I really wasn't that impressed. Seems like your average bagel store that doesn't seem to have a bunch of competition around them. Solid everything bagel with their cream cheese. I'll have to try another spread the next time I'm in the area, but the real catch was their supposed amazing bialy's (just learned about this, SF native). Was not impressed by the bialy. It was small and dry. Apparently the key here is to get your bialy toasted. Next time I'll have to do that. Until then, meh. Cheers! read more

I agree completely with Sam M. I was raised on bialys, and I know a good one when I see / taste it, and Kossar's left a LOT to be desired. (1) Just looking at it you know you're going to be disappointed. What makes a bialy a bialy (and not just another roll) are the ONIONS in the middle - to which I ask - Where the heck are the onions?! All 3 bialys I purchased had absolutely NONE on them. For those who don't grasp the significance of this, it's like ordering a cheeseburger, sitting down and unwrapping it, and then taking a bite to realize there's no cheese on it! (2) Kossar's has some of the saltiest bialys I've ever had. I put some butter on it (that happened to be salted), and ended up having to take a sip of chocolate milk after every bite to counter the salinity. I have absolutely no idea why or how this place has a 4 star review average. My only assumption is that those who rate this place with 4 or 5 stars don't actually know what a bialy is supposed to look / taste like. Kossar's might have been great back in the day, but that day is clearly long since gone. read more

Really just OK. The bialys are served cold and very hard and chewy. They do not toast. You can buy a small package of cream cheese and cozy up to one of 4 chairs at the "bar." The store proprieter does keep a secret stash of quai-warm bialys, just ask. Bialy's are inexpensive at $.90. read more

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

So the lady at the front counter wasn't the nicest person I've ever met. That is an absolutely fair criticism of this store. However, I must say the the Challah Everything bagel and the garlic bialy that I treated myself to after my dentist appointment around the corner made my day. The bagel was crispy on the outside, with a perfectly fluffy inside. Schmeared with a little cream cheese...oy. Perfection. The bialy was warm and soft, delectable and garlicky. Had it been hard as a rock as some reviewers have noted, this review would have taken a considerably more negative tone. However, my bialy experience was truly perfection. Kossar's - you would have made my great grandmother proud. I can just hear her, Yiddish-inflected accent and all saying, "Now THAT's a bagel." read more

Here's the breakdown: Stick around for a fresh batch of bialys full of warm doughy goodness to come out of the oven. Skip the bagels, which are an atrocity and worse than the ones found in any random coffee cart. Get only what you can consume in a day or two cuz these suckers do NOT keep well. Pay those apathetic hipsters manning the cash reg. Kossar's doesn't hold a candle to the dearly departed Coney Island Bialys & Bagels but as one of the only/THE only place to find fresh bialys in the city, it's nice that new owners stepped in to keep a NYC institution alive. read more

They have the slowest system 25 minutes wait for bagel with tuna while the place isn't busy - bagel cut open spread tuna = 2 minutes so many ppl working there but slow af wake up Nyc read more

The last time I went there the guy gave me ALL plain onion bialys when I drove all the way down from Westchester to get a variety of flavored bagels u can't get anywhere else. What the heck? read more

I haven't had a bialy in a decade, I love them, but don't really see them at the bagel stores anymore so it was off my radar. We recently had brunch with family in Westchester and they brought out toasted bialys and they were oh sooo good slathered with butter and a sprinkle of sea salt, the carmelized onion flavor, the bits of poppy seed --permeated the bialy, nice and chewy with crispy edges. So back to the city, I decided to hunt them down....surprisingly, and maybe it should not have been so surprising, I couldn't find them in my corner of Brooklyn, so I took the F train a few stops into the city to this place. The staff was efficient, if not very accommodating. I wanted the fresher bialys in a plastic bag (because I wanted to freeze some of them for toasting, plastic holds onto moisture better.) Woman said they didn't do that, so she slapped down --unapologetically, a bag of cold ones pre-packed in a bag, and gave me my two garlic bialy's in paper (which weren't even warm). When I touched the bialy's through the bag, I suspected they weren't going to be great, but still hopeful that I was wrong. I really wanted to like these you see --it was an easy trek on the F train and supposedly this place had so much history. I went home, toasted both the traditional onion (but no poppy seeds) and a garlic one, and they were both disappointingly flavorless. The lack of flavor was two fold. One the dough texture wasn't quite developed or flavorful (if you've had great bread, you know what I'm talking about) and two, the fillings were not properly carmelized. They both had an abundance of filling --too much and they were kind of wet. But even warmed up with a toaster, there was no real flavor. Could the fillings have been precooked and sitting around too long? They were just ok. Yeh...I've had better plain pizza dough. I'm a little puzzled that they can do so well with basically just two products, bagels and bialys, but that they don't even do them well. One would think these should be a labor of love. I don't really like leaving negative reviews, but its really a mediocre product that wasn't worth a special trip. I suspect all these 4 and 5 star reviewers have never had a good bialy....or they are first timers. If I'm in the neighborhood then I might try it again, maybe I just hit it on an off day....or, maybe not. read more

