BO's Bagels

"This shop was started by Andrew Martinez and Ashley Dikos in 2017 to address a lack of great bagels in Harlem. The result is a restaurant with bagels that have a crisp exterior and chewy inside, made the traditional way with fermentation, and a brief boil, then bake. All the classic spreads are available, as well as bagel sandwiches like the Andrew — a sesame seed bagel with egg, sausage, bacon, Vermont maple syrup, and scallion cream cheese. There’s a second location in Washington Heights." - Robert Sietsema, Nadia Chaudhury

"Bo's in Harlem is so good that you always end up leaving with way more bagels than you planned to buy. Behind the giant bagel hanging in the window is a full-fledged baking operation, churning out chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside bagels. Specialty sandwiches include the Nacho Camacho with chili jalapeño cream cheese, lettuce, and tomato. But if you want to keep it simple, get an egg-and-cheese sandwich, which always comes out hot and melty. Bo’s has a second location in Washington Heights." - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah, will hartman

"Harlem’s only bagel shop (with a second location in Washington Heights) has a giant bagel hanging in the window, though the ones tumbling out of the oven are relatively demure in size—like Absolute Bagels below, somewhat closer to the smaller, denser bagels the city was known for before the 1960s. They’re still plump, and glossy with a good, dense chew and a crisp, bubbled crust. We love Bo’s range of flavors, including a three-cheese, za’atar, and an underrated pumpernickel cranberry. Even their everything is a little adventurous, with black sesame seeds instead of the white ones. Try one of their specialty sandwiches too—they’re perfect for a spur-of-the-moment picnic in nearby Morningside Park." - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah

"Started by Andrew Martienz in Harlem due to a lack of good bagels. Offers traditional New York style petite and chewy bagels."

"Harlem has only one fresh bagel shop, but you’ll always leave it with more bagels than you planned to buy. Behind the giant bagel in the window is a full-fledged baking operation where the chewy-on-the-inside, and subtly crispy-on-the-outside bagels are made from scratch. They’ve got traditional varieties as well as some more adventurous ones, like za’atar, as well as a range of spreads. They also have well-stuffed specialty sandwiches, like the Nacho Camacho with chili, jalapeño cream cheese, lettuce, and tomato on a three-cheese bagel. Morningside Park is a conveniently short walk away." - neha talreja, hannah albertine, bryan kim, willa moore, sonal shah