Kossar's Bialys
367 Grand Street
(between Essex St & Norfolk St)
New York, NY 10002 (212) 473-4810
- Nearest Transit:
Delancey-Essex Sts (F, J, M, Z)
Grand St (B, D)
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
27 Reviews for Kossar's Bialys
Bialys are a nice alternative to bagels. Kossar's also serves bagels if that's your cup of bagel as well. The bialys here are famous and for good reason. They are always fresh and at less than a dollar, it is hard to complain. They come in a variety of flavors, but I think plain is good.
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All this hype and blah, blah, blah about bialys made me go there and try one.
I know: an inexpensive treat in NYC but...
My verdict:
I didn't really enjoy it. Coffee was just okay, too.
I thought was kinda chewy and tasteless.
Maybe it is because I am not a kinda bagel fan. I don't know.
Another bialy?
Nope..thanks!
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visited Thu am 5/29/08
Had to try a bialy while in NY. What the hell! I'm really hoping this is NOT what everyone is raving about. Tried the onion, which really didn't have any flavor. And it was cold and hard. I didn't notice whether they sold any cream cheese or anything to put on it, but that would have helped. Hmmmm.
Maybe I should've tried the garlic ones? They looked like they might have some flavor. ...then again, I'll probably never find out since this experience is enough to make me not a fan...
what the f*ck is a Bialy?!?
it's like a bagel.... but not.
huh???
it's not as airy as a bagel... but it's kind of shaped like one.
huh???
the dough is chewier, the bread itself is flatter and there's no hole.
huh???
it's .65 cents-a-Bialy.
let's goooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
if i wasn't such a lazy bastard- i probably could have gotten these fresh, soft and untainted by food flies. i arrived there 4pm and it looked like most of the bagels and bialies were selling out already. we scoped out the fridge for spreads... and i LOVE how they have small containers of cream cheese for those who don't choose to buy a big size. yay! i'm more into the bread than the spreads anyway.
being that i'm a west coast girl... we don't know what the hell a bialy is. i'm glad i was edu-mack-ated. the bialy was delicious--- i like breads to have a certain taste to them- otherwise, i'm bored with it. the chewiness was great. i was a little fearful to eat these suckers because i chipped my filling last night during karaoke! haha. it was okay, though- i enjoyed my bread w/ scallion cream cheese sitting outside w/ my tea in hand. they are speaking my language with the .65 cent pricing. w00t! now i'm curious how they taste when i nuke them in the microwave. muahaha.
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poppy seed, sesame, cat hair, onion... yes, CAT HAIR bagels!
When I ordered my cinnamon raison bagel from Kossar's, as I have done many times over many years, I certainly didn't expect nor desire to have it covered in animal hair.
As I bring the bagel close to slice it in half, I notice something poking out. A tan hair fully embedded in the top surface. huh... awkward. Yank it out, continue to cut and try to ignore my repulsion. Then I see several more; some longer than others, and all really IN there. Holding down my dry heave, I inspect the hairs and gather that they look like some sort of animal hair as they are very course and change color along the way. I pull at least 6 out and I haven't even really opened the bagel up.
I march back down to Kossar's and explain the "hairy situation" to the woman at the counter. All I say is, "I found several hairs in this bagel " and her immediate response is "What, cat hair?" Odd that this is the very first thing she would say, no? Then she goes on to get all mad at me, ripping the bagel apart, and denies that they have any animals in the place. "Maybe the hair was in the bag?" she says and shakes the bag all around. Um, I don't think hair can bake itself inside of bread by being in a paper bag (and gross that they have hair-filled bags, nonetheless).
So, I have ended my weekend-bagel-love-affair of the ages with Kossar's. Quite frankly, Toffuti on a cat-hair & raisin bagel just doesn't sound so tasty anymore. I don't think you could pay me to gag one of those puppies (ha-ha) down.
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Mmmmmm best bagels in the area. They also have lots of cream cheeses and smoked salmon packs in their fridge. I usually go in the mornings before work to buy a bunch of bialys for my coworkers and we all love them.
