L & E Bagels

As I walked into the store I heard what I believe to be the owner viciously screaming (also very loudly) at an employee about the price of a dozen and a half bagels and the employee yelling back. They did not stop arguing or even acknowledge the fact that I was in there and continued to scream across the room as I was standing between them. I was unbelievingly uncomfortable and very upset by this experience I will never return there and turn my business back to town bagel and I’ll tell everyone I know to do the same. This was absolutely the worst experience I have ever had in any kind of retail store or restaurant. I’m completely distraught and terrified at the way they handled what should have been a very simple question from the employee to the owner. Clearly he doesn’t know how to run a business or treat his employees.

I only went here because this place was the only one that had the garlic and herb cream cheese in my area. So the 2 stars are for that. I guess it doesn’t sell enough in Long Island because I called about 4 bagle places and no one had my favorite cream cheese! One place, Bagel Café in Bellmore listed to have that in the menu so I drove out there in this snow and when I got there, they said they don’t have it. Well, then take it off the menu. Anyway, at this spot, bagel was nothing outstanding and the cream cheese was just ok. I guess I will have to go back to Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company in Astoria whenever I crave for the garlic and herb cream cheese because they are the BEST. I won’t be going back here.

Came here the first weekend of 2016 because I’ve wanted to try out some new bagel spots this year. There was only one other person there, and they had placed there order already.
Definitely a bare bones place, like a previous reviewer had mentioned. So much so that I couldn’t really tell what other options they had besides bagels and muffins — signage is lacking a lot of info. Asked on of the girls behind the register if they had wraps and she said no, she was then corrected by the petite blond/​brown haired girl who let me know they did. So I ordered an everything bagel and an egg white/​tomato wrap. Like I said previously, only one other person was there before me, and while I was there one other person came in but she was very much preoccupied by the various cream cheese selections in the fridge. Another non-​petite girl tried to get her attention from behind the register to see if she needed any help, but the customer was not listening — which resulted in an eye roll from the girl. Whether the customer deserved it or not, you never want to see an establishment acting this way — kids or not.
Ten minutes after placing my order for my bagel with cream cheese and egg wrap, I received it. I’m not in a rush, but did find the 10 minutes a rather long time to wait when no other customer was still there.
When I was leaving I asked the helpful girl for a menu, she tried to find one but she couldn’t. I was told by the eye-​roller that I could go online. The menu was for my Dad, just in case this place was worth visiting again, online isn’t exactly his thing. But as it turns out there is no reason to bother coming back. Bagel did not come close to other places in the area, and the lack of egg and tomato in the wrap was unacceptable. So they get two stars only because of the one girl behind the counter that seemed to care about she was doing — wish I got her name so I could make sure she got the credit. More places need workers like her.

L & E bagels is probably one of the better bagel places I’ve been to on Long Island. These days, a lot of bagel places end up with rather bland bagels, give you lousy, chunky cream cheese, and are just generally disappointing. L & E’s bagels actually have FLAVOR. WHAT A CONCEPT. Their cream cheese is actually, you know, creamy. Plus, there’s a really nice variety of cream cheeses, which, combined with all the different kinds of bagels, gives you a huge selection of flavors. Most importantly, I’ve always found L & E to be a clean restaurant. You won’t even find crumbs on the floor when you walk in. The workers are efficient and friendly, even in difficult situation, which is pretty incredible considering how I’ve seen some of their customers act like monsters and children.
I really wish I lived closer, since the places I typically patronize are underwhelming.

Been coming here for more years than I can remember to buy bagels after midnight on Friday nights. Bagels are good, far from the best though. Most important they are fresh and often warm at that hour.
Cream cheese special, buy one get one, is always good to get. Flavors are yummy too. Bakery novelties are excellent, particularly the black and white cookies.

Poor service. Long wait on eggs. Skimpy portions on tuna salad and cream cheese on the bagels. Bad attitude from the obnoxious cashiers. There are a million bagel places on Long Island. Try a different one.

