New Absolute Bagels Returns to Neighborhood Hole-y Site
Absolute Bagels thrived on the Upper West Side until its unfortunate closure in late 2024. Remodeled and rebranded, has bagel lovers of all faiths rejoicing.
| 30 Dec 2025 | 07:00
It’s opening day at New Absolute Bagels, and the long line attests to the loyalty of local Upper West Siders to a revived location that formerly housed an almost 35-year old local legacy. (
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A top down look at a New Absolute everything bagel. The swirls look like it is a hand rolled bagel, there was no skimping on seeds and it seems well-baked. (
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On the second day of operation, line management had been refined, New Absolute Bagels will expand their hours after Jan. 4, open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day of the week. (
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Looking back from the pick-up area to the back of where the baking is done, the industrial green paint of the old bagel place is gone, now with artful tiling and a larger food prep area. (
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Some of the 14 varieties of bagels are on display for all to see in this new display case, which provides a peek back into the baking area; in the previous store on premises, there was a big wall that prevented that. (
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Manager Amy (behind counter) greets the first customer to New Absolute Bagels at the pickup area; as he waited for his bagel with topping. The ,man made history at 8:15 a.m. as the first customer at the just-opened store. It didn’t take long for this space to fill up thereafter. (
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In a sneak preview, Straus News Media had a look inside New Absolute Bagels on December 27, sans customers. The inside decor reflected the new owner’s desire to have a place that customers could feel comfortable inside as they waited for their orders to be processed. The previous industrial non-chic has morphed into a showpiece. (
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Three years ago at the old Absolute Bagels, the line extended to the end of the block as people lined up to savor goods at their favorite bagel shop. Two years later, it was gone. (
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The Upper West Side has a revived bagel mecca. It’s called New Absolute Bagels and if that name sounds familiar, it should, for it’s located at the same address at 2788 Broadway, between West 107th and 108th Streets as the original Absolute Bagels which served its loyal customers for 34 years.
Though the former UWS bagel emporium was beloved by locals, it was forced out of a business two years ago, on Dec. 11, 2024, when the Health Dept. shut it down after uncovering a host of repeat code violations including the presence of rats and unrefrigerated food.
The new owners promised to open by the end of this year, and on the foggy Monday morning of December 29, at 8 a.m. all was indeed good again for both the local indefatigible bagel brigade and pilgrims from across the Big Apple’s bagel diaspora.
This lifetime “bagelnaut” accepted a mission to cover the so-called soft opening. The new menu? Same as the old one. The counter staff? Many old familiar faces, greeted and hugged by former regulars, who stopped by to resume their interrupted dining routines.
Many waited in line up to a half hour to make sure that they were there before 12 Noon, which would be the closing time for the first week. Two free bagels were distributed to anyone who asked.
This being the disputative city, there is a controversy—are New Absolute Bagel’s breaded items made from former owner Sam Thongkrieng’s recipe? The jury is still out on that issue, although some media outlets have said they are.
Differences? You order from a menu, now on video monitors, not plastic and paper signage as it had been. A dazzling array of choices includes 14 bagel varieties, 13 regular cream cheese choices, and seven different tofu ones. Longing for something else? There are 10 different spreads and meats are on the screen to add diversity to the list.
Another difference? This newly opened bagelry takes cash and credit cards (with a four percent surcharge) whereas the old Absolute was strictly cash and carry.
The baking area is spotless, the decor in the front area's walls are mostly tiled in black and white. The dim industrial green paint of the old ownership is gone.
The new owners, who identified themselves as Ms. Kim and Mr. Cheng, have created a bold new space from the ground up. Straus News Manhattan spoke to one enthusiastic customer, Jan, who had originally grown up in Seattle before moving to the UWS. “The hallmark of a good bagel is the smell, like the ones that Zabar’s and Barney Greengrass sell. The old Absolute ones didn’t have that—these do.” She continued, after having had both a plain and a cinnamon raisin bagel.
“The plain was a little undercooked and doughy, but the cinnamon raisin and my husband’s everything were good. I was impressed,” she said.
The proof of the bagel, so to speak, is in the eating. What that in mind, I took them home. My wife shared some comments about her half avocado, half buttered creation on an everything bagel, half toasted, the untoasted half still warm.
She noted “It looks hand rolled, which is a plus. It was tasty, reminiscent of the old Absolute. It has a good chew and a hard crust.” I would add that just out of the bag, the bagels were springy, a good sign. The location, close to subways and buses on Broadway, will be open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week after its soft opening during the last week of December, per manager Amy.
Don’t look for a website, telephone number or take-out menu. There’s no Facebook page either at the moment. Hopefully that all changes in near term. For the moment, the dawn of a new Absolute bagel shop is relying on word of mouth and coverage in local media outlets. And the Spirit is happy to help it along!