Hi - With the help of this board I have a great itinerary for a short pre-cruise stay in New York w/ my husband. The final question is ... can we get a true New York bagel in Times Square? I've never had a "real" New York bagel and I want to taste for myself if they really are different. Looking for something right in Times Sqaure so we can grab a bagel for breakfast. Thanks

Any hotel, coffee shop or deli (small grocery) will have bagels.

However, even New Yorkers are particular about their bagels - some are too big/small, too doughy/not doughy enough, too many seeds (poppy, sesame, onion, raisins, salt, sundried tomatoes) or not enough.

So you have your choice. Better - why not try a Bialy! I won't tell you what it is (not a bagel or pita), but ask for one (toasted with butter) and I'm sure you'll like it.

Enjoy your trip.

Thanks Sandi .. I guess I was thinking there was a traditional New York bagel experience that I should be trying that you might not get in just any hotel or coffee shop. A Bialy sounds intriguing though ... hmmmm

H and H is the best bagel maker in NYC.
Pick a bagel is a close 2nd.
There are a few pick a bagels--check the yahoo yellow pages. Enjoy. IF you go to h and h ask which are hot---fresh out of the oven is heavenly.

H&H has it's followers, but i think their product has gone down hill ever since they started mass distribution.

My favorite bagel in NYC is at Ess-a-Bagel on Third Ave at 51st St. Not exactly in Time Square, but a close enough to walk on a nice day. It's counter service but they do have a sit down area for you to eat breakfast (worth walk or the cab ride!)

For a true NYC bagel, i'd advice against just walking into a random diner, as you won't get the bagel you're looking for.

Best bialy, hands down, is Kossar's on Grand Ave in the lower east side, which is quite a distance from Times Square, but worthwhile for a bialy lover.

There's no such thing as a "true" NY anything in Times Square. It's all Disney, and Disney ain't NY.

I have to second Ess A Bagel or even H&H. H&H is on Bway in the 80's. Picka an Bagel is okay if you're having a bagel emergency. Also, the only real bagel is plain, not that I'm opinionated or anything...

Kossars is hands down the best bialy. If you do make it to Kossars, you can go to Gus's pickles a couple of blocks away on Essex Street and get a real NY pickle out of the barrell.

There is an H&H Bagel at 639 West 46th Street. It is a bit of a hike, so you might want to take a cross-town bus or a cab.

Here's a third vote for Ess-a-Bagel. Walk there and you can burn off the calories.

H and H is still great if you go to the bakery and do not buy it from some other shop. I forgot about Ess a Bagel--they are equally good but less well known. Let us know if you got your bagel and so on.

A true New York Bagel is one that is boiled. It weighs about two pounds . It's dense and chewy and nearly impossible to squish flat, unlike "fake" bagels which are light and airy and squishable. I doubt you can find them right in Times Square, the land of chain restaurants, where they probably get their "bagels" from Iowa or something.

Listen to the other prople here, they've got some good suggestions! (I personally like H&H on Bwy and 80th, right out of the oven...mmm...too bad I'm on a friggin' lo carb diet )

Dangit, you people are makin' me hungry...

LOL - Suzanne why do you think I'm obsessing about this bagel thing ... low carb goes out the window on vacation and I can't wait! I've marked Ess and H&H on my map .. I'll let you all know what I think ... not going till the end of August though ... should have waited to ask this question, now I want a bagel RIGHT NOW!

Any further comments on this bagel issue? Staying at the Sheraton --- sounds like I can walk a few blocks to Ess-A-Bagel for my breakfast.