"This Murray Hill spot is the first Manhattan outpost of the legendary Whitestone bagel specialists, founded in 1980, and you can expect some classic bagel shop touches, like wire baskets full of a dozen different types. The bagels are made on-site, and they’re excellent: puffy with a thin, shell-like crust on the outside, and subtly sweet with malt flavor. Prioritize the basics here: they overload their cream cheese and smoked fish sandwiches, making them hard to get your mouth around, but rewarding once you sink your teeth in. There might be a wait, which, on a weekday morning, is an experience in itself: you’ll encounter young professionals who are nervous about being late to work, alongside older folks who are stressed out about waiting in line for their everything with scallion cream cheese and lox." - Will Hartman