Apollo Bagels

Viral hand-rolled sourdough bagels that critics rank among NYC's best, with a weekend line to match.

//Camera status

No camera yetdamnlines hasn't pointed a lens at this line — yet.

2079 votes — top venues get cameras first

//The line

The line is the East Village shop's signature as much as the bagels. Apollo started as a pandemic-era sourdough pop-up and opened its first brick-and-mortar at 242 East 10th Street in March 2024, per Tasting Table. The Infatuation describes the industrial counter as "a bit of a scene, especially on the weekends" and rates the bagels 8.0, "worth making an effort or crossing town for."

The crush is mostly a weekend-morning event. BuzzFeed reports Apollo "still draws crowds every weekend morning" even after it added more locations. Tasting Table notes the demand got heavy enough that the landlord of the West Village outpost threatened eviction over sidewalk congestion. Regulars plan around it: the BuzzFeed reviewer deliberately went on a Monday afternoon "to best avoid the lines."

On timing, critics converge. Tasting Table says skip before-work and lunchtime on weekdays and late mornings on weekends; The Infatuation says wake up early enough to beat the crowd. None of the sources we opened put a hard number of minutes on the wait, so we won't invent one, and we don't run a camera at Apollo to measure it live.

//When the line peaks

▸Weekend mornings draw the biggest crowds, per BuzzFeed ("still draws crowds every weekend morning") and The Infatuation ("a bit of a scene, especially on the weekends").
▸Weekday before-work and lunchtime rushes are named as peaks to skip, per Tasting Table.
▸Late mornings on weekends are called out as a time to avoid, per Tasting Table.
▸Weekday afternoons run quietest: the BuzzFeed reviewer went on a Monday afternoon to dodge the line, and Tasting Table found no line at the West Village shop in the early afternoon.

Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines. Sources below.

//Live lines nearby

No camera here yet — but these lines are on camera right now:

Lucinda's · 2 min walkclosed Bánh Anh Em · 10 min walkclosed Caffè Panna · 13 min walkclosed

//FAQ

How long is the wait at Apollo Bagels?

We don't run a camera at Apollo, so we can't clock it live. The outlets we read describe crowds rather than a fixed time: The Infatuation calls the counter "a bit of a scene, especially on the weekends," and BuzzFeed says it "still draws crowds every weekend morning." Treat any exact minute figure you see elsewhere as a guess.

When is the best time to go to Apollo Bagels to avoid the line?

Tasting Table advises avoiding before-work and lunchtime on weekdays and late mornings on weekends. The Infatuation says wake up early enough to beat the crowd. The BuzzFeed reviewer timed a visit for a weekday afternoon specifically to skip the line.

What are Apollo Bagels' hours?

The East Village shop at 242 East 10th Street is open 7am to 5pm daily, according to Apollo's own locations page.

Why is Apollo Bagels so famous?

It's a hand-rolled sourdough bagel shop that went viral after starting as a pandemic pop-up; its first brick-and-mortar opened in the East Village in March 2024, per Tasting Table. The Infatuation includes it on its "22 Best Bagels in NYC" list with an 8.0 rating.

Is Apollo Bagels worth the line?

Reviewers generally say yes. The Infatuation rates the bagels 8.0 and "worth making an effort or crossing town for," and Tasting Table compares the demand to LA's cult Courage Bagels. Whether that justifies the wait is your call.

//Sources