4.25 for a bagel with tuna and a soda. can’t beat it!

The bagels themselves here are decent, but I have some issues with the service.
One really cool thing about this place is that at midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, they open for the day. This means that if you decide late at night that you’re craving a bagel, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t, then you have a spot to go. Be warned, it will be filled to the brim with 14 – 19 year old kids being lewd and possibly rowdy. Another good thing is that they sell their own whipped cream cheese, which is quite good.
The bad things about L&E are the mediocre bagels, and the borderline rude service. The bagels taste alright, but I never seem to be satisfied afterwards. Plus they are often un-​toasted, which leads me to my second point. The woman who works there (and possibly owns it) looks like she could not possibly hate her life more. When you ask for a bagel with butter or cream cheese, don’t expect to be asked «do you want it toasted?» because she won’t. In fact, if you do ask for it to be toasted, she will almost certainly tell you that they are still warm. That’s great and all, but I would like the edges to be crispy and browned. She will not be happy when you ask.
I must add that one time I decided I was going to get her to smile no matter what, so I walked in and was as nice as anyone could ever possibly be to another human, and never once stopped smiling. Finally she reciprocated the smile and even struck up a little conversation. After that I wanted to go back more often.

Great home made fresh bagles. The coffee and cheam cheese are awesome too. You see the owner making bagles the tratitional way towards the back. They have some amazing deals too. I belive it is usually buy one get one cream cheese flavors. And when you order a dozen they give you 6 extra. The only problem they are best eaten and softest the first few hours you get them. They only last around a day in the open before getting kind of hard. My guess is because this place has been here forever they don’t use preservatives like some others might. Bottom line very tasty bagels

My dad loves the bagels here. We’ve been going here for 10+ years.
My problem is that sometimes I get the day before’s bagel which is not okay when I can get a fresh bagel around the corner.
Their cream cheese is inexpensive too. I love their super egg with cream cheese.

I wrote a review earlier but got a message from a Unilocaler, who did not like that I wrote that they steamed the bagel…
I guess I should have worded it better but since I am not in the bagel business, I assumed people would understand that, but I seem to have over-​estimated people so I am going to rewrite the review.
here is is the message I received:
Darlene, just a note — homemade bagels are boiled in water and then baked, so I don’t know what you are talking about with «steaming.» Also, all of the homemade bagel places still do it this way. Thanks. Skip T.
(The person who wrote me this message keeps changing his name and has not reviewed any place so I have to assume he just has an account to send rude messages but I guess he is bored, this is the link to his page)
I also recently discovered that he sends out ridiculous messages to a lot of Unilocaler (what a loser lol)

Here is my updated review:
L & E has the best bagel in town. After they boil the bagel, they put it in the oven on a wooden plank which PERFECTLY STEAMS the bagel which NO OTHER bagel place in the area does anymore which is why their bagels don’t measure up in my opinion. When I was a kid, all bagel places did this and the bagels were amazing which is why I only get mine from L&E.
The staff is extremely friendly and they have every flavor of cream cheese you can imagine.

Seriously I went here as a high school student in the 90s just came back for some bagels yesterday since they were always good. What a utter disappointment ! Literally a tablespoon of cream cheese on my flagel, a tablespoon of Tuna, a tablespoon of cream chesse on a regular whole wheat bagel! For nearly $ 8? Talk about cutbacks, but we are done here.

Price is right! Delicious pumpernickel and Egg Everything. I loved their sausage egg & cheese, and their egg salad is really good! I was in heaven when I noticed they make their own black & white cookies. I had it for dessert that night. It was so good! I can’t wait to go back and get another one! The man and woman working were very friendly! I will absolutely return!

Delicious delicious delicious New York Bagels. As a Coloradan with both parents and a partner from NY, there is nothing so sad as not being able to have real, legit bagels at home. Luckily, L & E Bagels is just down the block from my In-​Laws, and so every trip we make to NY, we can nom on some perfectly created NY bagels with amazing garden veggie cream cheese. We usually buy a dozen extra and bring them back in our luggage to be frozen as treats throughout the year, but nothing tastes better than a hot one directly from the store!

