Thursday, October 8, 2015

[Updated] Report: Black Seed bagels opens Monday on 1st Avenue


[Photo yesterday by Steven]

Zagat is reporting that Black Seed bagels will be opening on Monday at 176 First Ave. between East 10th Street and East 11th Street...

Workers have been renovating the former DeRobertis space these past seven months. Zagat also has the first photos of the renovated interior...



Per Zagat: "[R]estored original details include the tin ceiling, penny tiled floor, neon sign and tile walls, accented with the same turquoise high-top chairs used at [Black Seed's] Elizabeth Street location."

Aside from a variety of bagel sandwiches, Black Seed will reportedly be selling sides like chilled borscht soup and wood-roasted potato salad. They will also be serving pastries such as rugalach and rainbow cookies.

No word yet on hours. The Elizabeth Street location is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Updated 10-9

Eater has a preview here with lots more photos. They say that BS will be open in the middle of next week. And Grub Street has a preview here. (GS says they will be open on Monday.)

And here is the menu (PDF!) via GS…


[Click to go big]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Black Seed bringing bagels to the former DeRobertis space on 1st Avenue (43 comments)

Black Seed owners reiterate commitment to preserving the former DeRobertis space

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Call me a rube but I could swear that NYC style bagels > Canadia style bagels.

Anonymous said...

Funny, I read about this in Time Out last week. Thought it had opened somehow without us all knowing about it. Nope, TONY just jumped the gun!

It warms my heart to see the De Robertis interior preserved. But those very modern (and uncomfortable-looking) wood benches don't really mesh with the look, do they?

Anonymous said...

That place looks fantastic.

Joe said...

The interior looks great apart from those brutal wood benches.

Giovanni said...

The interior looks great, I bet it hasn't been that clean since the early 1920s. However, the furnishings look a bit out of place. Are those benches really for customers or are they some kind of Canadian torture device?

Anonymous said...

I hope they kept the urinals. Those things were awesome.

Anonymous said...

The lines will be out the door?

RichG said...

Another gimmick ("wood fired" ) with rubbish products that is just some business school project ( asking your name when you order kind of stuff), not so bright dude at register ( did not know how many ounces are in a pound)
I tried the one on Elizabeth , first time everything bagel - burnt and kind of dry, second time sesame - dull - like something from a corporate cafeteria.
Actually long time ago I went to some bagel place in Montreal that a friend said was famous or something - bagels were fine - nothing great.

Anonymous said...

Ultimately who really cares? It is a sign of the times that people are excited about a bagel store--it is a sign of how shallow many of us have become (and not just "pace" those whose knee jerk reaction is to denounce NYU students and frat boys and sor girls) that the opening of a bagel store stirs our inner needs. How shallow!

Anonymous said...

who are you even talking to, 6:13? i am so sick of hearing about these bagel ding-dongs.

Anonymous said...

Definitely shallow.
About like your typical internet comment board basher.

Anonymous said...

Well, I DID smell the oven fumes today, but they weren't bad. What happens when it's ALL DAY LONG, though? We'll see...I heard the owner on WNYC last week; he was a bit bloated with self-importance...considers himself a bit of a deli "expert". Yawn.

Anonymous said...

my body aches just looking at those spine fracturing benches.

Scuba Diva said...

I finally went to Black Seed on Elizabeth the other day, and this is definitely the bagel I've been waiting for—I kid you not.

I generally don't like New York-style bagels, and I had bagels in Montreal about 20 years ago that I had pined for ever since.

I love it: everything you want in New York City eventually ends up here!

Scuba Diva said...

At 4:26 PM, Giovanni said...

The interior looks great, I bet it hasn't been that clean since the early 1920s. However, the furnishings look a bit out of place. Are those benches really for customers or are they some kind of Canadian torture device?

They won't need to post signs stating: "Patrons may sit for no more than 20 minutes," because people won't want to sit at all!

Anonymous said...

Happy to have BSB closer to home. Elizabeth is a hike.

Brian said...

Its a high end bagel shop and it looks like they did a good job executing their business plan to attract customers with deep pockets willing to pay sometimes as much as $20 for a bagel meal. There are no cheap thrills in the EV anymore. I am sure the new Kossar Bialys will be charging a lot more per bialy if they plan to stay in business when they reopen.

Anonymous said...

In the end, it's JUST a bagel. Is it worth the INFLATED PRICE? Probably not. Will the traffic block First Avenue? Probably. Will people be acting like little despots, talking and taking selfies, blocking the thoroughfare? Probably. Will they hire young students and pay them unfairly? Probably. Is that outside bench going to help? Probably not. Will they stay in the little corralled area? Probably not. Will if draw even more obnoxious idiots to the neighborhood? ABSOLUTELY. More MOMOFUKUP "FOODIES".

Anonymous said...

It does smell like the neighborhood is on fire. I guess this isn't too bad, but I'm worried this is only the beginning.

Anonymous said...

@ 8:35 -- you need some coffee with your bagel.

Anonymous said...

> everything you want in New York City eventually ends up here!

New York - the drain of the world! :-)

Anonymous said...

A bagel from Bagel Bob's on University Place (between 9th and 10th Streets) is .95 cents (it is also baked on the premises). I am sure that Black Seed Bagels are terrific. But I would not go out of my way to go there (and their prices speak volumes: $1.50 per bagel).

Giovanni said...

This will end in schmears.

Anonymous said...

I'm a little worried about all the enthusiasm for this place... Anybody who reads this blog on a thrice-daily basis like me will be shocked at the comments above mine. Wonder how many are from the Black Seed folks? The EVGrieve staff doesn't have time to ferret out paid bloggers - so we have to be our own thought police :)

That said:
Omg - I just moved 8 blocks south (1st @ A) and I am again shocked at all the genuinely local businesses and their ability to provide what so many go to huge chains for. Like the tiny pharmacy 2-3 blocks north of me... Zow! I cannot believe how huge that thing is when you walk into its tiny storefront. How did I ever bother with the stupid long lines at RiteAid? And today I peered into a store on the next block... I'll never need to trudge to Staples again, that's for sure.

So screw these bigass chains. Sure, patronize them when you have to because they're open later than the private businesses... But how is Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Starbucks and the like able to turn a profit here? Is it all tourists? (Ooooo - New York is just like the mall!!)

Please explore your neighborhood, patronize real New York businesses... And when the rent doubles maybe they'll be able to afford to stay.

Choose Saffee over Ace, Mud over Starbucks, Paul's and B&H over McDonalds, Artichoke over Papa John's!!

EVGreive: love the Out and About about residents... Can you try one that introduces us to local businesses that will close without our loyalty? Just an interior shot and a "did you know?" would be fab.

Happy John Lennon's birthday!!!

Eden Bee said...

I hear tell John Lennon wrote the song "Imagine" about these Montreal style bagels finally coming to NYC. There he was sitting idly at his golden piano wearing his signature white suit..trying to block out the sounds of Yoko shrieking in the background and it hit him.
The only thing that could actually bring about world peace...Montreal style oven fired gluten free black seed fucking bagels.
And you know what? He was right. PEACE.