The full ranking
Hand-rolled, kettle-boiled, blistered in the oven. From Lower East Side institutions to Queens counters with a cult following, these are the New York bagels worth the line, ranked by what eaters rate on Yelp and Google.
Ess-a-Bagel (Midtown East)
A New York institution since 1976, Ess-a-Bagel is famous for its oversized, hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels with a thick chewy crust and dense, satisfying interior. The schmear selection is encyclopedic, and the 'everything with lox' combo is among the most iconic bagel sandwiches in the city.
Tompkins Square Bagels (East Village)
Founded in 2011 in the East Village with a mission to revive traditional hand-rolled bagels, Tompkins Square boils its rings in an open kitchen and offers regular-sized and smaller, chewier 'old school' versions. The Weezer sandwich, loaded with bacon, chorizo, egg, cheddar, and a choice from 40 cream cheeses, has become a neighborhood signature.
Utopia Bagels (Whitestone)
A Queens institution in the Whitestone neighborhood, widely considered one of the finest traditional bagel shops in New York for its consistently dense, chewy, blistered rings made the old-fashioned way. Lines stretch out the door on weekend mornings, a reliable indicator of local consensus on what a proper New York bagel should taste like.
Bagel Hole (Park Slope)
A Park Slope staple known for producing some of Brooklyn's smallest, densest, most traditional bagels: hand-rolled, kettle-boiled, and baked with none of the oversized softness that crept into commercial bagels over the decades. The minimalist menu keeps the focus where it belongs, on the bagel itself.
Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company (Chelsea)
A Chelsea outpost of a beloved outer-borough institution, known for generously sized, properly chewy kettle-boiled bagels with a satisfyingly blistered crust. The coffee program and substantial sandwich builds make it a complete morning destination for a neighborhood not historically known for great bagels.
Murray's Bagels (Greenwich Village)
A Greenwich Village fixture serving hand-rolled, boiled, and oven-baked bagels in the proper New York tradition, with a broad cream cheese selection and a loyal neighborhood following that has kept the lines moving for decades. The refusal to toast (a policy the shop defends on principle) is the subject of spirited debate.
Black Seed Bagels (Nolita)
A collaboration between the teams behind Mile End Deli and the Black Seed restaurant, Black Seed splits the difference between the Montreal-style wood-fired bagel and the New York kettle-boiled tradition, producing a smaller, chewier, slightly sweeter ring with a distinct char. The innovative cream cheese flavors, like smoked salmon with dill or za'atar, extend the Montreal influence to the spreads.
H&H Bagels (Upper West Side)
One of the most famous bagel names in New York, H&H has been baking on the Upper West Side since 1972 and was a staple of the neighborhood for generations before reopening after an early-2010s closure. The large, soft, glossy bagels remain a nostalgic benchmark for what the city once expected from a corner bagel shop.
Russ & Daughters (Lower East Side)
A Lower East Side institution since 1914, Russ & Daughters is technically an appetizing shop rather than a pure bagel counter, but the combination of its hand-rolled bagels and the most celebrated smoked salmon and sturgeon program in the city makes it the ultimate destination for the complete New York bagel experience. James Beard Award-winning and fourth-generation owned.
Leon's Bagels (Washington Heights)
A hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagel shop with multiple Manhattan locations known for its commitment to traditional New York bagel craft and freshly made sandwich builds. The consistent quality and approachable neighborhood atmosphere have built a strong following among bagel purists throughout the city.
Ranked across 5 sources: Yelp · Ranked by Rating (June 2026); Google Reviews · Ranked by Rating (June 2026); Time Out New York · 15 Best Bagels Ranked (2025); PureWow · 24 Best Bagels in NYC Ranked (2024); The Infatuation NYC · Best Bagels (by 0–10 score). Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
Related lists
Browse every Top 10 List, see the experts and aggregators behind them, or play the day’s puzzles.