I will be at JFK airport next week dropping off my younger S. I would like to purchase some Pastrami & Bagels to take back home to New England. I googled a bunch of places. I was hoping to go to one location to purchase both items as well as some knishes, pickles, etc., but it seems as if the deli’s are one place and the bagels are another.
I finally settled on Ben’s Best for the deli items (in Rego Park, NY) and found Adam’s Bagel’s only a 1/2 mile away. Are those good choices? I’ve been to Ben’s Best before for dining (amazing) but never to Adam’s Bagels. Are there other places closer to the airport you’d recommend? Also, what about parking at those places? Thanks!
Thanks for your suggestion, Lergnom. I looked them up & called them just now. They DO have Pastrami & Bagels to go and are much closer. However, I probably should have specified Jewish deli’s. This one looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g, however it’s Italian, and my H thinks that maybe the Pastrami would be too spicy (?) for us…I don’t know…maybe not…but I was going to pick up some other items that are typically Jewish, like stuffed derma, kasha knishes, etc. and this deli doesn’t have those items…but it still looks yummy and the prices are great. This one is @ 6 miles from the airport and the others are 12 miles…it may pay for me to go farther to get what we want…thank you!
The closest Jewish deli is the Woodro, located on Broadway in Hewlett. Its about 15-20 min away by car from JFK.
There are many bagel places. I suggest Bagel Boss, also in Hewlett - about 5 min by car from the Woodro. Another good bagel place is the Bagelry, in Cedarhurst - about 15 min by car.
A great deli is the Lido Kosher Deli in Lido Beach - about 25 min by car. Several bagel places are within walking distance of the Lido - just ask them.
The Howard Beach delis are Italian style and not what you are looking for. Ben’s is good, but the ones I mentioned in Hewlett and Lido Beach are closer than Rego Park(less traffic too). Parking difficult in Rego Park, much easier in Hewlett, Cedarhurst, or Lido.
Thanks san-dee! Yes, this is what I’m looking for. I don’t know my way around that area. What deli would you recommend as the better of the two? I just printed their take out menus, they look similar…Bagel Boss has tons of flavors to choose from…should I just go to the two Hewlett locations? Woodro and Bagel Boss? Thanks for your help! Parking is okay there? Do they have parking lots? Yes, closer to JFK would be better for me!
^ all of which are in the wrong direction for someone heading back to New England.
It will be nearly impossible to get really good bagels and pastrami in one place. Real bagel shops tend to focus on fish and dairy spreads. If they have meat at all (Bagel Boss is glatt kosher dairy, no meat) is usually Boar’s Head or the like, stuff you can get at any corner deli back home. You will probably want to make two stops to get best of both.
I suggest exiting JFK via Van Wyck Expressway to Long Island Expressway (495 east). Go about a mile to Utopia Parkway exit. Just on the right is Bagel Oasis, a NY legend open 24/7. After buying your bagels, take the service road (called Horace Harding Expy) about a mile or so to Bell Blvd. Turn left, and go about 3 miles to a shopping center at 26th Ave. In there is Ben’s Deli, your pastrami place. Load up your trunk (and empty your wallet), then make a right out of the shopping center onto 26th Ave. The entrance to Clearview Expressway (295 north) is just ahead, which puts you right at the Throgs Neck Bridge to Bronx and New England. This gives you two of the best places for bagels and deli, while staying in your general direction.
If you like Ben’s Best in Rego Park (never been, no relation to the other Ben’s), then go there and hit Bagel Oasis after. It would take you about a mile out of your way, after which you could double back and get on 687 to the Whitestone Bridge instead.
Okay, now getting confused. Yeah, sticking to someplace that would put me back on the road to New England would be helpful. I’ve heard that there is another Ben’s, not related to Ben’s Best. Yes, you’re not kidding about emptying my wallet. But up here we don’t get REAL pastrami, just the Boar’s Head kind and there’s a HUGE difference. Also, real stuffed kishka, real knishes, my mouth is watering.
