The Original Zucker’s Bagels and Smoked Fish had its grand opening less than a month ago.
At first glance, the store is visually appealing, with many available seats, even during lunch hours, strong, even lighting and a simple décor.
The menu, despite the store’s name, also includes salads, pastries, snacks and a large selection of coffees. Zucker’s makes its own bagels, and offers an astounding list of bagel toppings, including salads and spreads like vegetable cream cheese and lox.
Customers can also order a “personalized bagel,” which is made with any menu items, as well as various hams and cheeses, the customer desires. This option, however, costs nearly 10 dollars. For simply catering to a customer’s tastes, the price is absurd.
“I got a regular turkey sandwich and a drink. The sandwich was good, but the whole thing cost $13.00. It definitely was not worth it,” said senior Miles Purinton.
The salad-filled bagels are not much better either, costing an average of $7.00 a bagel. The grilled chicken pesto salad ($6.95 on a bagel) is large and hard to eat. The potato salad ($3.00 per pound) had more onions than potatoes and was too chunky for a bagel topping. Sandwiches, while more reasonably priced, are also often overfilled.
Senior Paul Silverman said he was disappointed Zucker’s, for a store that specialized in bagels, lacked a toaster.
“I was, however, impressed by their drink selection,” he said. The quality of the drinks—which range from MASH to Tazo Tea—is high.
Owner Matt Pomerantz, who also owns Murray’s Bagels in Chelsea, declined to be interviewed.
Zucker’s Direct Trade coffee—$1.35 for a small—is not bad either. Served at room temperature, the coffee’s taste matches its price.
The store’s selection of pastries range from one to three dollars. The fudge brownie with ivory chocolate chips ($3) has a great balance between the unsweetened chocolate and sweetened chocolate chips.
The poor service at Zucker’s will make it difficult to enjoy any of these items, however. The staff is inefficient and uncoordinated. They are friendly, but with three workers visible at any given time, customers will get impatient waiting five minutes or more for their order. The cashier often has technical problems with the register.
While aesthetically appealing, Zucker’s does not yet provide a satisfying eating experience.
46 Chambers Street at West Broadway
(212) 608-5844.
