it's way into the bag. 3. If your bialy isn't hot upon arrival then bring it home, do not slice it open, put it into the oven, warm it up-do not toast it-and enjoy. 4. Do not walk into Kossar's and ask the person behind the counter for a "bialy, toasted with cream cheese". This is not a deli! 5. If you require a condiment on your bialy, take it home, refer to step number 3 and slap butter on top of unsliced, hot bialy. If you cannot follow these steps for a successful Kossar's bialy or do not understand them, then move back to Nebraska. read more

Morris Kossar (alav ha-shalom), practically invented the bialy back when the LES was the LES. Kossar's has the distinction of being the oldest bialy bakery in the US. So skip the lines at the Doughnut Plant and follow my directions: Buy a dozen bialys, bring them home, burn your copy of the Atkin's Diet Revolution, slice them, put them in the freezer, go about your life, take out and toast before consuming as needed. Repeat. For the gentiles who are unfamiliar and/or confused right now, these bagel-like creations are similar to your white bread...just more delicious. You really can put anything on a bialy. The ideal sandwich is scallion cream cheese, nova, slicked red onion, slice of good tomato (optional). The 2nd best option is a toasted bialy with whipped cream cheese and jelly. In truth, any sandwich is just made better when you use a bialy. I also like this: deli mustard on each half, one slice of American cheese on each half, that is it...eat it open faced. I eat all my bialys open faced. read more

Kossar's has improved TREMENDOUSLY after being taken over by new owners. They are making bialys throughout the day so they are nice and soft, plus filled with generous amounts of onion or garlic. I am not exaggerating when I say the bialy I got here with the previous owner was dry and had one slice of onion on it, but after having them again today, I am AMAZED at the difference! Yay!! Super nice friendly guy who helped me (no more grumpy lady), who introduced himself, think his name was Ash? I can't really recall, I was a little tipsy from happy hour (thus explaining my late afternoon bialy haul). Brought them home and everyone agreed they were delicious, can't wait to go back!! Best Bialy in NYC! read more

I'm being kind by giving one star. I haven't been in Manhattan since January but always stopped at Kossar's for fresh bialys and onion wheels at least 2 times a month. I had the opportunity to stop in at 1:30 PM today to purchase a dozen bialys and a few onion wheels. They were out of onion wheels so I purchased a dozen bialys. They gave me 14..... anyway, I arrived home at 3:30 and all the bialys were hard (stale) and only 2 had onions. I won't be going back! read more

According to Wiki..""Take the 'A' Train" is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. It is arguably the most famous of the many compositions to emerge from the collaboration of Ellington and Strayhorn." You'll miss the quickest way to Harlem, in this case you need to sing "Take the F train." I don't know if it's the quickest, but it's the closest to Kossar's, you can take the B or D, etc. too. You're talkin' LES baby! These bagels and bialy's are worthy of a same day trip from midtown to pickup a dozen to take back to Chicago, they're a notch better than NYBB here at home, where I consider the only place to get a a bagel or bialy, hey the owner is from Brooklyn and minus having the correct water for making these they get them close. Kossar's are so good, my husband ate four of them in a couple of days, he's the onion bialy fan. I lean toward the bagel side, egg, cinnamon, and garlic. Dense and chewy, is what you want! I know there are reviews saying they're too dense and chewy. I like a good pull, snap and chew to my bagels, those air puffy things you get in midtown are just some sugar away from a donut. Kossar's isn't fancy, they aren't also always friendly, it varies. However, they give me exactly what I want, and for a price that's easy. It's a simple place, there's a reason the place hasn't changed, they don't need too. read more

Try their bacon, egg, and cheese on a garlic bagel with jalapeño cream cheese, you won't regret it!

