UPPER EAST SIDE
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- Tal Bagels
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333 E. 86th St.; 212-427-6811
Dense and chewy, with a strong skin for crunch and a slight sourdough tinge to the bready center. House rules: cash only, and no toasting.
UPPER WEST SIDE
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- H&H Bagels
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2239 Broadway; 212-595-8003
Purists insist that they’re too sweet and soft, but H&H bagels are the de facto standard, in New York and far beyond. Open 24/7 too.
MIDTOWN EAST
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- Daniel’s Bagels
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569 Third Ave.; 212-972-9733
None of that sweet-and-puffy nouveau thing here. Daniel’s does a New York bagel right: chewy, dense, slightly bitter.
WEST VILLAGE
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- Murray’s Bagels
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500 Sixth Ave.; 212-462-2830
Catching the proper balance between chewy and doughy, they’re the choice of all the area’s discerning coffee shops.
LOWER EAST SIDE
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- Kossar’s Bialys
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367 Grand St.; 212-473-4810
The name and the reputation lead you to its excellent bialys, but you can’t go wrong with this landmark’s satisfyingly crusty bagels either.
FINANCIAL DISTRICT
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- Pick a Bagel
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102 North End Ave.; 212-786-9200
Here, “a dozen” means fourteen, hand-rolled in the old style. Delivers too, for those hangover Sundays.
BOERUM HILL/COBBLE HILL/CARROLL GARDENS
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- Court Street Bagels
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181 Court St.; 718-624-3972
The weekend lines out the door pretty much say it all.
Best Neighborhood Bagels
From the 2007 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine