Slims Bagels and Bialys

I was on my way to shoot some clays and was waiting for a friend when I decided to stop in for a bagel. I came before I read the Unilocal reviews about this place. Some of the criticisims are valid. The customer service is so-​so. Employees are wearing street clothes and telling jokes all the time. But I’m not the kind of guy that will make a big stink about that though. What matters to me is the food.
In my mind, a bagel shops quality is measured by its everything bagels. No whether all the bagels taste like they just came out of the oven etc. And the everything bagel was pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. Crispy out of the toaster, chewey, good cream cheese…
If you don’t really care about what’s going on behind the counter, and you want a tasty bagel, this is a good place. I really don’t understand all the 1 star reviews. Everywhere isnt utopia bagels or H&H and that shouldnt be the standard for every bagel shop to meet or get a 1 star.

This is not my go-​to bagel store, but when I come here (once every month or two) I am satisfied. Their bagels aren’t amazing, but they sure are good. Their bialys are delicious, as well as their twists. They have a variety of seeded bagels, which are good. Prices aren’t amazing, but they are cheap enough that your wallet doesn’t feel empty. They have a variety of pre-​packaged fish, which all seems fresh, as well as fruit and beverages. They have bakery items, such as muffins (try their red velvet), cupcakes, cookies (their chocolate chip is so soft and yummy), and small pastries. I have never done catering, but reviews are slightly negative in regards to it. When coming late, they still have a lot of bagels, but try to come early to avoid the wait and avoid customer service issues, which seem to be prominent for most Unilocalers.

#1 — Stale bagels: Living in NY you expect soft fresh bagels on a Friday morning around 6:30am. Not the the case here. I stopped here on my way to work (Bronx) to buy 2 dozen bagels to take with me away for the weekend with my family. That night, the bagels were already turning hard. Bagels I buy from the local supermarket don’t even turn stale that fast and they’re usually made offsite.
#2 Rude customer service: I waited in line to be served. When it was my turn the man packaged my 2 dozen bagels and then I asked for a large cup of coffee since I was only half way to work traveling from Suffolk to the Bronx. He came back to the counter with 2 cups of coffee and I said, «I only ordered 1 cup.» He replied, «This is for my sister (clearly joking with woman on line behind me), she’s on her way to work.» She paid and walked out. I was left standing there waiting to pay like a subordinate. I’ve worked for the city of NY for over a decade and took great offense to this. Common courtesy, show undivided attention to each customer.
#3 Overpriced: The prices are the most expensive I’ve ever seen, probably trying to make up for the lack of returning customers and need to cover their overhead for the location.
# Location (only +): Very convenient as far as getting on and off the LIE, right before Cross Island. This is probably what is keeping them in business if I had to guess.

Some of the hardest, most tasteless bagels I’ve had from a bagel shop. This is surprising because they specialize in making bagels so you’d think they’d put some effort into it. Have bought here occasionally for years but I would venture to say the quality has degraded over time.
Go to the bakery department of the fairway in Douglaston and you will get bagels that are many times fresher and better.

Convenient and fast. Nothing crazy special but they are decent and the workers are very friendly.

Great bagels when they’re hot and fresh. Great service, good value, and open really early. The thin bagels make them ideal for sandwiches. However, for done train they don’t last as long as other bagels I’ve had. They get hard quickly, so make sure you cut them before putting the leftovers in the freezer.

Sitting between two morning powerhouses like Panera Bread and Starbucks can’t be easy, but that’s exactly what this little bagel shop does. I stopped in on an early Sunday morning and was both surprised and delighted to see the cash register area open up to an enormous kitchen in the back, affording me glimpses of fresh bagels being cooked up. On-​site bagel birthing is, in my book, an non-​negotiable. Their racks are stacked with the usual bagel flavor suspects and I was all set to get my usual everything bagel when I caught sight of the flat bagels on a lower shelf. Flagels, as they’re often called, look like a squashed bagel and eat like two top slices of a regular bagel. Slims offers a decent variety of flagels and I chose a sesame flagel with tofu cream cheese (strict vegetarians and vegans, welcome here. They also have tofu with vegetable, if that’s more your liking). The verdict? For $ 3, I’d say it was a decent breakfast. The tofu cream cheese here is a little tangier than others I’ve tasted, leaving an aftertaste that reminded me a little of sour cream. I enjoyed the flagel since it felt like I was eating less carbs, but when the fiancè had a bite or two, he seemed diffident toward the flatter version, saying, «It feels like my jaw will hurt if I eat too much of it because it’s too crunchy.» No complaints about the service, which was quick and efficient. I got to see the pleasant side of customer service when the woman in front of me totally changed her mind after her order was already wrapped up and ready to go and her server uncomplainingly started a new order. This is not the best nor the cheapest, but a solid bagel stop in the area, with great parking to boot.

Really good bagels, flavor is great and lox spread is good. Not sure why the low stars, it is good stuff!

The bagels in this place are really good and always fresh. I like their cream cheese with scallions. They also have the flat bagels and really good bialys. This is a much better spot to get a great bagel and cream cheese with coffee instead of the panera or starbucks nearby. It is good to support local places as compare to nearby franchises. They also have deals when you buy a dozen bagels. The one plus was that this was the only eatery opened on christmas morning in this shopping plaza.

I have been a customer for 20+ years, this place has tanked. Cust service, quality of food, crazy prices. They take advantage of a great location but dont deserve the business they have. Staff is in street cloths, long hair swinging through food prep dirty and unfriendly.

