Boiled before baked
The dough is shaped, rested and dropped into boiling water before it goes into the oven. The boil sets the crust, gives the bagel its shine and creates the chew.
Food & drink · Boroughs
The best bagels in New York
A New York bagel is breakfast, a hangover cure and a civic argument in one. Here is how it is made, where to eat the best ones and how to order without hesitating at the counter.
Why the fuss
A breakfast with a standard
The bagel is the one food New Yorkers will argue about before they have had coffee. It is also the cheapest way to eat like a local.
A bagel with cream cheese costs $4.50–7, with the classic around $5.50. Add coffee at $3.50–5 and breakfast is done for under $10. A bagel with lox is a different and more expensive order — $16–22 — and worth doing once, at a proper fish counter rather than a chain.
The difference between a good bagel and a bad one is mostly technique, and mostly invisible until you bite it: a thin, blistered crust and a dense, chewy crumb. Once you have had a good one, the supermarket version stops counting.
Checked 2 November 2026. Prices, opening hours and transport details were verified against official sources. Things change — confirm before you book. How we check.
What makes it a New York bagel
Four things that matter
The recipe is short. The technique is not, which is why the best shops are still family operations.
Hand-rolled and dense
A proper bagel is rolled by hand and baked to a compact, heavy ring — not a soft bread roll with a hole. If it squashes flat when you press it, it is not the real thing.
The schmear
Cream cheese is spread generously, by the ounce, not scraped on. Scallion, vegetable and lox spreads are all standard; butter is a legitimate alternative.
The fish counter
Lox, whitefish and sable turn a cheap breakfast into a $16–22 order. That is a different meal, eaten slowly, and worth it at least once.
Where to eat
Nine places worth the detour
A mix of counters, appetizing shops and neighbourhood institutions. Prices are banded — only the bagel with cream cheese has a hard verified figure.
| Place | Neighbourhood | What to order | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ess-a-Bagel | Midtown East / Flatiron | Bagel with cream cheese | $6–8 |
| Russ & Daughters | Lower East Side | Bagel with lox at the counter | premium (lox bagel $16–22) |
| Absolute Bagels | Upper West Side | A warm bagel with cream cheese | budget |
| Zabar's | Upper West Side | Bagel and smoked fish from the appetizing counter | moderate |
| Kossar's Bagels & Bialys | Lower East Side | A bagel and a bialy | budget |
| Tompkins Square Bagels | East Village | A bagel sandwich, made to order | budget–moderate |
| Apollo Bagels | East Village | A bagel sandwich | budget–moderate |
| Murray's Bagels | Greenwich Village | Bagel with a generous schmear | budget |
| Bagel Hole | Park Slope, Brooklyn | An old-school bagel, no fuss | budget |
At the counter
How to order
Bagel shops run on speed and shorthand. Five phrases and habits will get you through the queue.
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01
Learn the word "schmear"
Cream cheese. "A bagel with a schmear" is a bagel with cream cheese. If you want it hollowed out to hold more filling, ask for it scooped.
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02
Say whether you want it toasted
Bagels are served untoasted by default. If you want it toasted, say so when you order — not after it has been cut.
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03
Order at the counter and step aside
Queue, order, pay, then move down to collect. Standing at the register to decide holds up the whole line, which is the one thing locals mind.
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04
Expect lox to come from the fish counter
At an appetizing shop, the bagel and the fish are separate purchases. Order the bagel, then point at the fish you want and let them weigh it.
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05
Eat it while it is warm
A bagel is at its best within the first 20 minutes. If you are taking it away, skip the toaster and get it fresh.
By neighbourhood
Where to go, depending on where you are
Bagel shops are dense enough that you rarely need to cross the city. These are the reliable names by area.
| Area | Best for | Where to go | Subway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midtown East / Flatiron | A classic bagel breakfast | Ess-a-Bagel | 6 |
| Lower East Side | Bagel with lox, old-school | Russ & Daughters, Kossar's | F / J / M / Z |
| Upper West Side | Warm bagels and appetizing | Absolute Bagels, Zabar's | 1 / B / C |
| East Village | Bagel sandwiches | Tompkins Square Bagels, Apollo Bagels | L |
| Greenwich Village | A generous schmear | Murray's Bagels | A / C / E, 1 |
| Park Slope, Brooklyn | An old-school neighbourhood bagel | Bagel Hole | B / Q |
Questions
Bagel questions, answered
What makes a New York bagel different?
It is hand-rolled, boiled before it is baked, and baked to a dense, chewy ring. The boil sets the crust and gives the chew; the water is debated, but the technique is not.
How much does a bagel cost?
A bagel with cream cheese is $4.50–7, with the classic around $5.50. A bagel with lox is $16–22. Coffee is $3.50–5, so a bagel breakfast is usually under $10.
Is a bagel served toasted?
Not by default. Ask if you want it toasted when you order. Many purists would rather have it fresh and untoasted, straight from the shop.
What is a schmear?
Cream cheese — and a generous spread of it. "Scooped" means the bagel has been hollowed out, usually to make room for more filling.
Where can I get a good bagel near Times Square?
Ess-a-Bagel's Midtown East and Flatiron shops are the reliable nearby choice. For the full experience, go to an appetizing shop on the Lower East Side instead.
Keep eating
Where to go next
Bagels are one chapter of the city's food story. These guides cover the rest.
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Bagels, pastrami, tacos and dumplings — prices, institutions and neighbourhoods.
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The best pizza in New York
Nine pizzerias worth the trip, the four styles and how to order like a local.
Planning
The New York budget guide
Daily costs, hotel bands and the money-saving tactics that actually work.
More by area: Manhattan for the East Village and Upper West Side shops, and the neighbourhood guides for what to do afterwards.
Next step
Start the day the New York way
A bagel is the cheapest good breakfast in the city. Pair it with a walk and you have a morning for under $10.