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Offering literally dozens of different bagels and 35 cream cheese flavors (including 10 vegan tofu options), in addition to unique sandwiches, burritos and griddle specials, Liberty is without a doubt a New York bagel lover’s paradise. They make such a great Foodmark because their food is fresh and flavorful, their service is kind and attentive and the energy inside the shop is playful and lively—you can always count on having a great meal and making great memories. Liberty’s owner, Victor Mejia, has been in the bagel business for over 30 years, and he brought that deep well of experience with him when he co-founded LIberty Bagels in 2018, quickly expanding to four bustling locations in NYC. We talked with Victor and the shop’s social media manager, Maria-Isabelle Parada, about the legacy of Liberty and why they think there’s perhaps no better pairing with an ice-cold Coke than a freshly baked, loaded up bagel.
What can you tell me about the Liberty Bagels origin story?
Victor: I've been in the bagel business since 1992. I've opened several stores—Bagel House, Brooklyn Bagels. Initially, I would sell them, so I would open a store, and keep it for a couple years, and then sell it. But, for the last six years, my partner Alex and I have built a brand, Liberty Bagels. We stuck with the same recipe, the same concept. We have had the same bagel for 30 years. And, you know, thank God, we've been very successful.
Why bagels? Where does your passion for them come from?
Victor: When I was young I loved to eat bagels. We had a store right by my school and we used to go there every morning. One of the guys I played baseball with was like “this is a great idea, look at the lines.” So we learned back when I was in high school how to make bagels and we really enjoyed the business. A couple years later, we opened up our first store.
Can you tell me a bit more about your childhood?
Victor: I was born in Jamaica, Queens, but I grew up in Astoria, Queens. My parents were from Columbia. I was always a big eater and I enjoyed bagels. But in Columbia, it's very rare to find a bagel there. Their breakfast is something different, it’s very traditional. So when I worked at one of the original bagel stores, Bagel Nosh, I learned the way they did bagels, and I really appreciated it. It was like an art, making hand rolled bagels. Anybody can have a bagel store and do machine bagels—that's very easy. But to do a hand rolled bagel like we do—kettle boiled—it's a process, so a lot of people don't do it.
That brings me to my next question: Bagels are an undeniable part of NYC’s food landscape. What is it that makes New York bagels so great?
Victor: You know, everybody always says it’s the water and I agree. I think this has a lot to do with the yeast and the reaction to what the water does with the yeast. We’ve experimented before with bringing water from Florida, New Jersey, New York state. And when we experimented with the same yeast and different water, it always came out a little different. You see the reaction in the water.
And what makes Liberty stand out in the very crowded and competitive NYC bagel field?
Victor: You know what it is? I think it's not only the customer service and the quality of the food, I think it's the experience the customer has when he comes into the store. Like, we're very to the point and direct when you're ordering. We give you suggestions and our customer service is excellent. So a customer might come to the cashier and say, “Oh, what do you recommend?” And basically we say, “what are you looking for? Breakfast? Lunch? The bacon, egg and cheese on everything bagel is the most popular breakfast sandwich.” Or “Oh, we have great chicken sandwiches.” And I think that little effort that we give to make them feel at home, it makes us a lot different.
We go above and beyond to have stuff in our store that other bagel stores don't have. A lot of bagel stores don't have grilled chicken, chicken cutlets, Cajun chicken, but we do soup-to-nuts here. Because our employers are so efficient and fast that they can do it all.
I think our reviews speak for themselves. We've been number one on Tripadvisor for a couple of years. We were worldwide, like in the top 10 for our breakfast. So for us, that's amazing because when a customer comes in and says, “Oh my God, I never had this before.” It's an experience for them. And then they come back again and again and again, when there's 20,000 other breakfast and lunch places. That's what makes me so proud, because they can go anywhere they want, and they keep coming back to us.
Can you share any memorable moments that have happened at Liberty?
Maria-Isabelle: Our rainbow bagels and liberty bagels are year round, but for certain holidays, like for St. Patrick’s Day, we have green bagels, and for Easter, we [do] Easter bagels. For Christmas, we have [red and green] bagels. So customers can come and experience the holiday with food. We also have Christmas ornaments and they want to put them on their tree to remember their New York experience. And last year we jumped into the Barbie craze with pink bagels. So you know, girls like me or younger women, they related to that. So we always try to give the customers that experience.
So you're directly tied to those memories.
Victor: Yeah, exactly. We've collaborated with Ohio State, St. John's. We’ve done a Yankees-colored bagel and a Mets-colored bagel, and we'll say “come get your bagel to choose your team.” We do a lot of stuff like that, interactions with our customers.
Maria-Isabelle: It’s more than food. It's more like we have implemented the cultural aspect of it.
Victor: You know, another thing that I really like is that a lot of people put us on [their] bucket list, like things you have to do. And even though I've been doing this for 30 years, Liberty Bagels is a newcomer. So when tourists come to New York and not only want the rainbow bagel and the liberty bagel, but our sandwiches, to us that's very important.
Maria-Isabelle: I read this week one of our reviews, they were French and they appreciated that we had staff that spoke to them in French. You know, a lot of our customers speak different languages, and they can feel at home when we speak to them in their language.
What comes to mind when you think about making or enjoying a “Recipe for Magic”?
Maria-Isabelle: We cook for love, what Victor was saying about taking care of the employees. Like, they're happy doing it. And I feel like that brings happiness to the customer.
Victor: Yeah, me and my partners are very passionate. We're here all the time. And I know of many bagel stores that owners don't even show up. They stay in the office. But we’re here all the time. We're looking at the cream cheese. We're looking at the bagel. You know, because it's all about the experience.
Maria-Isabelle: Absolutely. No one takes care of your business like you're going to. Sometimes when the line is too big and we don't have enough employees, the owners will jump in. So I think the Recipe for Magic is that love, that happiness that we want to bring, that passion. They're not just here for the money, they're happy when the customers are happy.
What Liberty menu item would you say goes best with an ice-cold Coca-Cola?
Victor: Oh, well the most classic bagel is an everything bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese, with salt, pepper, ketchup. Add a Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, I think that's the breakfast of champions, honestly. Forget about a coffee. A Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, bacon, egg and cheese. That’s it. Fuhgeddaboudit.