Absolute Bagels

Note: Cash Only
I saw the line wind out through the front door, and was worried I’d have to wait an hour or so but it moves pretty quickly so fear not. If you’re in the neighborhood, do check this place. Here’s my take:
Egg bagel with vegetable cream cheese — This was the first time I’ve ever heard of an egg bagel, and it was perfection (toasty on the outside, soft on the inside). The aroma reminded me of my favorite custard pastry, and I’ll definitely be coming back for more.
Space — There’s about nine 2-​person tables, so seating is limited.
Glasses — If you wear glasses, they might steam up a bit when you first walk in. I think there’s a huge vat in the back where they make there bagels. Long story short, bring something to wipe your glasses with.
Of all the bagel shops in NYC, this is #1 in my heart. Check it out!

The bagels are pretty good if you have a bagel craving you need to satisfy. I can’t understand why they get a line out the door that extends past almost two neighboring establishments.
One afternoon when there was no line, I tried a toasted Nova Lox & Cream Cheese on Whole Wheat Bagel (~$ 9.25), which was not bad. I would have preferred if the bagel was a fluffier consistency. They also have a nova lox spread for about half the price, but it looks like there are very few bits of lox in the shmear.
Other than that, it looks like they have a pretty decent selection of bagels, shmears, beverages, and some baked goods. It seems like they are a little disorganized, which is understandable when they get a long line. This would make for a good, quick breakfast if it weren’t for that line and the fact that they only take cash. If you’re like me, you are short on time in the morning and usually not carrying cash.

I’m not sure why there’s such a huge hype for this place. The bagels are decent, but not much better than any other New York bagel store, especially considering the lines and the prices. There were also a couple flies that were near the bagels last time I went.

Bae-​goals.
So good and not really expensive! The line is almost always long, so prepare for that. Also keep in mind that they only take cash, so make sure you have enough on you!

Absolute Bagels is certainly a popular venue in the area. MLK Day and it was packed with the line around the store (usually it’d be outside but it was super cold). You wait on line and once you get to the ordering counter, you put in your order and then go to cashier, tell them what you got, pay, and wait for your food. Pretty straight forward and not bad for the price. Lox spread on a bagel was a little over $ 4. Works for me since they put a lot of cream cheese and it is super yummy. It’s almost too much cream cheese, but I love lox spread so it’s worth it.
Only problem is that they do sometimes get your order wrong. My friend ordered the same thing as I did and she got lox on a bagel without cream cheese. Totally do-​able if there was cream cheese because thats a $ 10 bagel, but eating fish on bread is pretty difficult.

Dis à ton avis, tout les gens qui attendent au coin du mur, c’est pour Absolute Bagels ?.
Ce jeudi midi, on a bravé le froid, emprunter la ligne 1 du métro et remonter au nord ouest de Central Park pour déjeuner ici. Qu’importe la foule, on comptait bien né pas se décourager. Les gens avancent vite et on comprends mieux pourquoi à l’intérieur. Les commandes s’enchainent, le service est survolté, quitte à né pas être très agréable mais j’ai bien saisi, que c’est assez courant dans ce type d’adresse.
On choisi son type de pain, la sauce puis les garnitures à intégrer. Je sais que c’est coutumier ici mais je raffole pas de ce système. Je préférerais plusieurs choix de composition préalablement établis, tant pis ce n’est pas grave. Peu de places assises, on arrive à trouver une table dans un coin.
Je suis alors en train de me dire qu’a 9,75 $, le résultat se doit d’être positif. Les deux trois morceaux d’introduction m’ont rapidement subjuguer. Croustillant à souhait, la texture et la garniture du pain est à se damner. Pour l’intérieur classique mais efficace avec cream cheese, saumon fumé, tomate et oignon. Tout tient bien en main et cale sans problème.

Can one improve upon perfection?
Nope. There’s a reason the line for this place is out the door, even on weekdays.
The low-​down: People working here are always super busy but also super nice.
The bagels are the best. They make them more or less right in front of you.
And yet, somehow, magically, despite the business of the place when you want a place to sit and eat your coffee and bagel after you’ve stood in line, something always appears for you.
I get the everything or poppy with plain tofu cream cheese and tomato. Tomatoes are fresh. Tofu cream cheese is just as it needs to be, and the bagels are bagels to write to your Jewish grandma about, if you have one. Someone else’s if you don’t.
Two for one bagels after some time in the afternoon or evening, I don’t know what time. But this happens.
Cash only, obvi.

