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Upper West Side's Absolute Bagels was absolutely gross, health department says

By

David Giambusso

Published Dec 13, 2024

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By

David Giambusso

Published Dec 13, 2024

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Absolute Bagels gave new meaning to the "everything bagel," according to health department records.

The popular bagelry's closure sent the Upper West Side reeling, but inspection reports and city officials indicate the spot had issues with rodents, bugs, unclean surfaces and unsafe chemicals for years.

"We ordered a closure because we found pest and food contamination conditions posing an imminent public health hazard," health department spokesperson Shari Logan said in an email.

News of the bagel joint's closure led to much gnashing of shmear and rending of lox on the Upper West Side this week. West Side Rag, which first reported the news, quoted shocked employees who described the decision to permanently close the spot as a “bombshell.”

But health department records reveal a litany of ongoing violations.

On Dec. 11, the health department ordered the spot's shutdown due to violations including:

And that was just from the December inspection.

The city's health department has cited unsafe chemicals, faulty food storage, malfunctioning sewage systems, vermin, roaches, house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies in various reports dating back years.

"The establishment does have a history of noncompliance and was previously closed by the health department on Jan. 17, 2013 and Oct. 26, 2017 for vermin infestations and unsanitary conditions," Logan said.

Absolute Bagels' failure to properly display a pending letter grade — which would've indicated to customers that it may not have been the absolute best option for a meal — was among its many citations.

The shop was reopened after past closures but it appears this time may be permanent. Logan said the department had not heard from the owner who also did not respond to requests for comment from Gothamist.

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David Giambusso

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David is the editor of the Day-of desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].

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