Bagels are one of the most iconic foods to try in Brooklyn. Arguably, New York City is built on an empire of fantastically good, fresh bagels. There’s nothing like a NYC bagel.
Whether you’re a bagel fanatic, and you’re looking for a new joint to hit up, or you’re a newbie in town, and you want to get your hands on the tastiest bagel, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s our list of the very best bagels that Brooklyn has to offer. You won’t be disappointed.
BagelSmith
First on our delicious list of Brooklyn bests of bagels, is BagelSmith.
Okay, this bagel shop is open 24 hours a day. That’s right, 24/7.
Whether you’re a morning bird, and you need to get breakfast on your morning commute — or you’re a night owl, and need to get a fix of BagelSmith at 2 am, they’ll be opened and ready.
Why is this good? Not a lot of bagel shops are open 24/7, and in fact, a lot of them close in the afternoon or stop serving bagels after breakfast. BagelSmith is doing heroes work by letting us have bagels all day, every day.
When you pop into this bagel shop, you can expect to see a traditional bagel/deli joint. One of their most popular bagels is the egg and cheese, or a BagelSmith specialty, like smoked fish.
Fresh meats, cold-cut sandwiches, and salads are some of the extra options they offer.
There are two establishments in Williamsburg, so be sure to pop into one and get yourself a tasty bagel.
Bagel Pub
Next up on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is Bagel Pub.
If you haven’t heard of Bagel Pub, you’re missing out. It’s a firm favorite in Brooklyn, not only for its outstanding bagels but because it’s a great café to hang out with your friends. It’s cozy, and there’s always the smell of baked bagels. I don’t know about you, but I cannot find a candle like that. It’s delightful.
So, Bagel Pub has a huge variety of bagels to choose from, so whatever you’re tastes are, you’ll find something you like here.
You can find the iconic everything bagel here, which, of course, is delicious. They also serve good bagel sandwiches. They do a sausage and cheese one which is perfect. You can also get an ABC sandwich if bacon is more your thing.
Even if you’re not into meat, don’t fret. They have over 10+ cream cheese spreads that you can choose from, and some great veggie options, if you prefer that. As it’s a café, you can also get a cup of coffee, or a dashing green smoothie to go with your bagel. It’s the ideal place to go for lunch.
There are two locations you can go to, both in Park Slope. Go on down and grab yourself a bagel.
Montague Street Bagels
Next on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is Montague Street Bagels.
Montague Street Bagels have been serving classic and authentic New York Bagels since 1995, so they’re a real community staple. All of their bagels are made daily. They’re hand-rolled and kettle-boiled, so you’re guaranteed a fresh bagel, which the right amount of chew.
These guys make some of the biggest, and best bagels I’ve ever seen. They’re truly like mountains, but they’re a bagel. Do you understand? They’re like bagel mountains.
Montague Street Bagels offers some classics, like bacon, egg, and cheese, or even smoked fish and cream cheese. If you can’t decide on which bagel to buy, they’ll even do a custom creation for you, which I think is pretty neat.
Another lovely aspect about Montague Street Bagels is its location. Parked in Montague Street, in Brooklyn Heights, these guys are only a few blocks away from the Brooklyn Promenade. They also have a cute little patio area, if you’d rather eat outside. It’s a nice touch, especially if you’re a fan of people watching.
Shelsky’s of Brooklyn
Next on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is Shelsky’s of Brooklyn.
So, while this is one of the best bagel shops in Brooklyn, there are two things to note. The first is that this is the place to go to if you’re looking for a seafood bagel. The second is that these bagels are a little smaller than traditional NYC bagels. But, don’t be put off by that. They taste amazing, and they’re definitely with the money.
Like I said, if you’re into seafood, you’ve got to come to Shelsky’s of Brooklyn. Their lox and smoked fish bagel are out of this world. But, if fish doesn’t do it for you, they have lots of other great options. They’re known for their Kosher bagels, bagel sandwiches, and chili cream cheese bagels.
There are two locations in Brooklyn, and they’re both vaguely different.
If you want to go to the original shop, that’s in Cobble Hill. Here, you can buy various fresh fish by the pound, or by the filet, and you can also get some corned beef. There are lots of deli options that you can take home with you. The second location is in Park Slope. Here, the focus is mostly on bagels, but you can also get a wide assortment of deli meat and fish too.
Smith St. Bagels
Next on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is Smith St. Bagels.
This bagel joint has been running since 2008 and sells some of the tastiest bagels in town. All of their bagels, and many of their cream cheeses, are made in-store daily, so you can rest assured that you’re getting a fresh slice. If you’re looking to try a new variety of cream cheese, they make a ridiculously good apple spice flavor. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does. It does.
If you’re really hungry and looking for an added extra which isn’t another bagel (we’re not judging), Smith St. Bagel also sells breakfast sandwiches, burgers, salads, and so forth. There are also lots of juices, coffees, and espressos to choose from. I mean, we recommend the bagels, but everything else is pretty darn good too.
