Openings

Turkish Bagels Take Manhattan

Round and round.
Round and round. Photo: Barbarossa/Wikimedia

The Underground Gourmet spotted the simit at the baklava specialty shop Güllüoglu a few years back, calling the Turkish bread a “secret love child of the bagel and the street pretzel.” Simits, which are chewy and brushed with olive oil, may be fine at tea time in Istanbul, but they haven’t really caught on Stateside, say, like croissants. A new chain called Simit + Smith wants to change everything you thought you knew about Turkish bagels, however, Crain’s reports, and is planning to open twenty shops in two years. There are already three shops open, and one opened last month at 124 West 72nd Street on the UWS. Leases have been signed for two more in the financial district, all of which will no doubt propel Simit + Smith, which bases its product on a centuries-old recipe, to a more regular appearance at breakfast time. Things are looking up for the old-fashioned bagel, indeed. [Crain’s, Earlier, Related]

Turkish Bagels Take Manhattan