Day: May 27, 2023

Although Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. is a small chain of 24 locations in six states (the majority of which are located in Florida, including the original location in Delray Beach), local franchise owner Daniel Kurland takes great pride in his restaurant, the service he provides and the company’s growing menu.

Brooklyn Water Bagel has been open on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, just west of I-75 (at the front of The Grove at Wesley Chapel’s property) since 2021 and since then, Daniel says, his breakfast business has been booming. After all, Brooklyn Water Bagel’s kettle-boiled-then-baked bagels (and other baked goods) are made with water that is “Brooklynized” on the premises to give them that authentic New York-bagel taste.

But, since all Brooklyn Water Bagel locations are open for both breakfast and lunch, the company has been working on expanding its lunch menu and Daniel recently invited the Neighborhood News to come sample the new options.

He says the best seller of the new menu selections has been the Little Italy bagel sandwich — made with salami, capicola and ham with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, banana peppers and vinaigrette dressing. It’s like an Italian sub but on your choice of Brooklyn Water Bagel’s dozen+ bagel varieties. 

My favorite new item, however, is the new bagel dog, a premium beef hot dog (or chicken sausage) that is wrapped in bagel dough, topped with everything seeds and served with spicy mustard and sauerkraut (which honestly, is the only way to eat a hot dog, in one reporter’s opinion). The menu doesn’t call the hot dog “Kosher” or even “Kosher style,” but at Jewish delis in my native New York, we would have called it a “special,” or oversized hot dog, and the flavor is definitely Kosher-style.

Photographer Charmaine George also enjoyed the new spicy grilled chicken sandwich (right), which is topped with bacon, pepper jack cheese, pickle slices, lettuce, tomato and spicy mayo. It is served on a club roll or the bagel of your choice. 

Charmaine and I also enjoyed the new club melt sandwich, which is served open-faced and combines warm ham, turkey and bacon with melted Swiss cheese, tomato, onion and butter on the bagel or bread of your choice. 

All of these lunch sandwiches also are served with an authentic deli-style sour pickle.

And, for you salad lovers, Brooklyn Water Bagel has now added a new cobb salad, with ham, turkey, bacon, egg and shredded cheese with grape tomatoes served atop a bed of tasty greens.

Of course, there’s also still delicious corned beef, pastrami (either of which are available as Reuben sandwiches), roasted turkey and chicken, tuna, egg or whitefish salad sandwiches on your choice of bread or as wraps. And yes, there is even a pretty authentic-tasting matzo ball soup, offered as a cup with one matzo ball, as well as in combination with a variety of different sandwiches.

New Breakfast Items, Too…    

The new menu options available at Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. aren’t only for lunch. First of all, the entire menu is available for breakfast or lunch, which itself is great news. 

However, for those looking for something more than the usual smoked salmon and cream cheese (it’s called The Williamsburg there) and egg, bacon (or Taylor ham) and cheese bagel sandwiches, there is now a new corned beef “hash” sandwich with a hash brown, plus corned beef, egg and American cheese, as well as pastrami, egg and cheese sandwiches. There’s even The Greenpoint sandwich with egg whites, spinach, mushroom and Swiss on a scooped bagel.

Save room for dessert, because not only does Brooklyn Water Bagel still have the most authentic (and decadent) black & white and chewy chocolate chip cookies in our area, a variety of fresh-baked muffins (including a new orange cranberry option), and flaky rugelach pastries, it also now offers a scrumptious, open-faced S’mores bagel with Nutella spread and toasted marshmallows (right).

And yes, I still love Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.’s delicious coffee blends, especially the Brooklyn Infusion blend (with vanilla, caramel and Kahlua flavors) and the new Hanna Banana blend, which is available for the spring only. If you don’t see a coffee flavor you want, you can add shots of U-Bet chocolate syrup, vanilla and a variety of other flavors. For you iced coffee lovers, check out the “Cubsta” iced coffee, available with coffee-flavored ice cubes. 

You can even take out bulk bagels, large-size cream cheese spreads and pre-packaged tuna, egg, chicken and whitefish salad.

Brooklyn Water Bagel (27835 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Suite 101 (next to King of the Coop), is open every day, 6 a.m.-3 p.m. For more info or to place an order, call (813) 775-2275, or visit BrooklynWaterBagel.com.