Was in the area and was in the mood for a nice hot bagel.
Stopped in to Slims hoping that they would have some bagels that just came out of the oven.
I asked the friendly lady behind the counter if there were any that were just out of the oven, She smiled and checked the back.
I got a plain and a poppy seed.
They were delicious and piping hot.
Staff was extremely helpful and friendly.

I have been coming here ever since I was a child. And it seems that every time I go there their service gets worse and worse. I’m not sure why I still go, maybe I’m hoping it will change? But I’m disappointed every time. The reason for this is because they always have new people helping you out that have NO idea what they’re doing. I have to repeat my order 10 times, they load on the cream cheese like it’s nobody’s business, and after all that my order ends up being incorrect. I always leave completely disappointed with a lost appetite.

If I could give less than 1 I would. Lady looked at customers and then decided a number to charge. Why 3.00 for a bagel that should be 2.00 on their board. Go elsewhere !

TOTAL RIPOFF! I went there for a bacon/​egg/​cheese and a flagel with whitefish. Egg bagels are $ 3.25. Ok understandable. But wait, they don’t offer bacon or sausage! $ 3.25 for egg/​cheese is wild! Doesn’t even come with a coffee or anything to offset the price. Whitefish, $ 7.00! Oh and wait, an extra $ 1 for a flagel (which wasn’t a large round flattened bagel, but rather a bagel ¹⁄₃ of the size) and more $ if you want lettuce and tomato! I was shocked. No one could even tell me who the owner was. So based on the staff, this is an example of a Haitian family trying to open a NY bagel place and jacking up prices. This place is a shame to NY bagelrys everywhere. No one was mean or anything, just shameful prices.
I literally just signed up for Unilocal solely to post this.

Meh, it’s ok. I’ve definitely had better bagels, and the other bagel shops don’t charge for toasting (which i find ridiculous). But, the service is meh, and the food is edible. It’s the closest bagel shop to my job, so I don’t mind going there. However, this morning my coworkers and I decided to get a bag of their bagel chips to share.
The first few bagel chips were as good as they could be, but as we got into the middle of the pile, I noticed that the bagels had powdery white and green spots all over them. Turns out the bagels were growing mold. This definitely made me question their practice on their FIFO or labeling system: First In, First Out — this involves proper food rotation in order to make sure that the freshest product is always placed in the back, so that older products will move to the front. Labeling the products will also allow the staff to monitor how long the product has been sitting on the shelf and if it’s past its «BEST BUY» date. This way, spoiled food doesn’t get lost in the mix and sold to the public.
I wanted to return the bagel chips, but my co-​workers decided to just break off the pieces with the green and white spots — which is a bad idea because you don’t know if the mold has produced mycotoxins which can make you sick. So basically, my low score is based off of my overall experience with the meh quality of service, the ok bagels and the fact that we were sold moldy bagel chips. So make sure to check whatever you buy. Otherwise, the place is just ok.

I have been here many times. I gave had a sesame bagel with scallion CC and lox. Pretty good, not the best but I can walk to this place and its right by the LIE.
I have also had their chicken salad sandwich on a hard roll, and it has been excellent both times. I have had a chopped salad and its been good. It’s not the cheapest place but I have no hesitation going there if I’m in a hurry and just want a quick sandwich.
If you are in the area during breakfast or lunch then it’s worth it.

What the heck happened to this place?
Years ago, you used to get all these great deals and they would always give you a hot bagel fresh from the oven. Also, I work at QCC and they used to give you a discount — no more!
So for $ 22 I got two dozen bagels, plus 6 free on each dozen — that’s 36 bagels for those having trouble with Math. This was not a bad deal, but not the best. Only 5 of my bagels had just been taken from the oven and so they smelled up my entire car with their hot goodness.
Despite this, the bagels are still pretty good.

Blah!
This is my local bagel shop and I’m sadly disappointed. The service is slow and they always get my order wrong.
Their whole wheat bagel is decent. The best they’ve been able to whip up for me, is a toasted croissant with jam, YUM!
They can not make an egg and cheese. The egg they use is fake, and it will take them 15+mins to make. No one has that kind of time in the morning!
My go to bagel store is Richer’s bakery on the otherwise of LIE. They have great whole wheat bagels and their staff is at tentative and fast. Although, I have not tried their croissants.

I’m reviewing the shady business practices of this place — not the quality of food or service, both of which are pretty good.
Last weekend, I ordered two breakfast sandwiches, my usual order, and was charged a different total than the time I went before last. The cost is ALWAYS different but this time I questioned it. The guy at the register charged me $ 5.00 for a sausage, egg and cheese on a roll. I walked over to the guy that made my sandwich and asked him what my sandwich cost and he said «$ 4.75».
How come every time I go in there, they charge me a different price for the same order, each and every time?
The people running this place must think their customers are idiots to not notice how dishonest their pricing structure is — even when the prices are clearly stated on the menu.
For a few cents, I wasn’t going to hold up the line to argue with the cashier but I cannot respect a place that doesn’t respect its customer.

Mediocre bagel in exchange for terrible service! The lox cream cheese I ordered tasted exactly like plain cream cheese, but with a bigger price tag.
I went in with a friend and a man quickly came to the counter to take her order. A second man behind the counter stared idly at me while I expectantly peered back at him. 5 minutes later, I asked, ‘Can you take my order?’. Following an eye roll, he went off after I ordered a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese. After coming back to ask me again what bagel I wanted, and what cream cheese. He dumps an untoasted bagel in my hands and stomps away. Disappointing in all aspects.