Iconic NYC bagel shop closed for health violations: rats, flies, and roaches

Absolute Bagels has been an iconic bagel shop on New York City's Upper West Side for decades, regularly making "Best Bagels in NYC" lists. On weekends, the line to buy bagels could go out the door, snake up Broadway, and extend around the block.

It was just closed down by the New York City Health Department, which found multiple serious violations that had been ongoing and uncorrected. A link to an article by David Giambusso in The Gothamist, calling Absolute Bagels "absolutely gross," is here.

"'We ordered a closure because we found pest and food contamination conditions posing an imminent public health hazard,' health department spokesperson Shari Logan said in an email. …

  • Evidence of rats or actual rats
  • Live roaches
  • Fish and other foods stored at unsafe temperatures
  • Improperly labeled pesticides and potentially dangerous chemicals
  • Sewage disposal systems in disrepair or not functioning properly
  • Unsanitary surfaces

And that was just from the December inspection.

The city's health department has cited unsafe chemicals, faulty food storage, malfunctioning sewage systems, vermin, roaches, house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies in various reports dating back years."

Upper West Siders are apoplecptic. One commenter said, "Although I like to think of myself as someone who likes his restaurants and food clean, I think that if Absolute had rats making and handing out the bagels I would still gladly eat them."

Absolute Bagels on Manhattan's Upper West Side kept no social media presence, had no website, did not deliver and accepted only cash but was among the most popular bagel places in New York.Then on Thursday, it shut down suddenly and without explanation, and the neighborhood reaction was intense.

The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2024-12-13T04:03:55.620Z

I'm no restaurant expert, but it seems to me maybe they should have raised the price of bagels by 50 cents, had lines merely up the block instead of around the corner, and hired enough staff to properly clean the premises.

By the way, the below photo, purportedly taken on August 12, 2023, shows Absolute Bagels displaying an "A" health inspection grade from the Department of Health.

Photo Credit: Plot Y Design / Shutterstock.com

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