A Review of the New Absolute Bagels
The New Absolute Bagels is here to replace Absolute Bagels. Since 1992, Absolute Bagels has served delicious bagels to the residents of the Upper West Side. Located on Broadway between 107th and 108th streets, people would wait in lines going down the end of the block for a fantastic fresh fluffy bagel with cream cheese. Absolute Bagels received numerous awards for being considered the best bagel in all of NYC (NYC is the only place that knows how to make bagels, making it the best bagel in the world). However, many Upper West Side natives were heartbroken when Absolute Bagels was forced to shut down on December 12, 2024. Although devastated, I was not surprised when I heard that Absolute Bagels broke numerous health code violations. With the lack of maintenance, old, run-down equipment, and poor lighting, the rat infestation and live roaches were expected.
On December 29, 2025, New Absolute Bagels opened. Although under new ownership, they maintained the exact same location with the exact same workers. But the most important question remained: was the bagel the same? I journeyed eight blocks north of my apartment building to investigate the New Absolute Bagels. Upon entering, I was pleasantly surprised to see the same long line as usual with many improvements made to the interior. Instead of dingy lighting, the store was lively with bright lights. They finally had clean floors, walls, and the bagel-making equipment looked up to date. All of this was great, but what I cared about was how the bagels tasted. I ordered two popular combinations: everything bagel with plain cream cheese and a bacon-egg-and-cheese on an everything bagel. I feel the best way to judge a bagel establishment is to review the two most generic, classic orders.
First, the everything bagel with cream cheese was amazing. It was not the same as the old bagel, but even better. The crispy shell with an overwhelming amount of everything seasoning was perfectly complimented by a doughy inside of the bagel. It will never fail to amaze me how they manage to perfect the fluff of the inside; it tastes like a dense cloud. The key major improvement was the outer shell. I always felt as though the old shell had too much of the same texture as the inner, but the new bagel made a clear distinction. I would give this bagel a 10/10, as I truly do not see any other way for it to be better.
The bacon-egg-and-cheese was different. Everything mentioned about the bagel obviously remained the same. However, the actual bacon, egg, and cheese were lackluster. It was a bland-tasting scrambled egg coupled with an insufficient amount of cheese and a couple measly strands of bacon. The bagel certainly carried the entire operation. I would not come back for the bacon-egg-and-cheese and would prefer the bodega-style where they understand the proper proportions. Nevertheless, I always feel as though the bread makes the sandwich and for that reason I still rate the bacon-egg-and-cheese highly at a 8.3/10.
Overall, the New Absolute Bagels exceeded my expectations and exceeded the old establishment. Progress and improvement. It is amazing to see an Upper West Side classic back in business and as popular as ever!