SLOW SLOW SLOW. No urgency at all. They messed up our order and didn't put it in at all. Got an everything bagel with garlic cream cheese and lox. Give it 6/10, bagel came out cold after I asked it to be toasted. Even their fresh OJ tastes soapy. Won't be coming back. The manager was more concerned about filming some little video then managing the many customers waiting forever for their bagels. Such a disappointment. read more

Supposedly Kossar's is the oldest bialy bakery in the country and makes the best ones available. Maybe I don't know a good bialy when I have one but I hated it. It was the driest and most inedible thing I've ever eaten. For those unfamiliar with bialy's (pronounced bay-alley) it's a roll (nothing like a bagel) about the diameter of a bagel but thinner, that has an indented center with dried onions in it. I came here to try their bialy but to also try their bagels. The one Spanish woman working here wasn't friendly or a good listener because within my order I asked for an everything whole wheat bagel and she sold me an everything and a whole wheat bagel. I was too distracted to notice the mistake in price so I didn't find out until later on. The shop is just a bare bakery with a small counter. This isn't the kind of place that prepares anything for you, just a place you drop by for a bag of bagels and/or bialys to go. Service and bialys aside I thought the bagels were just good enough to squeeze into my top 10. The flavor was good as was the texture. I probably wouldn't go back here but I still enjoyed the bagels enough to recommend them. Overall Bagel: 7 Taste: 9 Texture: 6 Store: 2 Service & Value: 2 read more

As a grad student, I really loved coming to Kossars while I was doing a clinical placement. It was a delicious and cheap breakfast or lunch. I tried the garlic, onion, and sun dried tomato bialys with diff types of cream cheese and was never disappointed. The first time I ordered I made the mistake of getting two without realizing how filling they really are since they appear small. The chocolate babka was also interesting to try. The employees were very friendly to me every single time I visited. The history behind this store is very interesting and I had no idea they were the oldest operating bialy bakery in the United States. I hope this gem stays open for another 80 years! read more

Kossar's is the oldest bialy store in the US. Unfortunately, they were out of bialy's! We were steered toward a pletzel instead and had it toasted with butter. Very sorry these don't save well or my freezer would be stocked with them. read more

Kossar's Bagels & Bialys - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

The bagels are good; the bialys are very good. Compared to the bialys of my childhood they seem a bit drier and stingier on the onions (or garlic depending on which you order). Still they're very good, and finding bialys at all is getting tougher and tougher. This place is not a sandwich shop, so don't expect them to make you one. This is a bagel and bialy bakery. They sell pre-packaged cream cheeses, lox, whitefish salad and tuna salad (Tuv Taam brand) out of a fridge at what seem to me to be slightly inflated prices. Opportunity cost of betting most of what you need for a family brunch in one place, I guess. They're closed for Shabbos, so don't expect to get anything here between Friday sundown and Saturday sundown. If you want some bagels from Kossar's for a weekend brunch at home plan it for Sunday. You want the real deal you have to follow the rules. Protip: If you walk by late on Saturday night you may be able to persuade one of the bakers to sell you a piping hot, freshly baked bialy through the store's security gate. Worth it a hundred times over! read more

When I was a kid 15-20 years ago this place was the real deal. Anytime you walked in you could get a fresh bialy right from the oven. No cream cheese, coffee, or nonsense. Tour groups were few and far between and a non-native yuppies had not yet overtaken the city. Their owners were Jewish but not Orthodox, and so they were opened 24/7 all year except for Passover. Now they are closed for any minor Jewish holiday. The neighborhood has shifted to be more Orthodox Jews and yuppies, and Kossars has adapted to meet their needs. I cant complain about this, they should maximize profits, I can simply lament a simpler, more delicious time. One thing that rightfully bothers me concerns the quality of the bialys. Their center filling used to be real garlic paste, you could tell by the greenish tint. In recent years the paste has an orange tint. I do not know why, maybe the garlic is processed instead of fresh but in any case it is not the original "Kossar's Bialy". In addition, this place is overpriced compared to other local bagel stores, you are lucky to even get a baker's dozen on their $.90 bagels or bialys, which are available down the block for $.50-$75 each. read more