I'd choose a bialy over a bagel any day of the week... and a garlic bialy twice on Sunday. When you're doing a food crawl of the lower east side (and if you haven't, what are you waiting for?) you must stop in to Kossars for some old school bagels and bialys. read more

Grabbed a loaf of Babka cinnamon bread for the cost of about $10 which was quite expensive. I didn't get a chance to try the bagel but I will return for that! read more

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

You can get good bagels outside of NYC (I said good, not great) but you cannot get a bialy anywhere but in Manhattan or Brooklyn (ok, maybe Queens but I don't know of any). When it comes to great bialys, this is the #1 spot. Unfortunately bialys do not freeze as well as bagels so get what you can eat when fresh, slather on the cream cheese and enjoy. Also solid pletzels here...that really brings me back to Sunday mornings with my dad. And I echo the recommendation on Donut Plant. Very tough to find two such great places so close to each other. read more

This place has been in the LES for over 65 years, which i like to think was tenement times but it was just after the tenements. I think my grandparents grew up going here and loved the bialys and onion discs. I've been coming here since I was a kid and my parents would bring it home from us. I love bialys and from Kossar's you just can't do better. They are bare bones, no bs, just great bialys for the community. read more

If you're a bagel and bialy snob, then this is your place. I can remember this place when I was a little girl, and my goodness, so good here! There's nothing like a bagel, bialy or onion disk, and Kossar knows how to make them. Come earlier in the day, when the bialys are freshly made and just right, chewy but not too tough. Prices have gone up over the years, but that's inflation. read more

Bialys! Tried onion and garlic. Like the onion better. Fresh baked, nice and crusty and chewy on the outside. Friendly service. Tip: get a doughnut plant donut next door for a dessert! Carb overload! read more

Meh. I know it's 90 cents and I'll probably go back for that reason alone but I don't think it was that great. If I am on that block and have more than 90 cents, I'd rather go to Doughnut Plant... read more

I've been buying bialys here for many years, was disappointed when they closed for remodeling, finally got back there today. The bialys now are at best half their previous size. They put in a grill and three stools by the window, not much room to eat if you get a hot dish. After several more visits, I can safely raise my previous rating to five stars. Yes, the ambiance has changed but the bialys are as good as ever, larger lately, and the best baked salmon salad I've ever had. And the employees are super-nice. Working up the courage to try the Chocolate Babka French Toast. I fear it may be addictive read more

I don't get it. This place seems revered, but I haven't ever been impressed by it. Maybe bialys in general are a boring species of breadstuff. I guess one could serve the best skim milk on the Lower East Side, but it'd still be skim milk. I've been maybe half a dozen times. Yes, had them warm. As in, waited-while-they-pulled-a-fresh-batch-from-the-oven warm. To clarify, Yelpers, that wasn't a gripe about having to wait. It's just to demonstrate that I've had them at peak freshness. The things are tasty warm and with butter, but that's just to say that warm bread and butter are tasty. Don't buy the hype. This emperor has no clothes. read more

This is my fave bagel shop so far and it's a walking distance from my working site in Lower east side! I had the cinnamon raisin bagel with blueberry cream cheese ( it's so good I forgot to take a photo of it lol) read more

