Simit + Smith Plans To Change NYC's Bagel Cravings With 20 Shops

One new chain is in it to simit

By James Mulcahy

Turns out Marco Polo liked bagels. Not the fluffy New York-style breakfast offerings found at countless shops around the city. Apparently, he preferred a simit - kind of an ancestor to the modern-day bagel that's popular in Turkey, Greece, the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. Of course these are available at a number of venues, but a new chain dubbed Simit + Smith just debuted on the Upper West Side (there's also a location in Cliffside, New Jersey) and they want make the explorer's choice an NYC go-to.

And how will they do this? Well, by pointing out that the foodstuff has half the calories of a bagel, for one (a lot of ears just perked up with that one). It's usually eaten plain or with cheese, but at the shop you can get them as sandwiches and with dipping sauces. While this is the first Big Apple location, the hope is to roll out 20 locations throughout the city as the item becomes more popular - a second FiDi outpost at the corner of John is next. For now, you can drop by 124 West 72nd to try them out (212-496-6605).