Be aware that due to wheat prices, bagels are now a whole dollar and bialys are 90 cents :(
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This place reminds me of the House of Bagels in SF = REAL bagels. I LOVE bagels like nobody's Jewish Yenta Mama! I love the simplicity of the place and the dustiness of the baking ingredients around the shop. Its like you just walked into their kitchen where they bake them :) Bought a half a dozen of bagels from here with a small tub of scallion cream cheese.
Let's see-ate about half of them before leaving the shop-that should tell you something!
p.s.-try the Challah bagel, gooooood!
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Cool place that make bagels/bialys
Bialy is very good but it reminds me of a little pizza ring with no sauce
Forgo the bialy and opt for the Onion Disk
its more of a bialty to me (except its humogous)
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Every time I visit the Lower East Side, I silently pray that another kosher eatery hasn't been converted in some sort of fusion bistro or other haunt for the hipsters and their ilk. To me, the journey matters almost as much as the destination. Obviously the bialys are good. Obviously everything is good, whaddaya an out of towner? There was a book written about the Bialy for cryin' out loud. Tony Sopranos likes bialies too.
Going to Kossars for bialy's is a true Lower East Side experience that must be shared by all true New Yorkers and visitors alike.
Also make sure to try the bulkas, onion discs and bagels as well.
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Fresh off a red eye from San Francisco and no room yet available to us (okay, so we were perhaps not so fresh), we made our way to the fabled Kossar's. My boyfriend, who I both admire and loathe for having never been to Manhattan, need me to explain to him what a REAL bagel was all about (i.e. Noah's ain't it.).
Now, I lived in NY for nearly a decade and after living in SF for half that amount I was like a thirst ridden desert crawler arriving at a water fountain.
Just go. The bagels are perfect. The bialys are perfect, and there isn't much else and doesn't need to be. There's a coffee place right next door, they make great coffee and play mellow alternative.
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Never had bialys growing up in the midwest. Somewhere between a bagel and an english muffin: flat bread item, no hole, medium onion flavor. I like them sliced open, toasted and holding together some egg and cheese.
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Thank god for the little Jewish neighborhood I am lucky enough to live in! I can walk to Kossars any time I want a warm bialy. My grandmother always used to rave about Kossars, and I have been gnawing on their bialys since I had teeth. For those who have never had a bialy you are really missing out. The bialys from Kossars truly are superior. They are perfect toasted with butter, they don't need a ton of toppings or spreads. I also love these flat-bread like things they have there. They are made from the same dough, but are really flat and chewy. I love the crusty heels of bread so I am always excited when I can find a bread product that is chewy like that all over!!! You will have to deal with the grouchy old orthodox men when you order, but that is just part of the charm of little places like this.
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I'm a big fan of bialeys, its really amazing how few people even know what they are...Even from my days in Houston and Cali, I've seen bialys sold in bakeries and bagel shops but they are usually terrible, maybe that's why they're only popular here in NY, because you can only get the best bialys in this city and Kosars is one of those places.
I like to really toast mine, it crisps up the onions and garlic in the center, and my favorite toppings are either sable or nova from Zabars, scallion cream cheese and a squeeze of lemon. But you can put anything on them, I even make sandwiches with them.
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I love, love, LOVE bialys. So. Much. And Kossar's makes the best bialys probably ever. Just the right amount of flour so that you know it's there but don't find yourself leaving flourprints everywhere you touch. The correct amount of onion in the middle so that the inside is slightly more pungent but not overpowering. The perfect texture - a little bit tougher on the outside than the inside, soft without being mushy or limp. And the dough is thick enough in the middle to retain the integrity of this delicious piece of perfection. I can tell that a Kossar's bialy should be compared to the perfect person, but I can't quite get there right now. They sell tons of cream cheeses and spreads in addition to the baked goods and they are the real deal. You want whitefish salad, you're getting this. Nova spread, nova cream cheese, and nova salad? No problem. And they are all totally different. I am in L-O-V-E.
I wonder if Kossar's is really the center of the bialy universe. The further away you get, the worse the bialys get until they cease to exist.
Yiddish and Yinglish will be sprinkled in for authenticity.
Bagels schmagels, you want something delish - try a bialey. When I was a little pisher we lived about a block away from Kossars. Back then the floors were wood and the smell of fresh bread filled the air. The neighborhood has changed a lot, but little has changed about Kossars except the floors are now cement and now I think they observe the Sabbath. Well anyway back to the bialys. First things first, don't eat them fresh. You gotta toast them. I think some people eat them fresh, but they're clearly meshugana. Slice'em, toast'em and the possibilities are limitless - simple butter, an egg, grilled cheese, tuna, sardines, whitefish spread... OY Vey!! My head is spinning with the glorious possibilities and I'm getting totally farmisht. Bialeys look a little like a bagel and they've been compared to an English muffin with a bissel of onion puree in the center, but that doesn't completely do them justice. Try one you'll see.
Oh by the way I know another reviewer who I'm sure is an alrightnik and a mensch, not a no goodnik, shmegegge or shnuk said they don't freeze well, but I gotta disagree. My family has been freezing them for years: cut them first then place them in a ziplock bag. When you want to use them, zap'em in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds so they'll split easy. Then toast. Perfect. L'chaim.
Wheelchair access: Easy peasy.
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Now this is a bagel. Especially good when hot out of the oven. They hand roll the bagels, probably the last place to not make machined bagels. Chewy, moist, yummy - the perfect foil for lox, cream cheese, a good cup of coffee, and the Sunday Times.
So eat!
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You can get good bagels outside of NYC (I said good, not great) but you cannot get a bialy anywhere but in Manhattan or Brooklyn (ok, maybe Queens but I don't know of any). When it comes to great bialys, this is the #1 spot. Unfortunately bialys do not freeze as well as bagels so get what you can eat when fresh, slather on the cream cheese and enjoy. Also solid pletzels here...that really brings me back to Sunday mornings with my dad.
And I echo the recommendation on Donut Plant. Very tough to find two such great places so close to each other.
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I feel very strongly about Bialy's. I grew on them living near Zabars (Kossars is the best brand) and I find them greatly superior to Bagels. They are also pretty unique because they are made almost exclusively in NY and Bialystock Poland. I haven't had a Polish one but I can say that the ny water (which is what makes the bagels good here) makes a damn fine Bialy. Most people from outside the city have never heard of them but I have made many converts. Try them pretty much anyway you would have a bagel, toasted with creamcheese smoked salmon, capers and lemon (mmmmmmmmm), or some melted tallegio cheese (smells like feet but sooooo good), or maybe a simple liptaur spread. When ever I have moved away for a while I always bring Bialys for the freezer.
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Go early or they will be sold out. No joke.
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I feel bad saying this, but this place is a little overrated. Sure, it's fresh cause you can see the guy rolling some dough to your right - but it doesn't taste particularly special (or warm) - the onion bialy didn't have much onion or onion flavor to it - but maybe i just went on a bad day. They did have small containers of different types of cream cheese to go though - which was really cute. Would give it a second chance and try again, but didn't think it was all that when I went. Friendly guy though, behind the counter - a quirkly place.
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Although I grew up eating them, I never knew what a bialy was until i tried this place. The Kossar's Bialy is warm with just the right amount of onion, and is soft or chewy in all the right places. Warning: once you try it, you will never be able to eat a bialy anywhere else again.
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In the top 3 bagels in the city, best bialys. Ask for 'em well done. And then go to Doughnut Plant next door and get the best doughnuts around. It's a carb-fest. Enjoy.
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This place has the best bialies in the city. the bagels are really good too, but there are hundreds of good bagel places in ny, but the bialies are running low, so head over to this place right by chinatown and enjoy a freshly baked bialy. Bialies are in short supply today, especially good ones, so don't forget to his this place up. It also still has onion boards for those of you who miss those babies from back in the day. They are great. Get some bialies and with Yom Kippur right around the corner, get them now and then break fast with these delicious pieces of bread. If you're still hungry, head over to Katz for the biggest sandwich you may ever have. That is indeed a warning.
What's a bialy, you ask?! Man, have you missed out! This cross between a bagel and an English muffin, spinkled with oniony goodness, has got to be one of the best bread products ever invented. I like mine toasted with butter. Get down here and buy a dozen. You'll wonder how you lived without these in the morning. Closed on Saturdays - it's their holy day. www.kossarsbialys.com
"What's a bialy?" Where do you come from?
YES, good and fresh here! And they serve coffee.
Honeys, Saturday is shabbos.
SImply great--with or without the hole.
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