Black Seed Bagels had its grand opening on May 19 in LIC. Photo credit: Jessica Militello
May 23, 2025 By Jessica Militello
There’s nothing quite like a fresh-baked bagel straight from the oven—and now Long Island City residents can enjoy that experience any time of day with the arrival of Black Seed Bagels, the latest addition to the neighborhood’s food scene.
Located at 5-18 50th Ave., the new shop officially opened its doors on May 19, inviting neighbors and passersby to sample its signature offerings. Black Seed combines traditional New York and Montreal baking techniques, creating hand-rolled bagels that are boiled, baked, and served warm throughout the day.
The space, which previously housed Butcher Girls, has been transformed into a spacious, welcoming shop, and has already begun drawing foot traffic from the busy block.
An array of delicious sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. Photo credit: Black Seed Bagel.
“We had so much interest from people in the neighborhood who seemed genuinely excited that we were opening, so we thought—let’s just invite folks in and not make it a big production,” said Noah Bernamoff, one of the shop’s founders.
Black Seed Bagels is co-owned by Bernamoff, Matt Kliegman, and head baker Dianna Daoheung, a James Beard Award finalist. The trio launched the brand in 2014 with their first location on Elizabeth Street in Manhattan. Since then, Black Seed has grown to 10 locations—six in Manhattan and three in Brooklyn. The new Long Island City shop marks their first expansion into Queens.
Photo credit: Black Seed Bagel.
“I’m from Montreal, Matt’s from New York, and it was cool for us to come together with someone I had already been working with—Dianna—to chart our own path in answering whether bagels deserved the artisanal treatment,” said Bernamoff.
At Black Seed Bagel, nearly everything is crafted with intention. The shop’s deli salads and cookies are made from scratch, its coffee is sourced from Stumptown, and its smoked salmon—made exclusively for Black Seed—comes from Catsmo. The menu includes customer favorites like the bacon, egg and cheese; the Salmon Classic with smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato, red onion, and capers; and the turkey avocado sandwich, made with smoked turkey, Swiss, avocado, tomato, red onion, and Dijon.
Black Seed Bagel’s popular bacon and egg and cheese sandwich. Photo credit: Black Seed Bagel.
A standout exclusive to the LIC location is the sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich made with premium chicken sausage, developed through a special partnership with a California-based producer.
“We like to keep the menu pretty straightforward,” Bernamoff said. “We have seasonal cream cheese now—it’s ramp cream cheese. It’s not something we pulled from the typical bagel shop playbook, but we like to keep things clean and tidy, focusing more on quality and execution.”
The shop’s seasonal ramp cream cheese spread is made with high-quality ingredients. Photo credit: Black Seed Bagel.
The Long Island City location has already been warmly received by neighbors and passersby drawn in by the aroma of fresh-baked bagels and the inviting storefront. While seasonal items will rotate throughout the year, Bernamoff said the shop’s core goal is simple: to elevate the everyday ritual of grabbing a coffee and bagel into something worth savoring.
“We’re just so excited to be opening in this neighborhood and at this particular location,” Bernamoff added. “It has the foot traffic of a commercial corridor, but the cozy feel of a side street.”
