Allie Boy’s Adding Second Location on East Side
Larger space will allow Walker's Point bagelry to maximize bagel production, connect with new neighborhood.
Ben Nerenhausen and Staci Lopez, owners of Allie Boy’s Bakery & Luncheonette. Photo submitted.
Allie Boy’s Bagelry & Luncheonette is known as much for its out-the-door lines on Saturdays and Sundays as it is for crispy, chewy, hand-rolled bagels. One of those things is likely to change next year, when the Walker’s Point restaurant expands to a second, much larger location on the Lower East Side.
The new space, 2108 N. Farwell Ave., will serve as the “epicenter” for baking operations, allowing the business to ramp up bagel production to four times its current rate. It will also function as a counter-service restaurant with a communal dining area.
The expansion will grow the physical footprint of Allie Boy’s by 4,600 square feet. The original location, 135 E. National Ave., is 1,300 square feet.
“It’s something we’ve actually been looking for for a couple of years now,” said Ben Nerenhausen, who co-owns Allie Boy’s with Staci Lopez. “We’re excited to be part of the neighborhood.”
The married couple, both of whom have backgrounds in fine dining, launched the restaurant in May 2020. At the time, while dishing out bagels for socially-distanced pickup, neither could have guessed how far the concept would come in just a few short years.
“It kind of evolved out of necessity,” Nerenhausen said. “I don’t think we really anticipated how busy and popular we were going to get.”
The bagelry’s current baking facility, housed on the lower level of the original location, is consistently operating at maximum capacity on the weekends. The smaller ovens are able to bake 60 bagels at once — not enough to keep up with demand. The new, East Side space will house industrial bagel-making equipment, yielding 240 bagels per bake.
Allie Boy’s will take over the southern half of Good City Brewing‘s East Side facility; the brewery is downsizing its footprint in the building. It will continue to operate its taproom and restaurant at the address.
The multi-bay building is also home to Waterford Wine & Spirits and will soon house a new hotpot restaurant.
Nerenhausen said the second location will start off with a smaller menu, which will expand as the business finds its footing in the new neighborhood. Meanwhile, Nerenhausen and Lopez said they hope to eventually introduce more plated items at the original location, flexing the talents they developed during their earlier careers in fine dining.
“When we first opened, we had these more grandiose plans and had to scale back and morph into the to-go format because of the pandemic,” Nerenhausen said. “We’ve been having a really great time doing what we’re doing here, but there’s still a whole other side of us that we’d really like to be able to show.”
The couple will begin a series of renovations to the space in the new year. The kitchen and dining area will receive minor updates including a new counter space and built-out storage areas. The future bagel production area will need a bit more work, including the installation of food safety walls, electrical, walk-in coolers and more.
An opening date depends on construction timelines and the permitting process, but the couple said they hope to be on the home stretch by late spring.
In the meantime, Allie Boy’s in Walker’s Point remains open for business. The restaurant’s hours of operation are Thursday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Good City Brewing in 2018. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
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Please say this will allow you offer your perfect house made lox, by the pound? And possibly some delivery? We are always looking for new ways to enjoy more Allie Boys.