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Let’s be honest, every single New Yorker considers themself an expert when it comes to the best bagels in the city.
But if there is someone who has actually earned the respect that title deserves, it's Sam Silverman. Sure, he is the self-proclaimed "bagel ambassador," but, given that he's the mind behind BagelFest, an extravaganza celebrating all that our regional food is about, we will gladly anoint him with that much sought-after label.
Silverman's latest comments about bagels in New York are making the rounds, and for good reason.
This weekend, the BBC posted an article in which Silverman lists the city's top bagels—and people have much to say about it. We're New Yorkers, so we obviously feel compelled to join that conversation.
Silverman’s top-rated spot, which he deems to be the “best for groups,” is Utopia Bagels in Queens. Although the destination is behind some of the most gimmicky, bagel-related inventions of the past few years (a giant pizza bagel that takes 24 hours to be made and—blasphemy!—a no-hole version of the food, to name just a few), we can't disagree with the superiority of the eatery's delicacies.
"They are one of the most impressive bagel operations that I have ever seen – they hand roll over 100,000 bagels per week," Silverman said to the outlet. "They have over 50 staff members and an enormous oven that's been in the space since the shop opened that just creates the perfect crisp on a New York bagel."
The expert puts Popup Bagels, a pandemic project by one Adam Goldberg in his Connecticut backyard, at number two.
Although the treats are certainly delicious, they move away from the "classic" bagels that New Yorkers hold dear: you won't be able to order a bagel with lox and cream cheese at Popup Bagels but, rather, grab the bread on its own before ripping it and dipping it in schmear. To some (us), that sounds like profanity.
Perhaps one the most recognized names in the business made it on Silverman’s list at number three: Ess-a-bagel, which the guru himself deems an "institution" with three Manhattan locations and one in Brooklyn.
We obviously agree—we love it so much we put it at Time Out Market New York!
Fun fact: did you know that all Ess-a-Bagel addresses have a separate line solely dedicated to bagel and cream cheese orders? "That means no bagel sandwiches, but you get to skip the entire line, and they're always fresh out of the oven," Silverman said to the BBC. "You won't regret it."
Absolute Bagels on the Upper West Side and Tompkins Square Bagels made it, respectively, to number four and number five, followed by Liberty Bagels at number six—which we must take issue with.
Although social media culinary sensations certainly do deserve attention given their very own virality, we just can't get behind the rainbow bagel. We must draw the line somewhere, after all.
Silverman’s top eight list wraps up with Bagel Pub (which has “hands down” the best cream cheese selection in town) and Bagel Hole ("they were [...] probably the last bagel shop in the city to buy a toaster").
We agree with him for the most part on his selection, but a few spots are missing from his list! See if you agree with our selection of the best bagels here.
Whatever you think about Silverman’s picks, one thing is for certain—his tips surrounding proper bagel etiquette, which he also shared with the BBC, are totally on point: hand-rolled and kettle-boiled bagels are the best, never dare toast a fresh bagel and opt for a plain cream cheese and lox combination for the quintessential New York experience. These are the unofficial NYC Bagel Commandments.