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Apollo Bagels has leased the Kings space
Well, talk about good news.
Apollo Bagels, the wildly popular shop that garners lines around the block (and an eviction notice and subsequent lawsuit because of them) has leased the Kings Pharmacy space on Reade and Hudson. They are also now open at 41 John, between Nassau and Dutch.
The news was reported in the real estate blog Traded — they took the lease in January. The space is 3400 square feet, so I am guessing they will have some room for a cafe.
This of course adds to our bagel list starting with Zucker’s, which opened here in on Chambers in 2006 and moved across the street in 2023. And Popup Bagels is coming to the corner of Greenwich and Reade this summer — though I assume they are not baking anything in that narrow space. Ess-a-Bagel just opened in Fidi.
The loss of Kings was one of the worst effects of the pandemic. The pharmacy and drug store, which had been on that corner for 25 years and supplied the neighborhood with everything from toothpaste to oaktag to Hot Wheels, closed in June 2023 — though it feels like a decade ago.
Apollo only offers a sourdough variety in three flavors — plain, everything and sesame — but it has still received rave reviews. The Times put it at the top of its 2024 best bagels in NYC list, calling them “the best representation of the new-school variety of taut, tangy, bubbly bagels, with a true shell of a crust.”
The business began as a covid pop-up out of the sourdough pizza spot Leo in Williamsburg; the first shop opened early in 2024 in the East Village on 10th and First; there’s another in Williamsburg. They opened their second location last summer, on Greenwich Avenue in the West Village — that’s the one that’s causing trouble with neighboring stores for the lines down the block.
The Infatuation gave it an 8, for its “must try” status: “Served hot out of the oven, the bagels are crusty and burnished, as if sun-kissed by Apollo himself. The insides are craggy and chewy, like a really good sourdough loaf, with a little tang. This is bagel that you may never be able to cut in half, because by the time you get to your kitchen, you’ll have eaten the entire thing, rip by savage rip.”
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@tribecacitizen Is the PF Chang’s still coming to Chambers? Looks like nothing is going on in that retail space. It also looks like the seafood place that was going to take over the Ecco space is not happening. Chambers Street needs some love . . .
It sure does! I never got PF Chang’s to confirm, and that building looks great! I can follow up with both…
I miss Kings so much. It was more expensive than Target as expected due to economies of scale, but I was always happy to pay a few dollars extra to avoid having to hunt down and beg a Target employee to unlock some laundry detergent from its cage.
I’ve heard of the Apollo hype so I’ll be sure to give that a try once the initial lines die down. .
This is all well and good, but what would really make excited would be a classic Long Island bagel spot opening up.
Go ahead and open one. No one is stopping you.
If I had a dollar for every time this snarky-ass response appears in the comments here, I could buy us all lunch at Odeon.
Seriously … I was just having some fun.
Do you know what is happening with the Tribeca Grill’s space?
Heard a rumor that Jean-Georges was taking it. No idea if it’s true.
No announcement yet.
Interesting because I think they also just opened a new shop over in FiDi. Good for them! I’m excited to try it.
Yes they just opened in Fidi. Bagels and options are solid. It’s crazy busy on weekends but manageable during the week outside lunch rush.
Do you know when they expect this to open!?!?
They declined to say…
There’s also a bagel shop called Nala’s that opened on Reade between Church and Broadway.
Poor journalism to say the Times put Apollo at the top of their bagel list. THE LIST WAS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.
Several weeks back, I finally tried the fare at the much ballyhooed Apollo Bagels at 73 Greenwich Avenue in the West Village, formerly home to concerns like Zazzy’s Pizza and, further back, Two Boots. At the time, Apollo had become a flashpoint for controversy, being that lines to get into the place worthy of Studio 54 were routinely clogging up the front sidewalk and surrounding byways, upsetting fellow merchants and locals. When I went, there was no line outside, although inside was indeed packed. I ordered a simple buttered bagel. Four dollars and ten minutes later, I got one. It came toasted, although I was not asked if I wanted it that way. Believe it or not, according to many food experts, a good quality, fresh bagel is not meant to be toasted as toasting can detract from its ideal texture and flavor. The best way to enjoy a fresh bagel, allegedly, is to eat it untoasted. Regardless, this came toasted. The verdict? It was perfectly fine, but in no way remarkable.
Is this happening? It seems like this space has been sitting idol and/or any work that’s taking place inside is happening at a snail’s pace.