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It's the end of a bagel era: after 11 years in Little Italy, it's time to say buh-bye to Baz Bagels. Owner Bari Musacchio announced the shop's imminent closing on social media, alerting customers that the restaurant's last day of service would be Sunday, June 22.
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"The truth is—opening this neighborhood spot in my own neighborhood was my actual ‘dream come true. And we are extremely proud to have achieved that. Being part of your daily routines, special occasions and familiar faces on the block has been incredible rewarding. The BIG impact this little shop has had in NYC continues to amaze me every single day," Musacchio captioned the closing announcement. "We’ve recently moved out of the neighborhood, and it feels like the right moment to focus on new personal and professional opportunities."
Along with thanking "our team, customers, vendors and neighbors from every era of Baz over the past decade," Musacchio also teased that "an exciting new bagel brand" would be taking over the 181 Grand Street space. And she also noted that while "it is the end of our Little Italy chapter," it might not be the end of Baz Bagels overall.
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Opening in spring 2014—in what was a bit of a New York bagel boom, what with the high-profile debuts of Russ & Daughters Cafe and Black Seed Bagels that same year—Baz was known for its small-batch, labor-intensive rounds: The slow-rising dough rings were set on burlap-covered boards and given a spin in a rotating tray oven, resulting in springy-yet-crusty vehicles for spreads like beet-horseradish, cucumber-dill and wasabi-tobiko cream cheeses.
If you've been a fan of the restaurant this last decade, you'll definitely want to pop into Baz Bagels this weekend before that final, freshly baked round is pulled from the oven. And if you're extra smart, you'll order yourself a farewell dozen—they freeze beautifully!