NEW YORK (PIX11)—A beloved bagel shop on the Upper West Side has closed, leaving neighbors disappointed—some even devastated.
The city’s health department ordered Absolute Bagels to shut down immediately on Wednesday. That’s because inspectors found a slew of issues- calling this an imminent public health hazard.
There was a steady stream of heartbroken customers on the UWS outside of Absolute Bagels Friday.
Many said these were the best bagels in town.
“It’s crunchy on the outside, doughy on the inside. Just perfect,” Ralph Kuhn says.
Tammy Austin says, “They’re just that perfect New York bagel, and when you get them hot and soft, perfect, they don’t need anything. You can literally eat them without butter.”
Customers are now trying to figure out why the neighborhood staple has closed.
Some regulars like Tammy Austin are even taking pictures of the shop in case it doesn’t reopen.
Austin said, “Everyone is upset. I texted my son, who is in the middle of college finals, and he spent 30 mins going through stories, saying this is a tragedy, and it really is! They were the nicest people and the best bagels.”
Absolute Bagels on Broadway between 107th and 108th closed abruptly Wednesday after the city said it found a plethora of pest and food contamination and handling issues.
The 67 violations included rat droppings and live roaches in food preparation and storage areas.
Sugar packets were under the bagel counter, gnawed at by rats, and dead rats on a trap on top of a walk-in unit.
Customers are now reacting.
“It’s not surprise you could go in there and tell it’s not necessarily up to code, but honestly, it was worth it,” Austin said.
UWS resident Tamar said, “I have a WhatsApp group with my friends who grew up together in this neighborhood, and we’re all shocked.”
“I’ve never seen myself coming here so that really surprises me.”
The city says the shop, which has been around for decades, has a history of being shut down due to non-compliance issues, including in 2013 and 2017 due to vermin infestations and unsanitary conditions.
It adds in both cases, the shop was able to reopen once the conditions were corrected. Regardless of the current violations and the history - many UWS residents say they are upset by the closing.
They want to see the shop reopen.
Ralph Kuhn says, “If they clean up their act. I think - everyone deserves a second chance, and they deserve it. They have a great product.”
It’s unclear whether this closure is permanent. We have contacted the owner but have not heard back.
The city says that to reopen, a business must pass another health department inspection, but so far, it has yet to be contacted by the owner to start a reopening process.
