While it would appear that New York’s beloved bagel shop is back, there’s much more to this story.
When Absolute Bagels on the Upper West Side shuttered late last year, New Yorkers were left heartbroken and mourning the bagel joint, which had made its mark on numerous best-bagel lists throughout its 30-year run.
Now, a sign for a bagel shop has returned to the storefront at 2788 Broadway, between West 107th and 108th streets.
“Reopen: New Absolute Bagel,” the banner outside the shuttered store read, alongside an image of a bagel with cream cheese.
But despite the location, the words “reopen” and the name that implies it’s a new version of the same joint, New Absolute Bagel has no relation to the original Absolute Bagel.
Rafe Evans, the broker of the property from Walker, Malloy & Company, told West Side Rag back when Absolute Bagel initially closed that it was his priority to keep the storefront a bagel shop.
“I rented to [Absolute Bagel owner] Sam [Thongkrieng] 30 years ago, he’s gone now [leaving the space] and it’s my job to re-rent the store,” Evans told the Rag. “And we all agree another bagel store is the highest priority and best use of the space.”
While the goal of keeping it a space for New Yorkers to get their beloved bagels was a success, Evans told the outlet this week that the new owners have no connection to the Thongkrieng family and are “not household names” — though they do operate a small number of bagel stores in New York and New Jersey. No other specifics or details were provided.
Evans was also surprised by the name on the sign, telling Pix11, “We were surprised to see they’re calling themselves the New Absolute Bagels. We do get why they’re doing that.”
Though he told the neighborhood blog I Love the Upper West Side that they’re not sure if that’s the official name or if it’s “just a placeholder.”
But Evans expects everything else to be different — including the bagels.
“They are going to rebuild it from scratch. They need everything. Floors, walls, ceilings, the works,” he shared. “Sam, the former owner, was asked if he wanted to sell his recipes, and he said anyone can make a bagel.”
Thongkrieng, a Thai immigrant, first opened Absolute Bagels in 1992 after working at Ess-a-Bagel. It was shut down last December due to health violations.
Absolute Bagels was docked 67 points by the city Department of Health due to violations that included “evidence of rats or live rats,” and “live roaches,” which called for immediate closure.
Rat droppings were found in the food preparation, storage and service areas and sugar packets beneath the bagel counter were clearly gnawed by the pesky critters, inspectors said at the time.
Heartbroken customers were desperate to get one last bagel after the sudden closure, with listings of bagels popping up on eBay for as much as $50.