I must admit that the bagels sold here come with the most ideal ratio of soft inner goodness and firm, almost but not quite crispy outer bagel-​crust. Toasting was unnecessary and I had a pleasant variety of cream cheeses to choose from. I opted for the herb & garlic and it was delicious! (I enjoy the taste of garlic so if you don’t, then skip for another cream cheese.)
The place itself is rather small and has no sitting space but the fact that it’s open at really late hours in the middle of the night may leave you without a choice of coming here when you have the late-​night munchies… You’ll just have to eat in your car and try very hard not to get crumbs everywhere.

Are you drunk, tired, or just craving bagels at night but do not want to spend a lot? COME HERE!
I came here with some friends after a gig of mine late at night. The lady working behind the counter was adorable and working so hard. I could tell right away the bagels were going to be good because they were soooooo fluffy. And it was!
This is not a deli… do not come here looking to get the typical sandwich, macaroni salad, meats on a bagel etc. This place has a very limited menu. Except for their extensive list of cream cheese flavors (which i clearly need to try next time I go). This place seems to be all about the simple bagel and shmeer combination.
I got a bagel with Tuna and was impressed. The tuna was simple without a ton of mayo, just the way I like. Combined that with the fluffy everything bagel and I loved it. Next time I have a gig I will be sure to come here at night!

Since i hate the two bagels stores located around me lately either because of the terrible customer service or the horrible people that sit around and complain about EVERYTHING, i looked up this place on Unilocal and headed there this evening. It opens at 1230am on sat and sun so i wanted just a little snack. The place is tiny but clean and the owner was very nice. I only saw the bagels and muffins and cream cheese and drinks, no chips or prepared foods at all. I got 2 plain bagels and they were really warm and tasty, i was going to get some cream cheese but they didn’t have strawberry so i opted out. The bagel is very good and i would go back again especially if i want a bagel at 3am, lol

Very friendly bagel place. Tried the egg everything, regular everything and plain… all three were good. Tried scallion light and lox cream cheese. Both were very good.
Bagels are somewhat crispy and doughy. Good flavor on the everything.
Very friendly people.

As far as bagel shops go, this is as good as it gets! The staff is always polite and accommodating and the bagels are THE BEST i have ever had. Whenever I go out of town to stay with friends, I always pick up a dozen (actually 18, because they do buy 12 get 6 free every day except holidays) and take them for breakfast for my out of town friends.
I really wouldn’t go anywhere else for a bagel now-​a-​days…
$ 10 minimum on credit cards
Pro-​tip: They open realllly early, like 2 or 3 am early, so get your butt in there after that long night out partying and grab a bagel. Skip the diner.

My carbohydrate filled morning staple.
Yeah, it’s your neighborhood bagel shop, delicious on the inside, unimpressive from the outside and staffed by cute girls who presumably attended Wantagh high school. L&E annihilates my morning hunger pangs like some bagely delicious food warrior. Sometimes it’s with a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel w/​low fat cream cheese, other times with a toasted sesame bagel and butter… It all depends on my mood.
I choose this bagel shack over some of the others in the area (millennium bagel aka million dollar bagel) because of value. $ 2.15 for a toasty bagel w/​topping and a small cawfeee (gotta say it the LI way ’round here) or tea. Yum. Cheap and delicious. The owners/​staff are ridiculously nice people. They’ve randomly given me free cake. Twice. Who doesn’t like cake? :)
My only complaints? The bialys are almost as thick as a bagel and light & fluffy. Erggh. Great that they newly introduced them. but they’re not up to par. Who makes a fluffy bialy? I’m forced (not quite kicking and screaming here) to get my 10 slices worth of carbs in the standard bagels. Ah, well. An extra mile around the block it is!