Was up early on a Saturday morning so I figured I’d try a new bagel place. Brooklyn Bagel is my typical go to but I’d heard so many great things about Absolute it was time to give it a go.
I got there before 9am so there wasn’t much of a line, maybe 5 people ahead of me. Menu is simple and they have a bunch of people behind the counter so I could see how the line would move quickly if it were bigger. They don’t have as many cream cheese options as BB but wow were the bagels amazing. We got a Garlic with cheddar/​bacon spread and an Everything with nova lox and scallion. The outside was perfectly done, with a little bit of crust to it and the inside was super chewy and the right amount of density. I’m not a lox fan but apparently it was just as great as the bagel.
I was kicking myself for not getting a dozen. Just means I’ll have to go back. Immediately.

Sure, it’s a bit of a hole in the wall and you question how they pass health inspections, but the bagels here are sweet doughy perfection. I definitely wouldn’t recommend hanging out at the tables inside unless you like ecoli, so take the bagels to go. The cream cheese is also a bit of a racket as prices are high, but it’s worth it to get a nice schmear on the excellent bagel. Go for toasted, another surcharge, to unlock the full potential of them. Cash only. Definitely in contention for best bagels in the city.

Almost always a line but the line moves fast. Not a huge selection of cream cheese, but what they have is good.
There was nothing that particularly stuck out to me from other bagel places here in NYC, but glad I tried it.

It’s a good thing I no longer work by this place otherwise I’d be obese.
The bagels are chewy and perfect just as they are but my favorite is toasted whole wheat or plain with whitefish. The whitefish here is close to perfection in my opinion. I have also had their strawberry cream cheese and scallion, both of which are equally good.

Happiness is a warm… Bagel! Yup, it’s true what they say. #1. This is bagel heaven. Came in about 10:45am on a Tuesday. Line was just barely outside the door. Moved quickly. Got an assortment of everything, garlic and sesame bagels.
Wow breaking into these things was like no other… Warm, light, doughy, goodness surrounded by a nice crunchy crust. Holy heaven. All the bagels were amazing. All had a slightly different cook and flavor. So worth the trip to the UWS. So glad I’m bringing a bag back home with me!

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There was a line out the door but it was well worth it. It got a little pushy and everyone was busy but the man who took our order was nice. We didn’t get to order everything we wanted but I got an onion bagel with chive and garlic cream cheese while my boyfriend got the everything bagel with maple walnut cream cheese.
The cream cheese was absolutely fabulous. The bagels were delicious but I think the cream cheese may have made it as amazing as it was.
It was delicious. Highly recommended.

Place can get packed, but they can be quick. Tons of spreads to choose from and they also have something called tofutti which is surprisingly delicious! We got the garlic bagel with the sundried tomato tofutti and it was really good. Get the spread on the side because if not they will put a thick layer in your bagel and I’m not about that life.
The only thing I would note about this place is the horrible customer service. The owner is horrible and rude. My friend asked her to cut our bagel and toast it and she literally handed her a plastic knife and said «cut it yourself». I mean, I get it, we’re in New York, but come on lady it only takes like a quick second. Really makes you not want to come back. I mean there are plenty of bagel places in NY.

I came here on the recommendation of a good friend and the person we were renting our AirBnB from. If it’s a week day, then the line isn’t too bad. There are plenty of things to choose from, but I was boring and got the Cinnamon and Raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese both times I went. They have the list of types of bagels on the far right of the menu — make sure to check that out so you don’t get up to order without knowing what you want.
The bagels are so soft, and the cream cheese is so smooth. The strawberry they mix in gives a good kick of sweetness from the strawberries and syrups. I definitely want to try the blueberry cream cheese the next time I’m here.
There was a line out the door around 9:30 am on Sunday — nothing too terrible, I think it was about a 30 minute wait. Totally worth it though!

FOR A BAGEL PLACE, this is definitely 5 stars. And I am NOT a bagel person.
So maybe my standards are a little low and real bagel people aren’t impressed, but this place has some solid bagel performance and the line that forms and wraps around is a testament to that fact. You can get your bagel with some pretty cool combos of cream cheese or turn your bagel into a sandwich (which is what I did after being inspired by a picture I saw on Unilocal).
The everything bagel with smoked turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and plain cream cheese is AWESOME.
So ok, maybe I just got a sandwich at the end of the day… My fiancée’s raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese was pretty nice too. I loved the chunks of strawberry (blows Einstein’s schmear out of the water).
I’d definitely come out to this place again. Love love love.

