Kossar’s

I passed by on 2÷5÷16 and it’s OPEN! The prices are clearly listed on a board and the items are nicely presented. A quick glance revealed that bagel and bialy prices are $ 1 each and a «Build a Bagel» is in place. The store looks nice and inviting. I haven’t tried anything yet so I can’t attest to taste. My rating is based on the old bagels, but I upped it one star because the renovation was nicely done.

WHAT A JOKE! made a special trip to the reopened Kossar’s today. After waiting on line for ten minutes was told they were all out of bialys (except for sun dried tomato and whole wheat, really?). «Come back tomorrow» I don’t think so.

Very disappointing. After waiting in line for 10 minutes I was told that they were not serving any grilled items so I never got to try their ‘signature breakfast sandwich’. They seem a bit disorganized and clueless. My server was smug and sort of offhand, as if to imply that it was OK that they were unable to serve one of their menu items.
I settled for an onion bialy. My first ever bialy and it was cold and seemed stale to me. There was hardly any onion on it.
The various salads on offer did not seem in the least bit appetizing to me. Nothing worse than seeing a tuna salad with that crusty look. Just not fresh.
Any bog standard deli deserves your money more than this dump. Don’t believe the hype. Will not be a return customer. Giving one star because there is no zero stars option.

Beautifully renovated and reopened with a new expanded menu. «The Classic» on a bialy from Kossars has to be the best breakfast sandwich in New York City.

Kossars reopened today and I was pleasantly surprised by how much better the bagels and bialys are… the spreads… I bought two spreads that were delicious… give them a try… I hope you will be as pleased as I was.

Had a delicious warm Kossar bialy this morning! Absolute yumminess! My tummy and heart are happy campers!!!

First day reopened! My toasted onion bialy with whitefish salad is YUMMY. I’m waiting for a pletzel, should be fresh from the oven in 10 minutes — this place smells heavenly!
All kinds of non-​traditional bialy available as well: sundried tomato and pesto (unheard of in the «old country «!) is just one example.
Not much in the way of seating, but I’m prrched on a stool, facing out onto Grand Street. Sun’s coming up after morning snow — great lunchtime treat!

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

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, Unilocalers, 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.

The bialys of my childhood still are the best! Used to walk around the corner to their original location and buy them for 5 cents ea warm from the oven. Still make an annual pilgrimage back to the lower east side and never fail to bring back the best bialys to farm country.
They are as much of an institution as another childhood haunt, Katz’s Deli.

Hands down some of the best bagels in the LES. Whenever I visit NYC I make sure to stop by here to bring back bagels to enjoy at home. The bagels are doughy and made the way bagels are supposed to be made. Not many places can get this type of consistency anymore. These bagels don’t even need to be toasted.

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

This place has been here for as long as I can remember. So 30 or 40 years. I asked the girl behind the counter if it’s the same owner and she said if the second owner. So the original guy was able to sell the business because it was so in bedded in the community. Crazy the place is still here.

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.

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.

Today I had a bialy
From Kossar’s in the LES,
It was absolutely perfect
And only 90 cents – hell yes!
The bialys that Kossar’s serves
are fresh as fresh can be,
They offer three toppings:
Onion, garlic, or sesame.
A bialy’s halfway in between
A bagel and ciabatta.
And if you haven’t had one yet,
Try one! You just gotta!

The bialys I got here were very disappointing. I went around 9 am on a Saturday and ordered 1 garlic and 1 onion bialy. I didn’t realize until I got back to my hotel room that the onion bialy had no topping on it whatsoever. It was plain and tough — barely edible. The garlic one was just so so.
I can get better bialys in Durham, NC.

Ahhh the bialy. Where have these been my whole life?!
Sometimes bagels can be a bit much, right? Bialys are a little lighter, a little softer, still bursting with garlic flavor and taste amazing w/​a little cream cheese.
Less than $ 1 and baked fresh all day long. I so want a bialy, like, right now!

Great place to get some fresh bagels and Bialys.
What’s a Bialy? Think of it as a flat bagel, thin and flavored with something or original. Only 90 cents each!
I’m pretty sure the deli down the corner from my place has fresh bagels, but this place is legit. I’m positive it’s fresh because at the end of the day, they either get rid of the extra baked goods or sell them BOGO (buy one get one free).
Different flavors of bialy I usually get are garlic, onion, everything. Get original if you plan to put a spread or dip it in hummus or a dip.

Before the change in management, the bagels and bialys were always tough and way inferior to many other NYC bagel shops. I was so hoping that the change in management would bring better quality products — but it has not, sadly. The bagels and bialys are still hard and lacking in taste. The service is also brusque .
Much better bagels can be had at Fairway on 25^th street. Now those are amazing!