Guest Writer Anais Li takes a trip to a Columbia classic.

As a freshman at Barnard, I had heard a lot about Absolute Bagels. It was one of those places that seemed to exist in every upperclassman’s list of “you have to try this at least once.” Then, somewhere along the way, Absolute Bagels became 2788 Bagels, but the hype apparently stayed exactly the same.

So, naturally, my friend and I had to investigate.

It was raining that day. Not the cute, romantic kind of rain either. The kind of rain that makes you question every life decision that led you to walk almost ten blocks instead of staying inside Butler Library. But we were committed. After what felt like an expedition, we finally arrived at 2788 Bagels, completely wet and slightly miserable.

Opening the door, the first thing that hit us was the smell.

Warm baked goods. Fresh bread. That deep, comforting smell of wheat and something being toasted behind the counter. Somehow, within about five seconds, the depressing New York weather no longer felt so bad. I ordered an everything bagel with toasted beef, sun-dried tomato and basil cream cheese.

IT WAS SO GOOD!

The cream cheese was so creamy and ridiculously flavorful. Every bite had little pieces of sun-dried tomato that gave it a slightly chewy texture and a burst of sweetness. Then came the bagel itself: chewy and covered fully in seasoning. Add the toasted beef to the mix, and suddenly every ingredient made sense. The beef cut through the richness of the cream cheese, keeping the whole thing from feeling too heavy. At the same time, the basil cream cheese brought flavor and freshness to the beef, while the sun-dried tomato added another little layer to the bagel. 

It was honestly heavenly, holding a freshly baked warm bagel in hands, everything feels so bright from now on. 

There is something special about taking one bite and getting everything at once: the chewy bagel, the savory beef, the rich cream cheese, the little pieces of sun-dried tomato. It was messy in the best possible way. I stopped walking for a solid minute, which my friend will probably tell you is how she knew the bagel was actually good.

And now, just as I am writing this love letter to 2788 Bagels, my friend is literally sitting next to me asking when we can go again. Apparently, we have already decided that one visit was clearly not enough.

Watch out, the New Absolute Bagels, we are coming back!

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