I saw google ads for Bagel Oasis. If that is close to Ben’s, then I’ll do that! If the first Ben’s is in a shopping center, that will be easier. If I remember correctly, Ben’s Best parking was difficult. Street parking only. Thank you everyone!
Do you guys know the difference between Belly & Nova Lox? Want to pick some of that up too but only familiar with Nova. Thanks- Oops, better bring my cooler with me!
yes, you can also do as Chardo suggests. However, If you decide though to do the Hewlett/Cedarhurst run, its not far at all from JFK, (only about 10 min in the “other direction” and you can do the Woodro first, then Bagel Boss, then a short ride (ten min?) to the cross island parkway - which takes you to Throgs Neck or Whitestone bridges. Parking easy for both the Woodro and Bagel Boss. Though technically in the “other direction” I find the traffic this way much quicker than the Horace Harding /Bell Boulevard route - and the Van Wyck is usually jam packed. Really depends what day/time you are coming in.
You definitely need a cooler. Oh - and whatever bagel place you go to, not all have Belly lox (which i really like) so call and make sure. Bagel Boss usually has it. Belly lox is very salty, so be warned.
You can’t go wrong really with any of our suggestions - I would google direction it and decide !
If you do end up coming to the Five Towns to go to Wood-ro Deli for pastrami, right on the same stretch of Broadway is Max’s which is the place to go for lox. Belly lox is salty, Nova is not.
Have them quadruple wrap your pastrami. And if you get onion bagels…those too! I brought corned beef and bagels back from Ohio once…and my car smelled like a deli for well over a month.
Thanks to all for your help & suggestions. Looks like I will try the Woodro/Bagel Boss combination this trip. It is only an extra 10 minutes for the whole trip and I like the idea of maybe less traffic/better parking. Also, Bagel Boss seems to have amazing choices, not only for Bagels.
Each menu I looked at has a Spinach log listed. What is that? I also saw a dessert called a Philly Fluff. Do you guys know what that is too? Better bring extra money with me, it all looked good!
Thanks for the suggestion for Max’s too. I’ll see how I’m doing for time and money at that point!
Max’s is good too I forgot! A spinach log - you mean at the deli? its probably a long potato/spinach mixture wrapped and baked in dough. That’s what it would be too if you saw it at any of the bagel places.
Re: desserts. The desserts at Bagel Boss are ok…but if you want some great desserts, diagonally and a few blocks down from Wood-ro is Walls’s Bake Shop 1336 Broadway. Fabulous rugelach (chocolate and raisin kinds), marble cakes, mandel bread, etc etc. And a really good fluff cake, which is like a pound cake. What that Philly Fluff thing is i don’t know, lol.
Much better desserts than you would find at any bagel place. It’s worth it!
You can also call ahead at any of these places if you want your order prepared for you, if you are short on time.
Can’t go wrong with Bagel Boss. I have one right down the block. Personally I can’t stand onion bagels. If you do buy, have them in a separate bag. I find that one onion bagel can ruin the whole bag. Philly Fluff is a marble pound cake made with a little cream cheese in the batter, usually powdered sugar on top. Unbelievable. You must get one. No, make it two.
After you get the corned beef, pastrami, cream cheese, philly fluff, etc., might as well hit CVS for extra Lipitor.
^^WOW, senior year already? My S1 just graduated Tufts last weekend. S2 is leaving for Birthright next week from JFK, which is what prompted this thread.
Looks like I’ll be driving my S2 to JFK and gaining 10 pounds from all the food purchases I’ll buy! Yikes, I have 4 places to stop now:
Woodro, Bagel Boss, Max’s and Wall’s Bake Shop. san-dee: Are you tell me which order they’ll be in so I can map it out? Thanks! OMG, Chardo, the philly fluff sounds fabulous. No, only one is needed! So I can still fit into my pants It looks and sounds amazing. They are at Bagel Boss and also Wall’s Bake Shop. Maybe I’ll get one of those spinach logs too, unless it’s just like a spinach knish…I don’t want to be rolled out the door, I just want to pick up some treats I can only get in NYC! No corned beef for us, just pastrami. Bagels from NY are a huge treat. And of course stuffed derma and my H likes the kasha knishes. Looks like I’m all set now, guys, thanks.
san-dee: if you can just tell me what driving order to find each place, I’d appreciate it. Thanks everyone! By the way, do I need Woodro AND Max’s or just one of them?
