Anyone who has lived on the UWS, or who attended Columbia University has likely purchased many bagels from this shop, which recently topped our list of the best bagels and schmear—Absolute Bagels.
The popular shop was located on Broadway between 107th and 108th Street, until a health inspection shut them down on October 26. The five sanitary violations listed in the DOH inspection totally 45 points and are as follows:
1) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F.
2) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
3) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
4) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
5) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
Lines on weekends for Absolute Bagels can stretch around the block. According to West Side Rag, one of the shop’s workers claim it will reopen on Tuesday. However, the DOH will ultimately have to give them the okay before they’re allowed to reopen. Fingers crossed it’s soon!
Upper West Siders are growing impatient:
#absolutebagels is #absolutely closed. Please send help I'm hungover and dying
— Maxwell Griffin (@Griffin_Maxwell) October 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/lindsfrances/status/924668944019066886
I'd rather eat an Absolute Bagel with rat shit on it than a regular dough ball bagel from any other bagel shop #AbsoluteBagels
— Photosayn (@photosayn) October 30, 2017
https://twitter.com/carolyngearig/status/924753530229010432
Shed a schmear for the closure of beloved UWS #bagel shop Absolute Bagels. #nyc #food https://t.co/eapziBFf9a
— Laura B. Weiss (@lauraweisswrite) October 30, 2017
Featured image source: Yelp/Carrie G.