If you’re gluten-free, or if anyone close to you is, tell them to pop on down to Smith St. Bagels. They have a variety of gluten-free food, including baked treats.
The Bagel Store
Next up on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is The Bagel Store.
Okay, so, if you don’t recognize the name, you’ll recognize their iconic bagels, that blew up Instagram and Tumblr, way back when. We couldn’t exclude these guys, because they are talented at what they do.
Do you recall the magical rainbow bagels? Bright, beautiful bagels, bursting with color? Some of the most aesthetically pleasing bagels that you’ve ever seen? Yeah, that was these guys.
They’re the creators of the rainbow bagel, which they’ve renamed ‘The Bagel That Broke The Internet.
It did, it did break the internet.
While this bagel tastes like an ordinary plain bagel, it’s still a New York City bagel. Meaning, it’s still one of the best bagels you’re ever going to eat. You won’t taste a rainbow, but you will have a little bite of heaven.
You can pair this bagel with their Rainbowfetti cream cheese, to make your bagel even cuter (and yummier).
They do a wide range of creative and colorful bagels, the end product is always amazing. They’re worth a visit, and you can find their store in Park Slope.
Court Street Bagels
Next up on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is Court Street Bagels.
Court Street Bagels sell the best classic bagel sandwiches. I recommend the bacon, egg, and cheese, but the smoked salmon bagel is also unreal. These guys have a specials board too, so be sure to check what’s on today’s menu.
Their staff is super friendly and helpful, and they sell some pretty good coffee too.
Overall, Court Street Bagels are worth a visit.
La Bagel Delight
Next up on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is La Bagel Delight.
So, this is a long-standing, Brooklyn’s original bagel shop, that’s been around since 1986. It’s a community staple, and has been referred to as the ‘Breakfast Capital of Brooklyn’. They do some of the very best bagels that Brooklyn has to offer. If you’re only going to visit a couple of bagel shops on this list, La Bagel Delight should be one of them.
These are the kings of cream cheese. They make their specialty cream cheese, which is why it’s so good. One of their most popular options is lox and veggie cream cheese, but they also have an amazing scallion cream cheese and an insane garlic bagel.
La Bagel Delight also has lots of sandwiches and hot foods options. If you’re looking for a classic breakfast sandwich, give them a shout. Plus, they do some amazing baked goods — including a yummy crumb cake.
Bergen Bagels
Next up on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is Bergen Bagels.
They’ve been baking all of their bagels in-house since 2001, and they even make their cream cheeses and muffins too. Everything is made daily, so it’s as fresh as can be.
Bergen Bagels has a large selection of bagels to choose from, so you’ll find something that’s perfect for you. Their classic bacon, egg, and cheese is a firm favorite, and so is their sausage, egg, and cheese.
If you don’t eat meat, no worries. These guys truly have a wide variety. I’d recommend that you try the tofu vegetable bagel. It’s moreish.
These guys have some weekend specials, one of which is blueberry. If you’ve never tried a sweet bagel before, you’re going to have to visit Bergen Bagels, because darn — they’re good.
Bagel World
Next on our list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is Bagel World.
So, these guys started their business back in 2003. It’s family-owned and operated, which adds to that Brooklyn vibe. Since then, they’ve been boiling and baking fresh bagels on the daily, for the Brooklyn community. It’s a popular bagel shop because you can always trust the quality.
Their bagels are hot, crispy, and straight-up delicious. These are the guys to go to if you’re looking for a traditional bagel. They have a wide variety of bagels to choose from, including lox bagel sandwiches. These guys even do a rainbow bagel, which although isn’t traditional, it’s pretty tasty.
If you pop on down to Bagel World, keep in mind that there’s usually a line. They are popular, and they’re always worth the wait.
Bagel Boy
Last on our wonderful list of the best bagels in Brooklyn, is Bagel Boy.
Bagel Boy has been around since the 1980s, and while they have a few different locations, the Bagel Boy in Brooklyn will always be a community staple.
Since it is a favorite in Brooklyn, you can pretty much rest assured that it’s going to be busy when you visit.
They do great everything bagels, and their sesame bagel is pretty good too. They’ve got a good lox bagel, and lots of different cream cheese to choose from. Not only that, but they even do the famous rainbow bagel. I personally love salmon, so I always choose the lox. Can’t beat it.
If you’re a New Yorker, then you know that you can just order ahead of time, online. If you’re new to the city, you can do that too — but the manic, bagel-loving New York crowd is an experience in itself.
Summary
That brings us to the end of our selection of the very best bagels that Brooklyn has to offer. We’ve given you a wide variety, from newcomers to establishments that are built into the madness that is Brooklyn.
Bagels are a city staple, and probably one of the best things about life, in general. Check one of these places out, because you won’t be disappointed.
Also, if you are looking for the best brunch in Queens? Queens is a borough of New York City that offers a wide variety of brunch restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for something simple like eggs and bacon, or want something more extravagant, there’s a brunch spot to fit your needs.
