There’s a pretty good chance your breakfast run each morning goes through the storefront at 510 Plandome Road.
Within that storefront, Randy Malka, his business partner Marc Desatnick and the staff at Manhasset Bagels have been up since sunrise, hand-rolling and baking their money makers and preparing for the rush.
“That’s the old-fashioned way and that’s the best way,” Malka said of the shop’s baking process.
That’s because each bagel from Manhasset Bagels comes out of the oven softer and fluffier than those mass-produced at most shops using expensive equipment, he said.
“They form a little bit of crust on the bottom and they’re delicious,” Malka said. “It’s not as heavy as those from other places that tend to come out heavier and lumpier. Not ours.”
Malka, a Garden City resident, has been in the food service business for the last 25 years, from summer nights delivering pizzas as a teenager to stints at delis and restaurants.
Seven years ago, Malka moved into Manhasset Bagels, a store that had long since fallen into disrepair under previous ownership.
“The landlord told me at the time that it had been turned over something like 11 times before we got it,” Malka said. “We’ve been here ever since. We must have done something right.”
Malka said that “something” is a product made of the finest ingredients he can procure.
“We do all we can to make sure the customer comes back, and all we can really do is do the best we can to make the same product people have come to love,” Malka said. “I really don’t know where else to go to have a better bagel and cup of coffee, I really don’t.”
Manhasset Bagels is more than just a bagel shop. The store is stocked with a full Boar’s Head deli and a bakery complete with cakes, cookies and muffins.
Manhasset Bagels foods do not include peanut oil or any other nut-based ingredients, either, though Malka said the shop is not gluten-free.
“We definitely spend the money on the best beans and the best ingredients,” Malka said. “We come out on top because we have a great product. I don’t really know what else to tell you. You go around, you won’t find a cup of coffee and a bagel like ours.”
