Check out the Best Bagels in NYC you for sure won’t get elsewhere! As a NYC local, I’ve tried all the well-known spots, and I’m excited to share my honest favorites that I’ve revisited many times.

NYC is known for its bagels, and honestly the city’s bagels live up to the hype. New York bagels are usually huge and are best just as they are, without toasting them, in order to get that full fluffy and chewy juiciness.
New York bagels are boiled in water with barley malt before being baked, which give them their signature texture and mouth-watering flavor.
Check out the Best Bagels in NYC that’ll make your tummy sing!
Best Bagels in NYC
Best Bagels in Manhattan
1. Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company
In my humble opinion, Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company has the best bagels in NYC!
Their bagels are satisfyingly HUGE, with a chewy exterior but a deceivingly tender and juicy interior.
Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee is reliably delicious. Everything I’ve tried, every time I’ve gone, has been delicious. I personally love their bacon or sausage, egg and cheese bagel sandwich.
What I love about their everything bagel is that it’s completely packed with the poppy seed and roastic garlic toppings. They don’t skimp on the bottom of the bagel, either (it’s packed with the toppings!). Yuuuuum!
The bagel sandwich prices are also pretty reasonable for NYC. Their sausage, egg & cheese was around $8.50.
Their two locations in Manhattan, in Greenwich Village and in Chelsea, are both amazing. Do expect lines during the morning rush hour, especially on weekends. The lines do go by fast, but it can be challenging to grab seats, so if you want a more calm experience, I recommend you go during off-peak hours (past 1pm). Even when I went at odd hours, the bagels tasted fresh.
2. Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish

Wow. Zucker’s is a gourmet bagel experience. You can tell that they pay attention to every part of the bagel sandwich, even though it may seem like a pretty casual staple. For example, the egg in their bagel sandwiches is so buttery and sumptuous.
As their name suggests, Zucker’s has excellent smoked fish. Their lox bagel sandwich, named “The Traditional,” has super fresh salmon with an all-consuming, fishy flavor that’s a pleasant olfactory delight.

Zucker’s cuisine tends to be on the saltier side, but it really does hit the spot. Personally though, my favorite was still the sausage, egg and cheese bagel sandwich (notice a pattern there?!).
The prices are pretty standard for NYC bagel sandwiches. The Classic BEC is $9.50, and The Traditional lox bagel sandwich is $15.50.
Zucker’s has 7 locations in Manhattan, including on the Upper West Side and near Times Square.
Best Bagels in Brooklyn
3. Shelsky’s Brooklyn Bagels
Shelsky’s has an unassuming exterior, but you’ll be blown away by how delicious their bagel sandwiches are. Their bagels are extra chewy and are kettle-boiled in classic NYC fashion. In my humble opinion, they’ve got the best bagels in Brooklyn!
The portions at Shelsky’s are not the largest, but their sandwiches are great for breakfast or a weekend pick-me-up that won’t leave you feeling extraordinarily sluggish.
Shelsky’s menu is on the classic side, in both of its bagels and schmears (spreads), and they definitely get the basics right. They still have over 20 bagel flavors, including 3 gluten-free options!
Expect lines during the weekend morning rush hours, which move reasonably fast.
4. Bagel Pub

Bagel Pub has big, fluffy bagels that’ll fill you up properly. Although there’s limited seating in-store, I love the retro NYC interior decor, from the detailed ceilings to the mosaic pattern tiles on the floor across their 6 different locations.
Bagel Pub has a super wide and beautiful selection of over 20 cream cheeses, which range from the classics to chipotle bacon cream cheese and sweet delights like strawberry cream cheese.
If you’re looking for a place to meet up with a friend for coffee and a bagel, then Bagel Pub is an excellent choice, because most of their locations have plenty of seating and a rustic vibe that’s worth the sit down.
They also have delicious fresh juices. I love their refreshing Green Machine Juice, which is a mix of cucumber, celery, kale, spinach and apple.
In Brooklyn, I would recommend the Park Slope location on 9th St and 5th Ave (287 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215), because it has ample backyard seating available during the warmer months.
Best Bagels in NYC
Here is my honest take on the Best Bagels in NYC!
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