Absolute bagel embodies what I believed would be the morning bagel in NYC experience. There are just things about this city that you can’t help but form preconceived notions about, and the long line for a morning carb load was one of mine. I had always envisioned a long eclectic line of people, some looking ready for work, others looking for a post-​workout snack, and some just there to enjoy a simple breakfast with friends/​family, but all wearing the unmistakable NYC attitude on their faces. Well, this is exactly the line that I joined at Absolute Bagel, and my experience from there also fit my notion of a typical bagel buying experience in the Big Apple.
The line, albeit long, moves at lightning speed. No sooner does an order go in to one of the many attendants, it seems to appear at the register. Because of the crowd of people crammed around the counter, a newbie must be very focused on their order as soon as they can see the case. Note, you’ll think you can just order from the board, but what you want will change after you get a glimpse of the piles of bagels behind the glass. Believe me when I say this…
Once you’ve quickly passed your order to one of the staff, you will undoubtedly question whether you should have ordered something else, but restrain the desire to change it because you don’t want to break the steady flow of the line, and reveal yourself as a uncool out-​of-​towner. The stress will subside, however, when you’re handed your order, and you can feel the heat of the bagel through the bag, because, let’s be honest, how can a fresh bagel of any type be bad?
You’ll most likely enjoy your carby treat on the street like a true New Yorker would, and your «O» face will definitely give you away as a total neophyte. Good thing you won’t care at this point because the bagel bliss will have taken you over at this point. Maybe this makes you one step closer to being a true New Yorker, maybe it doesn’t. Who cares though? That bagel was delicious.

I live fairly close to this place and have wanted to try the bagels here for awhile. The lines are always crazy long but I was walking by around 2pm one Saturday and couldn’t resist stopping in when I saw the line for once wasn’t out the door.
I have to say, even with all the hype of this place I was impressed! Inside is nothing special in terms of décor, but these guys know how to make a stellar bagel. I ordered a wheat bagel with lox tofutti. –I usually get my bagels toasted but the guy told me it was still warm, and he was right! The tuffuti (vegan cream cheese) was creamy and just like real cream cheese, and the bagel itself was perfect. Their bagels are soft and doughy, yet still a little crispy. Not sure if it’s worth a really long wait, but I will definitely be back again after the morning rush is over!

Who: mom & I
Where/​when: morning walk through Columbia
What: everything bagel w/​tofutti
Why: Given that I loathe bagels for breakfast, due to the typical bloated and yet still hungry feeling I get after eating bread slathered in cream cheese, this is the BEST bagel shop ever. I am so inspired by the quality of their bagels and the genius tofutti spread, hallelujah for something that tastes good and relieves digestive duties for my innards!
Just remember to bring cash $$

De très bons bagels à des prix plus que corrects (–de 4 $).
Vous payez un supplément pour avoir votre bagel toasté.
Le bagel lox spread (mélange de saumon fumé et cream cheese) était très bon et ils ont été très généreux sur la quantité. Ceci dit, il né faut pas se leurrer, le cream cheese était beaucoup présent que le saumon fumé.
Cependant le lieu peut repousser, les tables n’étaient pas nettoyé, le lieu n’est pas chaleureux, la poubelle était à ras bord… Il vaut mieux prendre à emporter !
La location n’est pas la meilleure et n’est desservie que par une ligne de métro, c’est dommage !

Pas mal, de bon Bagels mais le service laisse un peu à désirer. Ils n’ont pas vraiment fait d’efforts… Mon amie a passé sa commande, on avait un peu l’impression que ça les ennuyait. Puis moi? On s’en fout, on né m’a pas posé de questions. Un des serveurs a préparé le Bagel et a direct annoncé le prix, j’ai dû intervenir pour dire que moi aussi, j’aimerais bien en manger un, et j’ai passé ma commande à l’arrache, alors qu’ils étaient en train de parler à d’autres clients, en m’écoutant à moitié.
Donc pour le sourire ou la bonne humeur, on repassera !

You have to try these bagels. These are next level bagels.
The store itself is nothing impressive. Tiny, cramped, stand in line, order at the counter, no credit cards accepted (you can only pay in cash). You yell your order over a pile of bagels at a man who may or may not have heard you, and repeat it to the woman at the cash register so you can pay. Your food is handed to you wrapped in wax paper. You can sit at one of their tiny tables or take your sandwich to go.
I ordered the sesame bagel toasted with chives & garlic ‘tofutti’ (a vegan cream cheese that tastes exactly like cream cheese, no idea how that’s done, but it’s delicious) and biting into it I knew immediately that this was no ordinary bagels. It was fantastically chewy and flavorful, crusty on the outside but warm and moist and dense on the inside. The sesame was incredible, but I tried a bite of my sister’s egg bagel, and that one is just outstanding. A little on the sweet side, but that’s what makes them shine. Just don’t put a savory spread on them. My boyfriend had tuna salad on a whole wheat sesame bagel and was equally enamored.
This little place is worth the trip. A true New York bagel, maybe the best in the city.

Bön premier bagel que je goute et j’ai adoré ! Très bonne adresse
Mais bon, c’est vrai qu’au début on né comprend pas trop comment ça marche, il faut choisir son pain, après sa cream cheese et demander des accompagnements, mais au final, le resultat était très bon! j’y retournerais bien d’ailleurs.