1 week Ago
What started as a pandemic-era offering from Joey Scalabrino and Mike Fadem at their Brooklyn restaurant Leo, the pair expanded into Manhattan with a pop-up at Fanelli’s in SoHo. In 2024, Apollo Bagels opened its first brick-and-mortar location on East 10th Street, and immediately, the lines began to form. Even with multiple locations, Apollo Bagels still draws crowds every weekend morning, so many in fact, that the landlord of the West Village location threatened the owners with an eviction notice .
The bagels are crunchy and sour — the bratty cousin of the dense New York bagel we’re all too familiar with. Made from sourdough, the crust of the bagel is speckled with small bumps and bubbles, the sign of a perfect fermentation. All of the sandwich offerings are served open-face, and both of the sandwiches we tried were simple, highlighting the familiar flavors of classic bagel shops.
As I boarded the Church Avenue-bound G train back home with a tote bag full of sesame bagels and a tub of whipped cream cheese, it was time to ponder. Are we in the presence of bagel greatness? I believe so. Apollo Bagels encourages us to look at our rote and tedious bagel eating habits and consider: don’t we deserve better than this? It’s clear that with their fast expansion, Scalabrino and Fadem hope to establish Apollo Bagels as a routine and familiar destination.
I’d venture to say they’ve already achieved that with the locations they have open. Looking ahead, I hope that one day, Apollo Bagels will expand its sandwich offerings. I would be very interested in enjoying a bacon, egg, and cheese on their sourdough creations.
But until then, I can be pleased knowing that a new wave of bagel lovers is offering something different to return to again and again. Something, dare I say, great..
