What is the best bagel?

The traditional New York-style bagel is widely considered the best because it is kettle-boiled before baking, giving it a shiny, crisp crust and a dense, chewy interior.[1]

What Makes a Great Bagel

• The Boil : Authentic bagels must be boiled in water (often with malt or honey) before hitting the oven. This gelatinizes the starches on the surface to create that signature shiny crust.
• The Crust vs. Interior : A top-tier bagel has a firm, crackly outer shell that gives way to a soft, springy, and chewy inside without being overly fluffy or bread-like.[1]
• The Ingredients : Traditional recipes keep it simple: high-gluten flour, water, yeast, salt, and malt syrup.

Iconic Bagel Styles and Destinations

• New York City : Home to legends like Ess-a-Bagel, Russ & Daughters , and Kossar's known for oversized, malt-forward, perfectly chewy classics.
• Montreal-Style : Smaller, sweeter, and denser than New York bagels. They contain malt and egg, are boiled in honey-sweetened water, and are baked in a wood-fired oven. The top spot usually goes to St-Viateur Bagel or Fairmount Bagel.

If you have a specific city or region in mind, I can give you recommendations for the absolute best local spot near you!

The "best" bagel is a fiercely debated topic, usually dependent on whether you prefer the iconic, chewy New York/New Jersey style or an exceptional local contender elsewhere in the country.

The universal gold standard comes down to a few legendary spots and styles:

• The New York Heavyweights:
  • Ess-a-Bagel (known for massive, doughy, generously-piled classics)
  • Russ & Daughters (the ultimate destination for lox, schmears, and traditional Jewish bakery items)
  • Absolute Bagels on the Upper West Side (frequently cited by locals for having the best hot-out-of-the-oven crunch and chew)[1][2]
• The Out-of-State Challengers:
  • Bagelsaurus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which commands a massive cult following for its pretzel and salt bagels with creative house-made cream cheeses.
  • Regional favorites like The Lox Bagel Shop in Columbus, Ohio, proving that incredible hand-rolled, kettle-boiled execution isn't exclusive to the tri-state area.[1]

What makes a great bagel?
The consensus anatomy of a champion bagel requires a kettle-boil before baking (to lock in that blistered, shiny crust) and a dense, chewy interior rather than fluffy sandwich bread shaped like a ring.

Are you looking for recommendations in a specific city , or do you have a favorite style of bagel (like Montreal-style vs. NY-style) you want to track down?

If you mean the best bagel style, my pick is:

A fresh everything bagel, lightly toasted (or not toasted if it’s truly fresh), with scallion cream cheese. It hits the classic balance: salty seeds, chewy crust, dense interior, and a savory schmear.

If you mean the best bagel shop, there isn’t a single agreed winner—bagel fans argue about this constantly—but these are among the most respected:

• Ess-a-Bagel — big, puffy, classic New York style; great with scallion cream cheese or lox.The Infatuation
• Utopia Bagels — old-school texture with a crisp exterior and chewy center.Condé Nast Traveler
• Russ & Daughters — especially famous for the bagel + smoked fish/lox combination.Condé Nast Traveler
• Bagel Hole — for people who like smaller, denser, very traditional bagels.Condé Nast Traveler

My ideal order: Everything bagel + scallion cream cheese + lox + tomato + capers.

The controversial question: toasted or not? A great fresh bagel usually doesn’t need to be toasted; toasting is more useful for day-old bagels.Condé Nast Traveler

If you mean “best bagel” available near you rather than the famous NYC ones, tell me your city and I’ll narrow it down.

• Ess-a-Bagel - 831 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022, United States
• Utopia Bagels - 19-09 Utopia Pkwy, Whitestone, NY 11357, United States
• Russ & Daughters - 179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002, United States
• Bagel Hole - 400 7th Ave #6, Brooklyn, NY 11215, United States

Asking for the "best" bagel is a bit like asking for the best pizza or the best slice of pie—it depends heavily on regional loyalties, texture preferences, and whether you lean traditional or experimental.

