New Mattituck Bagel Shop Ready for Fall After Short But Receptive Summer

After only two months in business, owner Peter Psyllos said he’s more than ready to take on more bagel shop regulars and high school students as the summer season switches to a different vibe post-Labor Day.

In March, Psyllos bought the from owner Tony Fioretta, who ran that business in the Mattituck Shopping Plaza for 15 years. He said he spent about three months completely gutting and renovating the space, going for a bigger grill area, cold cuts and other deli items beyond bagels — which he doesn’t have the room to make onsite like the previous owner did.

“When we renovated, we lost some space in the back, so we’re unable to make them here,” Psyllos said. “But we order them fresh from Brooklyn and finish them in the oven.”

Psyllos had a soft opening on July 20 and said he experienced a good reception during the short summer season he’s had so far.

“Lots of the regulars from the old place continue to come in — even though we are a lot different than before,” he said. “Everyone is very friendly, though.”

Psyllos said he uses real eggs on the grill as opposed to a premade egg mix for each breakfast sandwich. For lunch, he’s also offering burger specials in addition to a traditional deli-style sandwich, which are all in the $5.50 to $7.50 range. He’s also experimenting with out-of-the-box cream cheese flavors — wasabi ginger, calamata olives and feta cheese, bacon and tomato.

“We’re trying to have fun here,” he said. “I live a mile away. I’m a neighborhood guy and I like the neighborhood people.”

Originally from Queens, Psyllos was introduced to the restaurant industry at a place not too far from the bagel shop genre — a New York City diner his father owned called Astro. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1992, moved to Mattituck 15 years ago and most recently worked as executive chef at Stony Brook Southampton and at restaurant in Riverhead.

He said he jumped at the opportunity to getting back to simpler cuisine when the bagel shop became available.

“Some of the happiest times in the restaurant business happen when you’re just back to slinging burgers,” he said. “It’s a lot less pressure than putting out that five-star meal.”

Have you been to the North Fork Bagel Company yet? Be sure to review the new bagel spot in our directory by