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

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I love their bagels and bialys, I'm new to yelp, so I have to review my local bakeries. I've been coming to this place for 22 years. It's still a good price, but it use to be cheaper, they just recently raised prices. Yes it is fresh and NO they do not add anything to it, they just give you your bagel or bialy. *New*, but they now sell cream cheeses and spreads, it's a lil pricey compared to supermarket cream cheese but it is worth.. SO GOOD! They also sell coffee now. Also there only open on fridays till mid afternoon and saturday's CLOSED read more

Bagels were good. Bialys were excellent. It's a bagel factory, not a store. They do retail bagels and bialys. However, no toaster, no slicer ,no accompaniments besides cream cheese, and nobody or -thing to make sandwiches. When we visited, there was a single disposable plastic butter knife in the entire bakery, which we were given to share. There is a self-service coffee pot and cups. A wide variety of cream cheeses (including whitefish salad, the holy grail of spreads) are available for resale in the refrigerator case, but obviously are only there for the convenience of people like us, who don't have the coordination to get cream cheese somewhere else. Service: de minimus to negligible. The entire staff during our visit consisted of one baker and one cashier. Kudos are extended to the baker. To the cashier, not so much. Seating: You can come here for breakfast, as we did, but the seating consists of a counter with only 4 stools. There may be some areas to sit nearby outside if the weather is nice. When not working the register, the cashier slaps the bialys waiting on baking pans with a still-folded paper bag. I'm not sure if this is some kind of religious ritual or what. In any case, it is not anything I recall from Hebrew school. read more

Went there the other day before our flight. We wanted some NY bagels and since we were in Chinatown, this was the closest places near us that were in some of the top ten NY bagel rankings. The guy who helped us was really nice. We ordered a bakers dozen and he even gave us an extra bagel! I mentioned that we were headed to the airport and he gave us freezer bags! It seems that this place is clearly a bialy's place. I should have tried them. Bagels were gold however it wasn't 10 ten status caliber in my opinion. I would definitely recommend it though. read more

Experienced extreme rudeness and racism at this store today, the person making my order purposely made me wait and gave everyone behind me in line.. at least 12 people their order. While my bagel was sitting on the counter with no one else waiting. I spoke up and told him I've been waiting for my bagel for a while, to which he said I didn't wait a while... I've never experienced this in my life living in the LES. Having to deal with this nonsense behavior for food I paid for and patiently waited for. Customers in the store witnessed this as well as the lady at the cashier. He wasn't apologetic, and told me to wait rudely. The only 2 people waiting were Asians as well who couldn't speak up for themselves. This is a shame that we have to experience this in 2021. Will not be coming back. read more

Lady was not nice didn't even want to cut my bagel in half! Then they don't have many different kind of bagels and the bagel is dry and hard. Will not go back read more

I must give a shout out to to Jose the baker!!!Back story. My father grew up on the LES. When I was growing up as a child I have fond memories of stopping at Kossar's to pick up bialy's and poppy disks on our way back home to LI. Most of the time they were hot, needles the smell in the car was intoxicating. Some were eaten on the way home, they melted like butter in your mouth nothing needed on top. We live in Florida now, my father is 91 and has Alzheimer's. I came up NYC quick trip 48 hours. Lucky for me a friend of mine lives around the corner from Kossar's. I went to Kossar's to get my dad his loved poppy discs. The nice man behind the counter said they don't have any but he will ask to see if they will make some. Jose the baker did. Thank you Jose!!! You have no idea the happiness you will bring an old man!!! read more

Service here is not great. Slow. There was only one person in front of me on the line, about 6 people behind the counter (one of which was flossing their teeth!) and I had to repeat my simple order of a bagel with cream cheese 3 separate times. It took about 10 minutes. Made me late for work. Not coming back. Overpriced anyway read more

Located just next to the Donut Plant, Bialys is just....how can I put this....phenominal! The Bialys bagel is to literally DIE for! I am hopin' and wishin' for Mr. Bialy to come and open his shop here in California...more specifically near me in LA. I can't get enough of it. On my last day in NY, I had to get his bagel with creme cheese slathered all over it. Gosh darn it! I want BIALYS! The owner, he is funny, very social, and just a angel to be around. read more

