Tompkins Square Bagels Plans Fall Opening On Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Tompkins Square Bagels, a popular East Village bagel joint, has set a timeline to open on the Upper East Side.

First announced last year, the popular bagel shop is set to open its fourth location at 1159 Third Avenue in Lenox Hill, between East 67th and 68th streets. Tompkins Square Bagels will occupy two vacant storefronts that were previously home to Jardino Italian Cafe and America's Cafe & Grill.

While the initial announcement indicated that the newest location was planned to open by last winter, no grand opening was ever finalized, leaving community members wondering when the famed bagel shop would finally open its doors.

This week, an updated statement from the bagel shop indicated that they are now planning to open in the fall, though no specific date was provided.

Owner Chris Pugliese previously told Sam Silverman on his bagel industry Instagram account, The Bagel Ambassador, that he spends a lot of time on the Upper East Side, making the move uptown a natural expansion.

"It takes me a long time to find spots. I have a lot of rules that I try to live by," Pugliese said. "When I pick a spot, if I get a good feel for it and I can say to myself, 'I’d love to come up here to work every day,' then that’s the deciding factor. I feel like it’s just a nice place to be."

Pugliese, who got his start at Bake City Bagels in Gravesend, Brooklyn, opened Tompkins Square Bagels near the iconic East Village park in 2011.

The shop quickly became a favorite among New Yorkers for its crisp and chewy bagels, as well as its inventive toppings such as birthday cake and chipotle avocado. They also offer a variety of vegan cream cheese flavors for purchase.

"Tompkins Square Bagel's is truly my love letter to the East Village, a place I now call home. I put extreme love, care, and that same attention to detail, into every aspect of our shop's build out," Pugliese said. "TSB is first and for most, a neighborhood shop, built by neighborhood craftsmen and artists, to be enjoyed by neighborhood folks."

The Upper East Side shop will be Tompkins Square Bagel's first uptown location, situated well beyond the close radius where its other locations can be found in Gramercy and the East Village.