However, looking at national competitions (like BagelFest) and legendary institutions, a few clear contenders emerge as the gold standard:

• The National Champion: Starship Bagel (Dallas, Texas) took home the crown for Best Bagel in America at BagelFest. Proving that great bagels aren't strictly a New York monopoly anymore, they've won over purists with hyper-precise fermentation, blistered crusts, and an incredible interior chew.foodandwine.com+1
• The Queens Legend: Utopia Bagels (Whitestone, Queens) is frequently cited by food critics and locals alike as the ultimate classic NYC bagel. They are large, malty, impossibly glossy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and have lines out the door for a reason. (If you aren't in New York, you can even order them shipped via Goldbelly).nypost.com
• The Midtown Heavyweight: Ess-a-Bagel (NYC) remains a quintessential New York experience. They are massive, slightly misshapen (in a hand-rolled way), dense, and unapologetically heavy on the dough—ideal if you like a substantial chew and a loaded lox sandwich.nypost.com
• The Wood-Fired Hybrid: Black Seed Bagels (NYC) takes a different approach, combining Montreal-style technique (honey-water boiling and wood-fired oven baking) with a New York mindset. They are smaller, slightly sweeter, and a bit crisper than a traditional NYC water bagel.
• The Montreal Icons: St-Viateur Bagel or Fairmount Bagel (Montreal, Canada). If you prefer the Montreal style—smaller, denser, sweeter, baked in a wood-fired brick oven coated in sesame seeds—these historic rivals are untouchable.

Ultimately, the "best" bagel is the one that is freshly rolled, boiled, baked the same morning , and still warm when it hits your hands, slathered in scallion cream cheese.

Are you looking for a local spot near you , or trying to decide between New York vs. Montreal style ? Let me know your city and I can point you in the right direction!

Asking for the "best" bagel is a bit like asking for the best pizza or the meaning of life—it depends entirely on who you ask and what texture you crave.

The bagel world is broadly divided into a few heavy-hitting camps:

• The Classic New York Style: Kettle-boiled and baked, giving it a shiny, blistered crust with a dense, chewy interior. Legendary institutions like Utopia Bagels (Queens), Broad Nosh Bagels (Midtown Manhattan), and Ess-a-Bagel set the gold standard here.[1][2]
• The Sourdough & Craft Movement: Naturally leavened, hyper-hydrated, or unconventional styles are taking over national competitions. For instance, national competitions like BagelFest crowned spots like Starship Bagel in Texas and Hey Bagel in Seattle for completely redefining what a modern, artisanal bagel can be.foodandwine.com+2
• The West Coast Contenders: Places like Boichik Bagels (Bay Area/LA) and Belle's Bagels (Los Angeles) prove you don't need to be on the Hudson River to pull off a phenomenal, authentic chew.foodandwine.com+1

If you want to narrow down the search, tell me:

• What city or region are you looking in?
• Do you prefer a traditional, dense New York chew or a fluffier / sourdough style?

I can give you a local spot worth visiting.

• MorningSide Bagels - 10848 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113, United States
• Speakeasy Cafe - 3411 Main St #6, Bryant, AR 72022, United States
• Koffee With A Kause - 23233 I-30 Frontage Rd, Bryant, AR 72022, United States
• Dunkin' - 2234 N Reynolds Rd, Bryant, AR 72022, United States
• Blue House Bakery & Cafe - 305 Progress Wy Ste 100, Bryant, AR 72022, United States
• Blue House Bakery and Cafe - 4000 Highway 5 N Suite 3, Bryant, AR 72022-9021
• Ozark Mountain Bagel CO. Downtown Rogers - 112 S 2nd St, Rogers, AR 72756, United States
• Einstein Bros. Bagels - Student Center, 201 Donaghey Ave, Conway, AR 72035, United States
• Great American Bagel - 1 Airport Rd, Little Rock, AR 72202, United States
• Ozark Mountain Bagel Co. on the Square - 105 W Central Ave, Bentonville, AR 72712, United States

If you mean the best kind of bagel, my vote is:

🥇 Everything bagel + scallion cream cheese — salty, garlicky, oniony, crunchy, creamy. Basically the GOAT.

For a classic New York-style bagel, the ideal one should have a crisp, slightly blistered exterior and a chewy interior.Eater NY+1

If you mean the best bagel shop near you, I’d pick MorningSide Bagels as the most promising local option I found. It specializes in boiled, scratch-made bagels and house cream cheeses.

My ranking:

• 🥇 Everything + scallion cream cheese
• 🥈 Sesame + plain cream cheese
• 🥉 Plain + butter
• 🏅 Everything + lox, cream cheese, tomato, and capers

If you tell me sweet or savory, I’ll give you the ultimate bagel order.

If you mean the best bagel shop near you, I’d pick MorningSide Bagels as the most promising local option I found. It specializes in boiled, scratch-made bagels and house cream cheeses.

My ranking: