A BAGEL DISCOVERY (Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish)

My search for the best bagels in New York continues….

When I walked by Zucker’s Bagels one night a few months back, I thought I had made a huge discovery. Based on the exterior, this looked like a classic bagel shop, yet I had never heard of it. Could it be brand new? Upon doing some research (read: googling), I realized I was not the first to uncover Zucker’s. They’ve been around for a handful of years and, in fact, are owned by Matt Pomerantz, the same owner of Murray’s Bagels and Leo’s Bagels. He’s quietly expanding his bagel empire in New York.

The internet chatter talks more about Zucker’s smoked fish and sandwiches then their bagels and cream cheese. I plan on devoting an entire search to smoked fish one day, so I’ll definitely return here. This review is solely about their bagels (and their careless service). It seems like Matt knows how to stock his stores with some great bagels, but he can’t seem to figure out the hiring process.

I was practically ignored while standing at the bagel counter. I already had browsed the options, taken some pictures, and stood eagerly waiting to be acknowledged. It never happened. It was as if I was completely invisible. The guys behind the counter made eye contact with me and kept on moving. Completely ignored.

When I finally spoke up and after another few minutes, I eventually got somebody to prepare two bagels with cream cheese for me. Nothing was hot anymore, so I settled on my default choices of plain and everything (I decided to try their Whole Wheat Everything, since I’m trying to be slightly healthier). It took an amazingly long time for them to prepare my bagel too! It looked like they were overstaffed and yet it still took forever to get my order.

But like I said, this review is about the bagels. So I sat down in their overly clean, modern cafe area that could have resided inside a suburban shopping mall. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Maroon 5 was playing on the radio. But it was clean and comfortable.

The bagels were pretty good. The Plain had a nice crunch, but was slightly airy inside. This was a large bagel, almost swollen (bigger than Murray’s) yet the texture was good, nice and chewy.

The Whole Wheat Everything was a little denser and slightly misshapen. The proportions of seasonings was evenly dispersed and the whole wheat flour gave it a malty, sweet flavor. It did err almost on the side of being burnt. Yet that darkness gave it a crunchy exterior, unfortunately the inside was also slightly hard, it didn’t have the soft, chewiness of the plain.

The other big complaint about Zucker’s was the price tag. I understand this is in the wealthy area of Tribeca, but my two bagels (one without cream cheese) came to $3.50. I usually don’t pay attention to the price of the bagels (it’s so nominal to begin with), but this was more than I was used to paying.

I applaud Matt Pomerantz for expanding his New York bagel empire, especially if the bagels remain tasty and properly cooked. I just hope he soon figures out a way to hire staff that are not borderline rude and completely unhelpful.

Does Zucker’s Bagels have the best bagels in NY? Like I continually have said in this review, it’s all about the bagels. So forgetting the terrible service and slightly generic atmosphere, the bagels themselves earn a 7 out of 10 since they were pretty good if slightly inconsistent.