5 Top Bagel Spots in NYC
New York City is one of the most culturally diverse cities found anywhere in the world, bringing in a unique food culture that brings in the best that the world has to offer. All these different cultures bring in their own styles of food, to where some might claim that New York could be the food mecca of the modern world. New York claims to have the best of everything — the best sushi, to pasta, to tacos. New York City believes that everything we do is the best. With all of these amazing food choices, there really is only one food item that the city can claim as its own, and that is the bagel. Every true New Yorker has a favorite place to go and will recommend it without ever really being asked. There is really nowhere else in the U.S. that you can find a breakfast bread product quite like the ones in NYC. For this article, I want to share my five favorite places to get the circular wheel of carbohydrate wonder that is the bagel. The list is in no particular order:
1. Absolute Bagel (2788 Broadway, New York, NY 10025): Considered by many as the premier bagel store in New York City. A bare bone establishment where you can expect a line of Columbia students and locals lined up out the door. (The store is cash only). The bagels are chewy without being tough. They are made daily and usually still warm when purchased, no need to toast.
2. Ess-a-Bagel (831 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10022): One of the oldest bagel institutions on the list. After closing their 1st Ave. store, you can now head up town to find them on 3rd Ave. Making hand-rolled bagels onsite since 1976, they have mastered the no frills approach to the perfect bagel. Don’t ask for your bagel toasted as toasting a bagel is a sign of a “bad” (stale) bagel and the line here is normally to long to warrant the wait.
3. Murray’s Bagels (500 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10011): Part of the newer wave of bagel stores, Murray’s has become a West Village staple since opening its doors in 1996. Making bagels that are the size of a small wheel and bursting with flavor, the options here are endless. If you are not sure what flavor to try, go for the everything bagel which is a traditional New Yorker’s choice.
4. Kossar’s Bialys (367 Grand St, New York, NY 10002): After 65 years in the bialys business, Kossar’s started making bagels in 1998 and never looked back. Kossar’s makes bagels in traditional New York style, which means they are huge with a doughy inside and a crispy outside. These pinnacles of the poppy seed are made fresh daily and housed in a no-frills location where you get up close and personal with pallets of baked goods and flour on the floor.
5. Zucker’s (273 Columbus Ave. New York, NY 10023): Founded in TriBeCa in 2006, this quintessential neighborhood bagel shop takes pride in creating authentic NYC hand-rolled and kettle-boiled bagels. In addition to the traditional mix of cream cheese options, here you will find some of the best bagel deli sandwiches this side of the Hudson. Zucker’s is most famous for their bagels and lox, which is a must get when visiting their Upper West Side location.
While this is no means a definitive list of the best of the best, these are our current favorites. Now it’s your turn to sound off, where is your favorite spot to get a true New York bagel?
