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UPDATE: This story was updated on Oct. 24, 2024 at 3:30 p.m.

Think about bagels, really good bagels, and where to get them. The obvious answers come to mind: Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. But if you ask Mark Cummings, who was at Water Street Bagel Co. with his girlfriend and her father, the popular Syracuse bagel shop is “phenomenal.”

“If you want a real big sandwich, go to New York City,” Cummings said. “But this is the best place to go outside of New York.”

Water Street Bagel Co. opened in 2018. Meg Dellas’ family wasn’t new to the restaurant game; her great-grandfather started Varsity Pizza and her family also operates Faegan’s. Dellas never thought she would get into the family industry. But something drew her back to Syracuse to work for her father at Faegan’s, and her family ties have helped her succeed at her own restaurant.

Yelp’s recent ranking of Water Street as the fifth best bagel shop in New York state came as a shock to Dellas, who had no advance knowledge of the list. What wasn’t shocking to Dellas was the praise itself; after all, Water Street doesn’t skimp on ingredients. Her staff, particularly her bakers — Ron Bazan and Dan Mulligan — who have been with her since the shop opened, have all helped to develop the bagel, and that care and attention to detail shows.

Why bagels? Dellas said it was to fill a hole in the market. Syracuse had a few bagel chains, like Bruegger’s, but no homemade options downtown and certainly not a wood-fired shop. Dellas knows why that was the case now — bagel shops are difficult to operate.

Joe Zhao | Video Editor

They offer more than 10 bagel options for breakfast and lunch. A staff member showed their “The Classic” bagel, which includes one egg, American cheese and bacon.

“We just wanted to make our life extremely hard,” Dellas said. “But we wanted to bring something to Syracuse that hadn’t been brought before.”

One thing that sets Water Street apart is its method. Most bagel shops use rotating ovens, but Dellas, taking inspiration from bagel shops she visited prior to opening the shop in NYC, Philadelphia and New Jersey, chose to use wood-fired ovens.

Every day starting at 2 a.m., except Mondays when the store is closed, bakers make the dough, slow proof it in the walk-in cooler and boil and bake it until it’s ready for sale. It’s a busy job, but it gives the bagels that distinct smoky flavor and crisp texture, Dellas said.

“This is more of a process, and it’s more of a show,” Dellas said. “Little kids on the weekend, their parents hold them up and they watch the show.”

Flynn Ledoux | Illustration Editor

Bagel prep might be intense at Water Street, but Dellas said her employees truly care about what they’re serving. Erin Brousseau, Syracuse University senior and employee at Water Street, agreed. Brousseau said the positive experience of customers, atmosphere of the location and the top-of-the-line bagels are all fundamentals of Water Street.

Brousseau, who is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, came to Water Street on her friend’s recommendation and was drawn to the shop because of the food. Brousseau worked at a bakery in her hometown, and that pastry connection helped bring her to Water Street.

“I’ve always enjoyed that camaraderie aspect of all these different people coming together at this local little spot,” Brousseau said.

Everybody working at Water Street is flexible, doing a little bit of everything from the register to working expo to making bagels as a cohesive bageling unit, Brousseau said. That chain of command and effective prioritization, Brousseau said, is essential on busy days, especially the weekends.

Ben Butler | Asst. Copy Editor

Meg Dellas, owner of Water Street Bagel Co., smiles by her shop’s window. The shop’s outdoor seating, brick exterior and wall-size window are part of its charm.

Brousseau, who has only been working at Water Street for two months, has already mastered the customer service the shop is reputed for. Brousseau said that what the service staff provides warrants the acclaim Water Street has earned.

“There are a lot of regulars, and I already have their orders memorized off the top of my head,” Brousseau said. “The fact that we care for the customers so conscientiously represents that we should be in the top 10.”

What catches the eye at Water Street is the massive exterior window, which Dellas said she tries to keep open as Syracuse’s notoriously shifty weather permits. The window also remained open for a long stretch of time during the COVID-19 pandemic, with staff, masked and all, serving fresh bagels through the window.

Dellas said the shop never closed once during the pandemic, except their usual Monday closures, which helped develop a loyal customer base. The shop gained recognition as a Syracuse staple and being somewhere that people could rely on.

Joe Zhao | Video Editor

Visitors and regulars shop at Water Street Bagel Co. to start their mornings. They sat outside to enjoy their food.

That reputation brought Jake Purnell to Water Street. Purnell, who works for Upstate Medical Hospital, travels often. He came to Syracuse on a 13-week contract, and asked locals where the best places to eat in town were. Overwhelmingly, people gave him two recommendations: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Water Street. Purnell felt that Water Street was a less touristy, more authentically local pick.

“When you go to Philly, everybody’s like, ‘You should go to the statue of Rocky,’ because everybody f*cking knows the statue of Rocky,” Purnell said. “But then you get some deep local recommendations and places that locals have to keep from the tourists, and (Water Street) was one of those.”

Purnell likes cheap prices, because it enables the consumer to return to the restaurant. Purnell said once restaurants increase their prices, the food becomes a premium that is more valuable to tourists than locals.

“That’s the thing about local spots; they’re smaller holes in the wall,” Purnell said. “They’re affordable, and only the locals know about them.”

Maxine Brackbill | Senior Staff Photographer

Water Street Bagel Co. uses wood-fired ovens to cook their bagels. This gives Water Street’s bagels their distinct smoky flavor and crisp texture.

Small restaurants face the issue of supply chain costs and often are forced to raise their prices. Dellas said that was probably something she would have to do, as she hasn’t raised prices in a year and a half, though she seemed reluctant about doing so again.

For Dellas, it’s a matter of excellence; they buy the best brands for their sandwich combos, like Acme Smoked Fish’s lox. Cutting costs tends to cut into Water Street’s bottom line, and its reputation for quality is what keeps people coming back.

“That’s also why we’ve gotten so many people in here; they do notice our product,” Dellas said.

Purnell quietly admitted that, even if Water Street increased its pricing, the quality is too much for him to pass up. But the impact of price increases that would really bug Purnell would be New Yorkers coming up from the city for a taste of Water Street.

“I would absolutely pay more for that big one, but I wouldn’t want to see this place become a ritzy, fancy, touristy spot,” Purnell said. “You don’t want them to lose their local charm.”

Published on October 24, 2024 at 1:07 am