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A Bean N Bagel churro bagel. (Credit: Courtesy of John Liebold)

What do your Long Island native friends who have left New York crave when they come home for a visit?

Chances are they long for the warm, doughy perfection of Empire State bagels and pizza.

While no one has quite figured out how to transport a freshly baked cheese pie across the country, Bean N Bagel Café in Calverton recently announced that it will soon offer a dozen bagels shipped anywhere in the continental U.S. 

John Leibold, whose family owns the six-year-old Route 25 bagel spot, said his product will be vacuum-sealed, which will keep them fresh during the two-day journey through the postal system. The cost will be $27 for a dozen of Bean N Bagel’s in-house baked treats, which include standards like sesame and cinnamon raison bagels as well as more unusual varieties like polka dot.

“A lot of people that come into the store ask if we ship bagels, but we’ve stayed away from it because of the high shipping cost,” Leibold said. “One time I shipped bagels to my niece in Texas. It cost me $92 in shipping.”

Shipping them priority mail in a flat rate box allows Bean N Bagel to offer them much cheaper. Leibold also noted the bagels can be frozen without sacrificing on taste.

The bagels could be sent to college students, friends and family who have moved out of state or people who are jealous of the superiority of Long Island-made dough. Leibold noted there are other bagel purveyors online claiming to offer New York bagels, though buyers should beware of what they are getting.

“There’s a lot of websites out there that calls them New York-style bagels,” he said. “But one is in St. Petersburg, Florida and another one is in Illinois.”

And just what is it that makes the dough in New York so good?

“It’s the water,” Leibold said. “I can’t tell you what it is. Maybe the minerals?”

The service will soon be available at beanandbagelcafe.com.

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