David’s Bagels | Stuyvesent, Manhattan 27388 1st Ave
Walking into David’s Bagels, with its deli-cases full of Boar’s Head and racks full of chips, is not exactly a starred dining experience. Sweet touches like a wall of clocks and chandelier lighting fixtures don’t add much to the equation. And yet a line consistently snakes around the shop; people sit at the front tables reading the paper and chowing on huge bagel sandwiches. This classic deli-style joint delivers the essential NYC bagel shop experience with bagel sandwich samurais expertly slicing and toasting your egg bagel, deftly slathering it with a cushion of cream cheese, and piling it high with nova. Enough to keep you moving at a New York pace all day long.
Bagel Pub | Gowanus, Brooklyn 287 9th St
Opened in 2012, Bagel Pub is part of the new wave of bagel shops, the kind where people sit under good lighting and, in this case, even in a cute, half-shaded backyard with picnic tables and potted flowers. Patrons come with their computers—or their children—and spend a leisurely afternoon with their ABC (that’s avocado, bacon, and cheddar) on an Everything bagel. What’s more, while the focus is the bagels, which are enormous, soft, and a little sweet, the pub has become a favorite of the neighborhood because of their juices and smoothies, too.
The Bagel Store | Williamsburg, Brooklyn 349 Bedford Avenue
The Bagel Store is every L-train rider’s secret. It’s your classic joint, but they’ve got zany flavors that will keep your brunch conversation interesting, such as pumpkin, candy corn, and French toast. There’s even a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel (those are the ingredients before you make it a sandwich), but the best yet is the blueberry-flavored rainbow bagel—showing that even Brooklyn bagels have pride.
