There is nothing worse than choosing which bagel to eat. It’s probably one of the biggest and most dangerous commitments that any human being has to make with the exception of marriage — one bagel, one spread, and all of the calories that come with it. Obviously there have been bagel bites and mini bagels, but those have never really proved triumphant over the real thing. Now, however, there could actually be a solution to the problem of the ever so challenging bagel commitment in a small bagel shop on Bleecker and Grove.
Bantam Bagels, a new bagel ball shop in the West Village, is serving bite-sized bagel balls injected with a variety of cream cheeses to satisfy any bagel craving you may have. Their menu consists of a variety of flavors that can serve as a breakfast, lunch or dinnertime treat. Some of the standout flavors are the Bleecker Street pizza dough bagel topped with a thin slice of pepperoni and filled with cream cheese infused with Murray’s Cheese mozzarella and marinara from John’s Pizza; the Hangover cheddar cheese and egg bagel topped with melted cheddar cheese and filled with bacon cheddar cream cheese and a maple syrup drizzle; the Everybody’s Favorite everything bagel filled with vegetable cream cheese; and the Cookies and Milk brown sugar walnut bagel with a sweet chocolate chip cream cheese. The shop also has a new flavor every month—the October one being the Jack, a pumpkin spiced bagel filled with pumpkin cream cheese and topped with dark “spooky” roasted sesame seeds.
I recently had the chance to interview the shop’s owners, Nick and Elyse Oleksak about their innovative idea. After graduating in Columbia and working in finance, the two randomly decided to open a bagel ball shop after Nick came across the idea in a dream. Yes, a dream. Now their dream has come true and their vision has turned into reality on the corner of Bleecker and Grove. Hear what the two had to say about their new shop in our interview segment for NYU Spoon.
Tip: when eating a bagel ball you must remember to bite the hole or else it could get messy and the cream cheese will come out the other side.
Reppin’ Bantam Bagels with Nick and Elyse Oleksak
Bantam Bagels is the perfect place to stop for a snack or even a meal on the go. The wide selection of flavors makes it easy to entertain your palate, and the bite-sized portions prevent overeating. The shop also sells Gorilla coffee for those who need an extra pick me up in the morning and some cool Bantam Bagels swag (see photo above).
