DON’T FORGET THE BIALYS (Kossar’s Bialys)

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

When I tell people I’m searching for the best bagels in New York, some people wonder how I stay so slim, others try to direct me to Montreal, but the truest New Yorkers ask if I’m going to include bialys on my search.

And it’s a good question. Bialys are the bagels more obscure cousin who never gained the same popularity across this country. A bialy almost looks like a bagel, but there are a few differences. First off, it’s not boiled before baking. It’s also flatter and has a pushed in center that sort of resembles a large innie belly button. That depression is usually filled with pieces of savory garlic, salt, or onions.

I think bialys are unique and iconic enough to New York to warrant their own search. Except only a very small number of places still make them. And the only place in Manhattan that specializes in bialys happens to be the oldest bialy bakery in the country. Kossar’s Bialys has been an institution in the Lower East Side since the 1930’s. And while bialys are what most people talk about, you’ll often see this kosher bakery mentioned in the conversations about best bagels in the city.

So I haven’t decided if bialys will get their own search, but I did put Kossar’s on my list in order to try their bagels. And I might have a bialy or two while I’m there.

Kossar’s, which could have been the inspiration for the now closed H & H Bagels, is a dark, dusty factory with just a couple of bar stools and a coffee station that’s been plucked right out of the 1970’s. There’s a small counter which houses the cash register and acts as a boundary for the dough bombs on display. Much like H & H, this place won’t toast or schmear your bagels. There is a refrigerator against the wall that houses packaged cream cheese and smoked fish spreads.

I asked the lady if any of the sparse selection of bagels or bialys were hot, assuming the answer would be no. The baking equipment looked like it hadn’t been touched in days and some of the bagels were wrapped up in plastic bags. She almost laughed at me. Clearly, this was the wrong time to be here. I asked when the best time to come would be and she said in the morning or Thursday afternoon. That’s when they do the baking. Well, unfortunately my schedule is never free on Thursdays, but I thought I might make a trip one morning to really get a fresh taste of these. I asked her what time in the morning and she said about 5am. 5am!!

That was when I decided I would just try the darn things right now. There’s no way I’d make it down here any day before 11am, so could the bagels really change that much in a few hours? The answer might be yes.

I got the plain bagel (and one garlic bialy) to go and found a park bench to do my tasting. And I have to say this bagel was pretty disappointing and the bialy was not much better. I have not had a toasted bagel yet on this journey because in New York at the “good” bagel joints, they should be baked throughout the day and even if they’re not still completely hot, they should be fresh. Well, these were none of those things.

These were hard and stale. There was also a deep imprint of the metal container they had been sitting in. Either I got the very bottom of the basket or these had been sitting there way too long. Either way, I wasn’t happy. The bagel was incredibly dense and took some major force to tear apart. Inside, it wasn’t soft or chewy but rather dusty and crusty. The flavor was overly salty and I wouldn’t have been surprised if this came from the corner bodega. Maybe when this came out of the oven it was a good bagel. But it had quickly devolved into something practically inedible.

The bialy was a little softer. The toasted garlic and poppyseed filling in the center was nice, but the bread had similar texture issues to the bagel. I’ve read that bialys respond better to toasting. And I bet this would have been enjoyable then, but Kossar’s doesn’t offer to toast them and I have yet to locate a toaster in the nearby park. So I guess these are only good if you get there at the exact time they come out of the oven or if you’re bringing them home to toast them. I just wanted a delicious local mid-day snack. I guess Kossar’s is the wrong place to go.

And if doing a bialy search in this city requires me to be up at 5am, I think I’ll pass.

Does Kossar’s Bialys have the best bagels in New York? I’m not quite sure they even have the best bialys, but the bagels are the opposite of some of the best. Without waking up at the crack of dawn or being able to locate a toaster, these are pretty bad earning just a 4 out of 10.