Finally! Vanderbilt Ave Bagel Shop to Open Next Week

Though Bergen Bagel is just a few blocks away, and countless coffee shops carry this ring-shaped staple, the Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe, scheduled to open Thursday, is a much anticipated addition to the neighborhood.

For New Yorkers, there can never be too many pizza or bagel joints. And the shop, at the corner of Vandebilt Avenue and Prospect Place, promises to offer a lot more than just a run-of-the-mill bagel.

Owned by local Middle Eastern favorite partner Faried “Freddy” Assad, with his brother, Fowad, and cousin Ozzie Aziz, Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe will be making bagels fresh on premises, a claim coffee shops and delis can’t make.

For those unfamiliar, explains Faried Assad, it’s basically a three-step process: you hand-roll the dough into the familiar ring shape, drop a batch into a kettle of boiling water, then bake in an oven.

Assad is no newbie to the bagel trade. He used to own F-Line bagels on Smith Street until he sold it around five years ago. (It later became just Line Bagels because of a legal issue raised by the MTA with their use of “F”.)

But his bagel experience goes back further.

“Years ago, in Carrol Gardens, where I grew up, I worked for a local bagel store, and they taught me everything. This was in 1984,” he said.

Growing up in the mostly Italian neighborhood, Assad, of Palestinian ancestry, was christened Freddy, and Fowad “Frankie,” by the local boys. The names stuck.

In addition to all the expected varieties - from plain to whole wheat everything - the Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe will feature a Zaatar bagel. Zaatar, as Assad preparers it, is a Middle Eastern spice mix of thyme, sesame seed, sage, and salt, that some believe originated in ancient Egypt. (Who knew that's what they meant by Olde?)

There will also be Zaatar cream cheese, and labneh spread (essentially, a dense yogurt), to go on the bagels in addition to the standard cream cheese choices, tuna and organic egg salad, and other spreads.

“We will try to carry as much organic product as possible,” says Assad, noting there will also be vegan cream cheese, and “all the salads, all the spreads will be made here, fresh.”

For those with a sweet tooth, fresh-made warm waffles sandwiching scoops of ice cream will be a specialty of the shop. And with a nod to old-school Brooklyn, egg creams will be offered as well. Furthering the reference to the past, the shop features the original tile floor and pressed tin ceiling of the pharmacy that occupied this spot many years ago.

“We took the original wood from the cabinets of the pharmacy and put it on the wall behind the coffee station,” says Assad. The owners also made use of original mirrors, and an original wood wall.

Several tiny, marble tables will allow for a small number of lucky customers to dine in.

During the interview, Assad was still putting the finishing touches on the renovation so Patch held back on photos. However, it's safe to say the old pieces offer a handsome environment that’s a far cry from the linoleum-floored vibe of other establishments.

It’s been quite a process to bring the shop to life. Assad and his partners took over the space back in December of 2009 but, Assad says, “it took until now to open because of Landmark status, plus the building’s co-op board necessitated renovations being done in a certain way (such as no work being allowed to be done on the weekends) that made things take much much longer than expected.”

Things took so long that, “at a certain point we ran out of money and had to turn to family to get it going again.”

“But,” Assad adds brightly, “a lot of vendors for bottled drinks, chips, etc. were kind enough to give food on consignment, or a discount to get us started. And the awning guy who I use for Zaytoons was kind enough to give a payment plan.”

There's no doubt the wait will be worth it.

The Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe, 643 Vanderbilt (at Prospect Place), will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.