LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN
Kossar's Bagels & Bialys
The country's oldest bialy bakery, on Grand Street since the 1960s — get the onion bialy warm.
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IllustrationKossar's started in 1936 and is the oldest bialy bakery in the country, on the corner of Grand and Essex since the early 1960s. A bialy is the bagel's cousin from Białystok: no hole, just a soft roll with a pressed center filled with onion. The bakery added bagels in 1998, hand-rolled and proofed for a day before they are boiled and baked.
Order a plain onion bialy, warm, with butter or a schmear, and a bagel for the walk. Since 2013 it has expanded its sandwich menu and opened branches uptown, but this bright, renovated corner shop is the source.
Editor’s tip
Buy a half-dozen bialys to take home for the next morning.
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Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 14, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.