Yum! Not the cheapest bagel but made fresh and delicious. The egg and cheese bialy with cream cheese was a toasty, savory start an early winter morning trip to the airport. Staff was friendly as well. Highly recommend if you're in LES. read more

Kossar's Bagels & Bialys - Egg and cheese + schmear bialy - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

Well, now I'm screwed. I've had the best bagels of my life, and have now had the best bialy (new to me) as well. Nothing's ever going to compare. Perhaps other flavors from Kossar's, but it's going to be a far trek for me from Texas. Sad for me. I opted for the Challah Bagel and a Bialy. I sat at the window to eat my bagel (even better than I anticipated) and to watch the world go by for about five to ten minutes. All I can remember of those five to ten minutes was the amber colored bagel. Rich with its challah-ness, perfectly carbed. And also the few bites of my bialy. A bit lighter, oniony-er, and just shy of heaven. I looked at my surroundings, the shop, the bins of carby goodness. It was simple, all the focus was on the baked goods. There were scores of wooden storage shelves that the lady pulled my bialy from, metal bins with bagels, a shelf table in the front window with about five stools, and a it was a small store front. Oh, and if you're attempting to decide between a couple of doughnuts from the Doughnut Plant, a bagel and bialy, or any combination of the aforementioned, go the bagel and bialy route. Kossar's has been around since 1936, so they know what they're doing. The bagels and bialys are far superior. I got a couple of doughnuts for later, took a bite of one and eh. I should have gone back and gotten another bagel and/or bialy instead. read more

The bagel I had (whole wheat everything) tasted average and not incredibly fresh. The scallion cream cheese was good, but there was entirely too much on my bagel. When at Kossar's, I found that the staff was a bit overwhelmed and unorganized. Everyone seemed to be yelling and it was not a pleasant experience for my purchase (July 25).. read more

Ok-so I tried the Bialy again. I think this time it was fresher or I was more famished than the last time I visited. Got my kosher scallion cream cheese again to spread on this lovely hole-less piece of dough. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM-I'm in heaven! Loved it so much, tried to go back 2 weeks later on a Saturday morning and buy some to take home to my fam in SF-CLOSED-WTF? Damn Jews and their Sabbath. read more

I'm a big fan of bialeys, its really amazing how few people even know what they are...Even from my days in Houston and Cali, I've seen bialys sold in bakeries and bagel shops but they are usually terrible, maybe that's why they're only popular here in NY, because you can only get the best bialys in this city and Kosars is one of those places. I like to really toast mine, it crisps up the onions and garlic in the center, and my favorite toppings are either sable or nova from Zabars, scallion cream cheese and a squeeze of lemon. But you can put anything on them, I even make sandwiches with them. read more

Bagels. Really, really, really great bagels. The only reason it's not five stars is that you can't rely on it to have what you want, when you want it. You have to walk in with an open mind and choose once you see your options. As a die-hard whole wheat bagel fan, I had to be flexible this day and "settle" for a cinnamon raisin (I put it in quotation marks because that bagel was one of the best things that's ever happened to me). I hope you like your bagels plain. They sell cream cheese by the tub, but that's it. There's a few different flavors of cream cheese, as well as plain individual tubs. There IS a Tofutti option, but it's a full tub (not individual) and unflavored. However...you can definitely eat these bagels plain, so it doesn't really matter. One more thing: stop talking about donuts. Donuts have nothing on bagels. read more

Besides they don't serve decaf which was surprising , my $15 Bialy & lox was the size of a child's portion.