From JFK , take the exit marked for the nassau expressway/rockaway turnpike. The nassau expwy turns into rockaway turnpike. DO NOT TAKE EXIT FOR VAN WYCK or EXITS MARKED TO MANHATTAN. Just drive slowly like everyone does when they are leaving JFK cause it can be confusing.
Drive down rockaway turnpike , (you will be passing the back of JFK) - the road will then turn into a more conventional shopping area (costco, mcdonalds, etc). Stay straight on Rockaway Turnpike till you cross over the LIRR tracks, West Broadway, Central Avenue - you will hit Broadway (not West Broadway, that’s another street). Make a left on Broadway.
(this sounds like a lot of driving but it isn’t - unless its rush hour). 15 minutes. If you find yourself going over the Atlantic Beach Bridge you have gone too far ! but you won’t.
WALLS- on left side of street, about 5 -8 min down Broadway. Again, depends on time of day. There should be parking spaces on right side; there is also a parking lot in the back of Walls (duane reed and other stores there). Get the rugelach ! outstanding !!
WOOD - RO next stop, a few blocks up from Walls. Also on right side of street. Parking in front or in lot in back.
BAGEL BOSS next - just google direction it. I don’t want to give you exact directions cause there are a few ways to go and since they are my local streets of course I don’t know the names of them ! 5- 8 minutes. Bagel Boss is in the Peninsula Shopping Center, at the corner of Peninsula Blvd and Mill road.
From Bagel Boss, then google direction to Cross Island Expwy - 10 - 12 min. Cross Island will take you to Whitestone or Throgs Neck Bridges.
In the Bagel Boss shopping area, there is an Ace Hardware in case you need another cooler !
If you get mixed up at all just don’t worry, pull over and get directions.
Oh - you have to do Wood ro (meat deli) AND Bagel Boss or Max’s. Bagel Boss and Max’s are dairy/appetizing.
I haven’t been to Max’s in a while so I am not sure if they sell bagels- Id call. Max’s “appetizing” (lox, etc) is excellent, but I just don’t remember if they do bagels or no. so its def Woodro, Walls, and then either Max’s or Bagel Boss.
I did a mapquest & put in Woodro as first stop, then Walls, then Bagel Boss, then back to New England. Sound okay? I can skip Max’s. We’re gonna skip Lox altogether, I can get that here.
The mapquest says it’s only 8.41 miles from the airport. It takes me some funky way from Southern State to Laurelton Pkwy, merge on NY-27 via exit 23B toward Brookville blvd, right onto Rockaway, left onto Broadway. Sound correct??
Can I walk from Woodro to Walls? Looks only to be .02 miles and then Bagel Boss 1 mile further?
Okay, I added up what I’m going to purchase, about $100, not great, not terrible. Who knew that driving my S to the airport would be so expensive and fattening?
the map quest directions you got are not incorrect – but not the way a native would go at all - but i don’t want to mix u up. So perhaps its best you follow them?
You can walk from Woodro to Walls or vice versa, no problem. Take the car to bagel boss though, if you walked that would be too big a schlep thru some busy and winding streets carrying stuff.
and don’t worry about the calories, as you said you don’t often get to buy this kind of stuff so, hey, why not?
“Only” 8.4 miles from JFK might take forever; the traffic is generally horrendous. I grew up in Queens and driving to JFK (I live a couple of hours away now) is still one of my least-favorite forms of aggravation. If you still want to go food shopping after driving there from Boston, you’re a better woman than I am. I wish you great pastrami.