If you've never tried Babka, go immediately to Kossar's and get yourself a loaf of cinnamon or chocolate. We got the ooey gooey cinnamon variety. It's almost like a cinnamon roll on steroids. You don't even miss the icing on top! Each loaf is $10.50, but they are worth every penny. The bagels are chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. We especially loved the potent onion bagels. read more

Kossar's has become my favorite spot for a bagel and a shmear. That horseradish pickle cream cheese is heaven, especially on a plain or an everything pumpernickel. Their iced coffee is NY perfection, and I can't say enough good things about the staff - they are always friendly and kind. Hot fresh bagels, a variety of spreads, great coffee, delicious cinnamon babka. Can't go wrong with Kossar's! read more

The real McCoy. Delicious Bialy - especially when they are hot and fresh. A NYC institution. Carb-a-licious! read more

Got garlic and onion bialys with one of the spreads from the fridge in the back. Garlic was definitely a favorite but would definitely keep coming back to try the other spreads and bagels that they have. read more

$1 bagel. With smear $3. not my favorite in manhattan but these bagels are good! very limited seats, probably only 4 by the windows. they have bagel chips, babkas, cookies, etc too. very friendly and family owned. read more

One of the best things about New York are the foods that you find only in this part of the world. One of these items is the Bialy. I had never even heard of these before I attended a food walking tour of the LES and was delighted to be try one and add it to my foodie knowledge. Did I like it - well, it was bready and reasonably tasty but I'm not sure I'm a convert. It was a little dry for my liking and I wanted to dunk it in some broth or put some cream cheese on there to create a bit of moisture. read more

Just like the Pickle Guys and the Doughnut Plant within a block of Kossar's, is as good as it gets. It is about the taste, the consistency, the way they toast. I think that the ovens and the water make them better. When a NJ bagel place tries to make a Baily it is just not the same! The majority of their business is wholesale, so they are open early and late, but not on Saturday. read more

This is the first time we tried bialys. Three of us shared one and could not pull a piece because it was so tough. We only ate three tiny pieces. The flavor was salty and texture chewy, kind of like when kids make their own pizza and play with the dough too much. read more

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

Kossars is always good for their garlic bialys! This time going, I tried their signature breakfast sandwich. It was bomb! Salmon, red onion, fluffy eggs, tomatoes on a garlic bialy. The best bite was the center bite full of garlic bits! read more

Kossar's Bagels & Bialys - Signature breakfast sandwich. Bomb diggity - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

Ordered bialys from Kossar's through goldbelly for $44/dozen and three came moldy. Goldbelly has reviewed to handle the problem and blames Kossar's who seems unwilling to respond. Very disappointed in Kossar's customer service and would not recommend ordering shipping or delivery. read more

3 quarters gets you: 1 great bialy. That's it. Don't ask for cream cheese. read more

I love Kossar's! It's adorable, timeless, reliable, and OPEN ON CHRISTMAS! These are the best bialys anywhere. Classic, made the same way they always were, by committed people who just want to do this simple thing perfectly. The new owners are lovely. They have improved some things that needed improvement, without losing any of the original charm. Most importantly, they haven't fired any of the less friendly staff, who've been there forever and shouldn't have to change their whole way of doing things. Staffing isn't what needed improvement! That said, I was shocked to walk in and be *greeted* the first time I went by after the management change. I was somewhat alarmed actually. My first question: is the guy who would never have said hi to me just now still employed here? Their response: don't worry. he just works Sundays. Go to Kossar's first and The Pickle Guy on your way back to the train. THESE ARE PERFECT THINGS. read more

We went to the Pickle guys on Essex and being the rubes we are we had never heard of a bialy so they sent us around the corner to knosh and learn! read more

Kossar's Bagels & Bialys - onion bialys toasted with butter - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

I've been a fan of Kossar's since my grandmother's lighting store opened on Grand St in the 70's and I am so happy to see the newly refurbished Kossar's finally open, I've been jonesing for my bialy fix since they closed for renovation. Happy to say other than the bright airy & modern layout.. The bialys are just as great as they have always been!! I amazed how great the staff are handling the reopening with all the excitement around the reopening. Keep up the great work! read more