Don't usually post but I had a bagel to go when i took it out it's basically a piece of charcoal no breakfast for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ read more

Kossar's Bagels & Bialys - I don't think it's supposed to look like that - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

Sorry but the rude-old-hag-behind-the-counter routine just is not amusing. Deduction of one star just based on that. The bialys tasted "day old." Too chewy. Bone dry. No option to get them toasted to try to improve the situation. Deduction of another star. The coffee pot looks like it was installed in 1962- so we passed on that. No OJ options in the refrigerator. In other words, nothing decent to wash down the dryness of your breakfast/snack. Deduction of final star. Yes, it's dirt cheap. Plus one star. But still not worth it. Plus one final star because I'm feeling generous. Parting observation: Kossar's could be such an institution. It could be so much more. It is a shame it is not. read more

Maybe I don't know what a good bialy is but these were not good. They were hard and lacked flavor. I've been meaning to check this place out for a long time now, thinking that NY'ers know their bagels n' stuff. It was quite a disappointment going all the way down here and dealing with a rude man who served less a less than average product in what looked like a bodega. I can understand if I came in on a Wednesday afternoon and the products weren't the freshest but I was there on a Sunday morning before noon. The windows should be fogged and the bagels/bialy's piping hot. If your getting to the end of the batch and your selling stale products, throw out the last few and tell people to wait for a new batch. It can't cost you more than a few bucks when you're charging .90 cents for one. Ok, I get the whole old school, bare bones flare and I'm ok with dealing with a place that has surly service and no amenities if you're going to do one thing really well (they don't even sell orange juice here)...in fact, I love that type of stuff. But if you do that, the food has to hold it's weight! If it doesn't than you just end up with a shitty shop living off of it's supposedly once deserved fame. Oh and $5 for packaged cream cheese?! Get a grip. The one silver lining of coming here was that I discovered the Doughnut Plant next door. Now that place is awesome! read more

Do you know what its like trying to find 2 dozen bagels on Christmas Day, ooh boy. Its like living in Florida and wishing for snow, it just ain't happening. I was in a bind needing these bagels, because my original spot couldn't fulfill my order in time. Thanks to my handy Yelp app, I scoured locations close by and up comes Kossars. So me and my friend Angel, yes its good to have an Angel on Christmas day Lol. So just walking in and smelling the wonderful aroma I ordered two Dozen bagels assorted. And I did get a bakers dozen! And of course some fresh garlic bialys too, oh so good. I was so giddy and full of joy sitting in the car with two bags full of soft and warm smelling delicious bagels. Thank you Kossars for making Christmas yummy and good. The bagels were all gone by the end of the day all of them. So you know they had to be good. read more

We were on a custom lower east Jewish Food tour and someone recommend Kossars. This place is amazing. Tremendous variety, super clean and helpful staff. I loved that you can look into the baking area through a clear plexiglass. We opted for a toasted bialy on chive cream cheese. Simply delicious. Very light, fresh and the cream cheese was tasty. Price is reasonable. Excellent place. read more

The bialys are just the best thing you can put in your mouth. Hard and soft at the same time. Delicious. Delightful. All the the things. And the stuff is quite lovely... which isn't always a given in those old timey type establishments. Try the sandwich combos... they're clever, interesting, and fresh-fresh-fresh. I don't miss it when I'm in New York. Frankly... it's a reason to move. read more

Kossars was better before the new owner came along They seem to be skimping on just about everything I guess they got away with it read more

Sorry to say this.. I have been a customer for over 25 years traveling in special from Long Island to get these bialies.. Now under new ownership, I will have to look else where to satisfy my bialy cravings.. Today was my last trip in this Sunday morning.. Upon arriving at 9:15 I found the cupboards bare not only of bialies but bagles too..ON A SUNDAY MORNING.. and nothing was baking either... I was told 25 minutes for anything more.. Not that horrible..when I returned 25 minutes later still nothing was being baked and was it would be another 45 minutes.. I was told I should have gotten there earlier...REALLY.????? Ta-ta Kosars, you machine made bialies can't hold a candle to the original hand made ones.. Something has changed and not for the better.. Tis a sad day in bialy land. read more

The new Kossar's boasts about their wholesome ingredients on their food label, but I was surprised to see the Rugulach contain palm oil. Not really an ingredient you expect to see in an old world recipe. And one that is usually used because it's cheaper than vegetable oil or butter. Also palm oil is often highly processed. On top of it, I found their Rugulach to be bland. read more