| Kossar's Bagels & Bialys | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kossar's Bialys | |
 Interactive map of Kossar's Bagels & Bialys | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1936 (1936) |
| Food type | Bakery |
| Location | 367Grand Street (and Essex Street),Lower East Side,Manhattan,New York City,New York, 10002, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°42′59″N73°59′20″W / 40.716446°N 73.988792°W /40.716446; -73.988792 |
| Website | http://www.kossars.com |
Kossar's Bialys (Kossar's Bialystoker Kuchen Bakery) located at 367Grand Street (and Essex Street), on theLower East Side inManhattan, New York City, is the oldestbialybakery in theUnited States.[1][2]
The bialy gets its name from the "Bialystoker Kuchen" ofBiałystok, in present-dayPoland.Polish Jewish bakers who arrived inNew York City in the late 19th century and early 20th century made an industry out of their recipe for the mainstay bread rolls baked in every household.[3]
Kossar's Bialys, originally known as Mirsky and Kossar's[4] when Isadore Mirsky and Morris Kossar founded it in 1936, is one of the few remnants of what was once its own industry in New York City with its own union association and an owners' alliance known the Bialy Bakers Association, Inc.[5]
Originally located at 145 Clinton Street in Manhattan'sLower East Side, Kossar's Bialys moved to its current location atGrand and Essex Streets in the early 1960s after a union dispute and subsequent fire destroyed the building.[5][6]
Juda Engelmayer, Debra Engelmayer, Daniel Cohen, and Malki Cohen purchased the bakery from Morris Kossar's son-in-law and daughter, Daniel and Gloria Kossar Scheinin in 1998.[7][8]
In 2013, Evan Giniger and David Zablocki purchased the bakery from the Engelmayers and Cohens. After the sale, the new owners made a number of upgrades and changes to the store, including expanding the menu and making the decision to no longer operate as akosher establishment.
Kossar's has a history of employing many female cashiers fromthe Philippines and employees from other countries as well. Many of these employees worked at the bakery for decades and still work at the bakery.
Beginning in 2022, Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys expanded beyond its original Lower East Side location, opening four additional storefronts across Manhattan as of July 2025.
Kossar's Bialys was the starting point for formerNew York Timesfood criticMimi Sheraton's research for her 2002 book,The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World.[13]
Kossar's Bialys is on the Lower East Side and Lower Manhattan tour circuit.[7][14]
The Local had been striking since Feb. 1 against Kossar's and six other bakeries, all members of an owner's alliance called theBialy Baker's Association Inc.
Juda Engelmayer and his wife, Debra, who jointly own Kossar's Bialys with their brother-in-law and sister, Daniel and Malki Cohen.[Photo caption]
40°42′58.91″N73°59′19.68″W / 40.7163639°N 73.9888000°W /40.7163639; -73.9888000