I came back to New York and this time I decided to look for the best bagel, or beigel for my British friends, yes the baked rolls with a hole, with hundreds of years, apparently created in Krakow around 1610 named bajgiel it was given as a gift to women in childbirth. So as usual I did my research looked for recommendations for fellow bloggers, critics, bagel masters, and whoever might have an idea where to get a outstanding bagel in a city full of places offering the traditional bread product. So my mission should I choose to accept it was to look for the best bagel in the NYC.
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| Bagel time |
The Austrian baking family that established their bagel parlour in 1976, 2 locations in Manhattan, kosher certified. Got a duo the sesame bagel with cream cheese and lox. It was really good, the capers, onion, and tomato, classic flavour. And a oat bagel with scallions and nova salmon, a bit better, bagel not too overpowering, the scallions gave a nice touch.
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| Ess-a-fellow |
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| Bagel baskets |
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| First to go |
Ess a Bagel
T: +1 212 260 2252
Bakery / Bagels
Approx Damage: $15pp
Area: Gramercy
Borough: Manhattan
NYC
Neighbourhood gem in the upper west side, popular for Columbia students, baked in house, hand roll, friendly decor with flowers. Got sesame bagel with herbs cream cheese brie and tomato, it was magnificent, the bagel was toasted a bit, the flavour was great, the cream cheese superb, overall one of the best ones I had.
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| Not the vodka place |
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| More bagels |
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| Say cream cheese |
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| A beauty |
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| Cross section |
Absolute Bagels
T: +1 212 932 2052
Bakery / Bagels
Approx Damage: $9pp
Area: Upper West Side
Borough: Manhattan
NYC
The shop of Adam Pomerantz an ex banker who decided to follow his hart and stomach and leave Merrill Lynch learn everything about his childhood passion, yes bagels, until he opened in 1996 his place in Greenwich Village naming it after his father and with the objective to give New York the best bagel they can get. Got a whole all grains bagel with peppers cream cheese, corned beef, tomato, capers, and onions. The bagel comes with a pickle and coleslaw on the side, excellent flavour, really nice bagel, and definitely the nicest of all the bagel joints I visited.
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| The financial market |
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| Corned beef |
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| Even more bagels |
Murray’s Bagels
T: +1 212 627 5054
Bakery / Bagels
Approx Damage: $14pp
Area: West Village
Borough: Manhattan
NYC
Twitter: MurraysBagels
Lower east side institution, opened since 1914, selling high quality smoked fish, caviar, and specialty foods, as soon as you enter smells tradition, and it’s supported by four generations of the Russ family. My posh side took control with this bagel, whitefish roe, gav lox, and caviar cream cheese, and it tasted beautiful, great flavour, nice combination, and the store is definitely an experience.
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| Caviar time |
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| Pimp my bagel |
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| Call me Nova |
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| Inside |
Russ & Daughters
T: +1 212 475 4880
Delicatessen / Bagels
Approx Damage: $15pp
Area: Lower East Side
Borough: Manhattan
NYC
Twitter: LoxPopuli
The Brooklyn one, opened in 1985, hand roll old style, their recipe comes from Germany in the early 1940s, claimed the best in Brooklyn according to food critic Arthur Schwartz. Got the puppy seed bagel with olive cream cheese and havarti cheese, nice flavour, a bit far if you’re staying in Manhattan. The cheapest one I have.
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| Brooklyn time |
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| Holy bagel |
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| Half time |
Bagel Hole
T: +1 718 788 4014
Bakery / Bagels
Approx Damage: $5pp
Area: Park Slope
Borough: Brooklyn
NYC
Oldest bialy bakery in the US, brick oven to give the old fashion flavour, every aspect handmade, you enter the place and immediately think in tradition, located in the historical Jewish neighbourhood in the lower east side, an institution in the area unchanged by modern technology, doing what they know since the 1930s, and that's bialys, the traditional Polish roll, similar to a bagel but with no hole just a depression filled usually with diced onions. Here you can have plain bagels, straight forward, no frill, no thrill, if you want cream cheese they had but to take away, I tried the cinnamon bagel and couldn't miss the bialys, loved the flavour, simple and traditional.
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| Cinnamon bagel |
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| Bialy |
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| Stash |
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| Give me more |
Kossar’s Bialys
T: +1 212 473 4810
Bakery / Bialys / Bagels
Approx Damage: $3pp
Area: Lower East Side
Borough: Manhattan
NYC
Bagels remind me the Seinfeld episode “The Strike”
Kramer: Great news! Yeah, the strike has been settled. I'm going back to work
Jerry: What strike?
Kramer: H&H Bagels. That's where I worked
Jerry: You?
Elaine: Worked?
Jerry: Bagels?
Kramer: Look, see. I still have my business card. Yeah, we've been on strike for 12 years
Elaine: Oh, I remember seeing those guys picketing out there, but I haven't seen them in a long time
Kramer: Yeah, well, H&H wouldn't let us use their bath room while we were picketing. It put a cramp on our solidarity
Elaine: What were your demands?
Kramer: 5.35 an hour. And that's what they're paying now
Elaine: I believe that's the new minimum wage Kramer: Now you know who to thank for that
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