Astoria, Bagels
Aug 09, 2016

Ditmars Station Bagels is Finally Open

Ditmars Station Bagels is finally open after over two years of construction and preparation.

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The bagels at Manhasset Bagels. Photo Credit: Manhasset Bagels.

You may be surprised to learn that Ditmars Station Bagels is finally open; we first reported on its presence in the area back in June 2014, when they were under construction. In the past year, its slow-to-open status was the point of ridicule in various online communities and many thought it would never open its doors (or that it was just a big performance art project).

As a reminder, Ditmars Station Bagels is run by the folks behind Manhasset Bagels out on Long Island. We suspect the delay in opening was due to ConEd and permitting issues, as is par for the course these days for food-oriented businesses opening in NYC. There are plenty of comments/reviews on the place over on Reddit, which range from “My meat was cold on my bagel and my dude’s bagel was super soggy for some reason (egg juice?).” to “I liked the bagels and the strawberry cream cheese was better than brooklyn bagels in my opinion. Also, the coffee was great.” So, mixed reviews but most places in Astoria start out with some kinks to work out, so this is likely nothing to worry about.

What’s nice, though, is that they are open and operating, instead of it being just this mysterious dead space. If you remember, this was the old CopyCom space, which was empty for a long time, too, after moving to Ditmars Blvd.

I will say again, though, that there is serious bagel competition in the Ditmars area. Brooklyn Bagels (35-09 Ditmars Blvd) has perpetual weekend lines and wins our Best of Astoria competition each year, and understandably so—the bagels are really good. Astoria Bagels (AKA Betty’s Bagels, 28-12 Ditmars Blvd) makes find bagels, too (love their jalapeño cream cheese). Then there’s NYC Bagel Coffee House (29-08 23rd Ave), which is wildly popular and a bit of a madhouse on the weekends (but they sure know how to handle those lines like a boss, unlike a lot of other places). So Ditmars Station Bagels will really need to step it up to compete and do well.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Ditmars Station Bagels!

Ditmars Station Bagels (22-46 31st St., Astoria)
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About Meg Cotner

Meg Cotner was trained as a harpsichordist and now works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Queens," and is a skilled and avid home cook, baker, and preserver.

10 Comments

hmmm

Service was great, but the ice coffee left much to be desired. i thought it was sub par at best.

didn’t try any bagels at the time.

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Jack

BLVD Bagel Cafe on Astoria Blvd off 31st St. is my go to. There are rarely lines, but I am willing to sacrifice that to give them some business in there!

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Meg Cotner

Thanks for recommending – I totally forgot about them, though they are pretty far from the new Ditmars Station Bagels. But that part of Astoria is growing and it’s good for folks in the area to know about it.

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john cane

Bagel House bagels are the best hands down 20plus years of great service mom and pop kind of feel

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Steve-O

I’ve never heard Astoria Bagels referred to as “Betty’s Bagels” – what is the story behind that?

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Adam Lienhardt

How did you leave Bagel House off the list of Ditmars Bagel shops? That is, to me, by far the best bagel in Astoria. No, you can’t get wild-ass cream cheeses but the bagels are great, service is fast, the deliver, and the lines move quickly. Also, Brooklyn Bagel’s bagels are too big for my liking. I do like Brooklyn Bagel a lot but Bagel House is the spot for me.

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Meg Cotner

You know, I thought about including Bagel House, but it is just a little far for a comparison to the new Ditmars Station Bagels. Also, I haven’t had them! I’ve eaten at all the other bagel shops, so I could speak authoritatively on the “step up your game” aspect. But thank you for contributing your review. Most bagels are pretty huge around here. Props to NYC Bagel Coffee House for offering “mini bagels” (which are still pretty big). Personally, I think Brooklyn Bagels are so appealing because they are a little sweeter than the rest; I do like them.

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