By Myles Ma
At New York Bagel and Deli, bagels are made the old-fashioned way. Bags of flour are mixed with flavoring ingredients, rolled into bagels, kept in a cooler overnight at 38 degrees, boiled and baked in a brick oven. The process takes a day.
The owners, Ibrahim Essa, 41, and Ahmed Ahmed, 40, say there are cheaper ways of making bagels, but not bigger or better, nor with the distinct flavor a brick oven imparts.
“Twice the size of Manhattan Bagel,” Essa said, referring to the bagel franchise.
Aside from the bagels, all of the food is prepared and cooked in front of the customer, something Essa said gives the customer confidence.
Both Essa and Ahmed hail from Long Island, where they learned the bagel trade at another bagel shop. The Parkway Avenue restaurant is decorated with icons of its namesake, including the Brooklyn Bridge and Joe DiMaggio. Essa and Ahmed have operated in Ewing for 13 years, and they brought their New York style of making bagels with them.
New York Bagel and Deli also has 16 homemade spreads for its bagels, including lox, sun-dried tomato, and jalapeno cream cheeses. But New York Bagel and Deli offers more than bagels.
The new menu includes almost 160 items, Essa said. The latest additions include paninis, french fries and other sides.
Among the most popular menu items are the celebrity sandwiches. It’s a star-studded list that includes Robert Deniro, an Italian sub, Jessica Simpson, a tuna salad sandwich (she thought tuna, the chicken of the sea, was actually chicken) and Pamela Anderson, an all-breast chicken salad sandwich. Ahmed said customers often choose sandwiches based on personality.
“If it’s a lady and she likes Denzel [Washington], she’ll order the Denzel,” he said. “For me, I like J-Lo.”
Ahmed and Essa have provided catering services since opening their business, though they have only added catering options on the menu recently. The catering menu includes breakfast and lunch options, as well as hot dishes like spaghetti, baked ziti and chicken and veal parmigiana.
“A lot of companies, they use us for catering,” Essa said.
The deli is also active in the community. New York Bagel and Deli has held fundraisers for the Katzenbach School of the Deaf, the Ewing public schools and the police department.
Ahmed and Essa, both immigrants from Egypt, have been business partners for many years. Ahmed has lived in Ewing since 1995 with his wife and two children, who go to Fisher Middle School and Lore Elementary School. Essa lived in Ewing, but now resides in Cherry Hill with his wife and five children.
New York Bagel and Deli is open seven days a week, including holidays. Hours are 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (609) 882-0078.
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