Black Seed Bagels Opens First Brooklyn Spot On Court Street

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Signature Montreal-New York hybrid bagels have officially landed in Brooklyn. Manhattan chain Black Seed Bagels opened the doors to its first location in the borough on Court Street early Thursday morning.

The new 123 Court Street spot offers Brooklyn a taste of Black Seed's wood-fired bagels sandwiches, including a seasonal Turkey and the Wolf option, as well as Stumptown coffee and housemade pastries. The 671-square-foot space spot has 12 seats and is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

For those who haven't visited one of Black Seed's four locations in Manhattan, the bagel chain has a signature take on New York-style bagels, by blending the baking techniques with those of Montreal. Chef Dianna Daoheung's unique style brings together New York's light and airy texture and salted, naturally leavened dough with Montreal's method of boiling the bagels in a kettle solution of water and honey and baking them in a wood-fired oven.

"While we certainly understand the desire to label Black Seed's bagels - a departure from the puffier, large, hole-free bagels usually found in New York - as “Montreal style,” they are, in fact, a unique hybrid equally inspired by both cities’ traditions and techniques," the business said.

The new spot might be Black Seed's first foray into the borough, but the company does have roots in Brooklyn. Co-founder Noah Bernamoff and head baker Dianna Daoheung both hail from Hoyt Street's Mile End Delicatessen.

Daoheung was spearheading the deli's bagel program until Hurricane Sandy destroyed the shop's Red Hook facilities. Faced with irreparable damage, Bernamof and Black Seed co-founder Matt Kliegman launched "the kvetcher's club," where the idea for Black Seed was born.

The bagel shop is known for its unique bagel sandwiches, such as the pepperoni pizza bagel, the Larry David with whitefish salad, cream cheese, sweet cucumber, and the Tobiko with smoked salmon, Tobiko cream cheese and butter lettuce.

Brooklyn adds a fifth location to the chain, which also has outposts in NoMad, East Village, Nolita and Hudson Eats in Brookfield Place. They hope to open a sixth location later this year in Rockefeller Plaza.