Best bagels in NYC?
 

Who has "THE" best bagels in NYC? My wife & I will be in Manhattan next week...mostly in and around Midtown. I'm a SoCal native, so my exposure to bagels has been to the chain-store variety (Einstein's, Noah's, Manhattan Beach Bagel Co.) I get the feeling I really haven't sampled an authentick NY bagel yet. (Oh, yeah...every now and then my wife & I break down and buy...gulp...a supermarket bagel!)

Best place is H&H Bagels located on the Upper West side @ Broadway and 80th St. <BR>There're not cheap - I think .95 each. <BR>Buth there're excellent. <BR>While you're here on the UWS, you can visit Zabar's, Fairway, The Museum of Natural History, and other attractions. <BR>

HI Dude: <BR>Another vote for H & H! <BR>Best in NYC!

H & H on Broadway at 80th St. As indicated in another reply they are the most expensive bagels, so far as I know, in the city. Zabar's across the street has a good bagel - around 45 cents. Don't care too much for the Fairway bagels - Broadway and 74th - bagel is 33 cents. <BR>You will see stores with signs saying they sell H&H bagels for less than 50 cents. I can tell you these bagels are not as good as the ones you buy in the H&H bagel store at 80th. They must sell different quality bagels to other stores.

Here is a dissenting opinion. I don't like H&H bagels, and I don't know why everyone makes a big deal out of them. They are too sweet (a sweet onion bagel is not a pretty thing) and the texture isn't right. It's pretty hard to find an "authentic" NY bagel these days, in the traditional sense. Classic NY bagels are not huge, not sweet, have a slightly crisp crust, and are chewy thoughout. I think the best are at the Bagelry, which has many locations in Manhattan, and Ess-a-Bagel, which has I think two.

Another vote for H&H Bagels. They have a store on 80th & Broadway. Also one near the Circle Line/Intrepid museum on West 46th(?). (These stores are take away only and make sure you bring a plastic knife to spread your cream cheese.) <BR> <BR>PS: A real bagel is boiled which makes it chewy, not like those imitations which are just hard rolls. <BR>

I have to side with Caitlin on this - a few years ago (prior to living in the area) I hiked over to the 46th Street H&H store from my hotel one Sunday morning to get bagels for a hotel room breakfast. My daughter and I were both underwhelmed. The bagels I used to buy in Syracuse while living there were better (yes they were the traditional boiled variety).

H&H has two locations -- Broadway and 80th Street on the upper west side, and W. 46th Street at the West Side Highway (the latter is virtually unreachable for the average tourist). There is another store that calls itself H&H Bagels on the East Side at around 63rd Street and 2nd Avenue. This is NOT the "real" H&H; the bagels are run of the mill. The #1 train from Times Square will take you to 79th Street and Broadway, just a block from H&H and Zabars.

ess-a-bagel- 1st ave and 21st. <BR>

I second the vote for Ess-A-Bagel. Absolutely delicious bagels. There's another store on 50th & 3rd. Expect a line.

Regardless of whether everyone agrees that H&H are the best bagels in NYC, I doubt that there would be much disagreement with the authenticity of these bagels. So, if you want to try an authentic NY bagel, go straight to H&H without a second thought. And make sure that go to the original location on the West Side. H&H gets my vote as the best bagel in the world.

The fact that a bagel is boiled means that it is made by the traditional method; it does mean that it's an "authentic New York bagel." Sorry, but many New Yorkers and NY food writers agree with me that H&H does not have the flavor and texture of a classic NY bagel. I don't mind if they're your favorite bagels in the world--lots of people seem to feel that way, for whatever reason--but H&H is not the most authentic, classic NY-style bagel in town. and lest people misunderstand the implication in some of the posts above, Ess-a-Bagel and the Bagelry do boil their bagels.

Enough with the bagels. Personally, I prefer a bialy.

Fugetaboudit. Leave Manhattan and head over ta Joisey and try the fresh made bagels at the Bagel Factory in Teaneck NJ. Alan Alda used to head there every week when he and his family living in Tenafly. Saw him many times on the street.

Well, the best bialys are at Kossars, wouldn't you all agree?

I like Ess-A-Bagel a lot. However, one food writer tasted all the major bagel places in town & concluded the best were at Fairway (an upscale grocery), which I will not argue with because I think they're great.

Kossars are the only bialys I will buy.

H&H bagels are my favorite. Enjoy!

I'm wondering if there has been any change of opinions on this topic. I seem to recall reading here that there is a great bagel place that is a woman's name on the East Side...?

Bagels on the Square on Carmine St (near intersection of 6th Av and Bleecker). Execellent sesame pumpernickel bagels among others.

We all have our favorite places, but I would add my vote for Ess-a-bagel. The 21st and 1st Ave was around the corner from my fist apartment in the city and I sure miss those bagels.

H&amp;H is very good, but Ess-a-bagel I think is better. Also when you buy a smear, it's almost too much and you can't finish it all at once.

Have a great time while you are here.

I really love the bagels, bialys &amp; breadsticks at &quot;Pick a Bagel&quot;, various locations around the city. We happened to be around 46th &amp; 12th a couple of weeks ago, heading back to NY Waterway ferry, and stopped at H&amp;H, paid almost $6 for 6 bagels, and were VERY disappointed.

Not a fan of H&amp;H... i don't see what makes their bagels special.

On the other hand, another vote for Ess-a-Bagel on 3rd ave and 51st St. Best i've ever had.

Now if you want to talk bialys... Kossar's on Grand St in the lower east side. While you're down there, stop at Katz's deli, Gus or &quot;The Pickle Guys&quot; for pickles, and Economy Candy for the best candy store in NY.

You know with all the bagel suggestions above, you're going to have to try them all and report back to us with which is YOUR favorite.

Another favorite:
Chelsea Market on 10th Avenue between15 and 16 Street is Bagelery (SP) right next to Ruthy's Cheesecake and Rugelach.

All different kinds of bagels and all kinds of cream cheese. My favorite is the olive cream cheese

Jumbo Bagel on 2nd Avenue between 56th &amp; 57th Street. Open 24/7. Best when hot out of the oven.