Kossar’s Announces May 1 Opening

After almost two years of anticipation, updated signage indicates that Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys will be opening its doors on May 1 at 270 West 72nd Street (at the corner of West End Avenue).

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Locals have been anxiously waiting for the Jewish institution to open since the words “coming soon” were plastered in the window in October 2022. This came about two years after the closing of Pier 72, the corner space’s previous tenant which served the Upper West Side for 41 years.

There are quite a few reasons restaurant openings may face delays, but we’re not really sure what happened here. Some of you probably know that, as the emails you sent us asking about Kossar’s were typically replied to with “we’re not sure, sorry.”

Kossar’s is famous for its “legendary” bialys and bagels, smoke fish spreads, lox, classic sandwiches and traditional Jewish pastries. It was founded on the Lower East Side in 1936 and has recently opened stores on the Upper East Side and in Hudson Yards.

ALSO READ: Amish Dairy Farm to Open Upper West Side Store

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Kossar’s bialys, which Eater considers the best in NYC, are made by hand with all natural wheat flour, kosher salt, water, and brewer’s yeast.

While it claims to be “the oldest operating bialy bakery in the United States,” Kossar’s didn’t actually start making bagels until 1998.

“Kossar’s makes bagels in traditional New York style, which means they are huge with a doughy inside and a crispy outside,” writes Huffpost, which gave Kossar’s the # 4 spot on its best-bagels-of-NYC list.

Kossar’s history is a rich one.

“At Kossar’s, we have been baking our legendary bialys since 1936. In the late 19th and early 20th century, thousands of Jewish Immigrants arrived from Poland and settled on the Lower East Side of New York City. Like most ethnic groups, they brought with them their local traditions and foods from their homeland,” the Kossar’s website explains. “Two men who made an industry out of this tradition were Isadore Mirsky and Morris Kossar, who, in 1936, founded Mirsky and Kossar’s Bakery at 22 Ridge Street on the Lower East Side.”

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In 1953, Kossar bought out his partner and the store was renamed Kossar’s Bialys. The flagship deli moved several times and has been located on Grand Street since 1960.

“We are the oldest operating bialy bakery in the United States,” the website states. “More often than not, anything that hangs around that long simply runs out of steam. Not so with Kossar’s… we’re getting better.”

Kossar’s boasts that their bialy and bagels’ not-so-secret ingredient is “good old New York City tap water.”