(Google Maps)
End of an era. Lenny’s Bagels, an Upper West Side mainstay for over 23 years, is closing its doors. Customers walking by the iconic institution (at 2601 Broadway at W. 98th Street) on Wednesday were greeted by a sign informing them they had just one day left to buy their favorite bagels, lox and spreads before Lenny’s shut down for good.
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As a testament to the neighborhood’s love of Lenny’s, they were so swamped by customers trying to get in that last bagel with cream cheese that when we first reached out they were too busy to comment.
Eventually, we got in touch with owner Linda Choi who said “I am so sad, we have so many regular nice customers, we tried to keep the store open.” Unfortunately she added “the rent is too much, it’s unreasonable.”
Lenny’s joins the ranks of another longtime neighborhood establishment, New Parisian Deli, which closed after over 40 years of service earlier this month.
Known as much for its unique ambience as its food, Reviewers on Yelp have been quick to highlight the fact that among other things, “you could shoot a 1990 movie here without any change to decorum.”
The reviews of the bagels were varied, but one thing remained consistent across all of them: customers loved the spot.
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“So, am I claiming this is the best bagel in the universe? No. But I am claiming it is the best bagel that I have experienced in this neighborhood.”
“I am not going to claim that this is the best bagel shop in the city, or state, or universe… But I will tell you that I love this place.”
“The bagels at Lenny’s exude history. Not a prettied up, theme park history, but a genuine sense of generational knowledge.”
As one five star reviewer wrote, “There used to be a place like that around each corner of Manhattan but now good luck finding those.” Good luck indeed.
The post Lenny’s Bagels Closing Doors appeared first on iLovetheUpperWestSide.com.
