Ess-a-Bagel

If you don't know what to get, just get an everything bagel and one of their signature cc on it or their lox. There isn't too much seating, but most people were pretty courteous and got up as soon as they finished eating. The smoked salmon was so good. I'm a plain bagel with plain cc type of person and that too was great.

Excellent bagels and ultra friendly staff. The sesame creme cheese outstanding, the everything Reuben also to die for. Options to sit inside or out. Friendly neighbourhood meant outdoor was a good choice even on a brisk Autumn day (2 degrees centigrade!)

This place was our favorite place of our trip to New York and the best experience. They were really busy and the cashier was the sweetest person. We had other negative experiences at other places without any customers so it made the difference. Thank you to the staff and the person at the cashier for being kind and patient. We will be back.

1- Food.= 6/5 Incredibly Excellent. Bagels are perfectly made. First boiled then baked into perfection on premises. Living in New York City I’ve had the privilege of having some amazing Bagels but Essa Bagel has the biggest and best tasting bagels I’ve ever had and it’s not even close. All of there cream cheeses are fresh and they make sure to overfill your sandwich with enough for 2 bagels. 2- Service = 5/5. Excellent. Considering how busy this place gets especially on the weekends with the line out the door they do a good job of getting your order correct and done quickly. 3- Ambiance = 4/5. Very Good. Decent looking place that’s well maintained with about 6-7 tables in a small dining area if you choose to eat there. 4- Reservations = 0/0. Excellent. None needed, but be prepared to wait on line especially on the weekends because there bagels are the absolute best. 5- Value = 5/5 Excellent. A bit more expensive then other places in the neighborhood which doesn’t deter most from coming here Because of the size and quality of there freshly baked Bagels, Essa Bagel is an Excellent Value.

Best bagels I had in NYC. Big, fluffy, and dense. The salt was a little overpowering but the bagel itself is perfect.

A very solid bagel, crisp outer shell with a chewy dense crumb with some air pockets. The place could use a reformatting to make the worker’s lives easier, tho. There was an odd ordering process that seemed to require lots of moving back and forth and a ton of communication between frantic workers. I was the only one there. I’ve not had a pumpernickel with raisin, and it’s marvelous. Generous and good quality cream cheese. They didn’t offer to toast the bagel, and it would’ve been nice a tad warmer/fresher. That said - it’s 9:30am on a Monday so I can’t fault them. I’m gonna give them 5 stars, but hope they’ll address these lil things. Also - kinda pricy to charge $3 to add cream cheese to an untoasted bagel, but I get the labor and material costs add up… and most places do charge hefty amounts when you add cream cheese. It’s like a bottle of wine costing double at a restaurant. I get it as a means of assuring profit but it feels like the worst aspects of capitalism. The bagel I got plain, however, was only $1.95. A great price for this quality of bagel. They know what they’re doin here - far superior to the others nearby.

Traditional bagel shop with everything you can ask for. Fare prices. Delicious big bagels with extras. Everything is fresh. Really liked the dill cream cheese Service is kind.

Quick and fast but line can be long. I started from the door and it took about 10 minutes to get to the front. The bagel is good. They are so generous with the spread. I got salmon lox and love the taste with a little salty on everything. You better order quickly wnd you do have like 10 minutes to make you your mind. I think the price is a little much but it’s the city tax right? This place is small but effective on getting you in and out.

It's the simple, basic, every day places that just put a smile on your face. For me, it was when the guy put the bagel in the paper bag, and I could see the steam coming off the bagel. When I get into it it was nice and soft in the inside and nice and warm too. Great, efficient service.

sausage egg and cheese on everything is always the move - hearty size and the bagel was great! Need to try the lox next time and maybe the black and white cookies! Very friendly staff Cheers!

Pretty darn good bagel. These things are massive! I got the smoked salmon bagel and it could've lasted me 2 meals but I ate the entire thing because it was so good. The style of bagel is thicker and more bready, not the new-age crispy bagel that's been popular lately. Will def be back for a quick bite!

Got the signature favorite which has smoked salmon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, capers, and scallion cream cheese. Generous amount of fillings and half was enough to satisfy me for breakfast. Personally thought the red onion was a bit much and the taste stayed in my mouth for hours. Line moves fast so make sure you know your order or be prepared to get yelled at lol

SERVICE - located very close to Stuytown - expect a line, especially during peak hours - indoor and outdoor seating available - bagel sandwiches made fresh to order and quickly - cashier was very friendly MENU - classic bagel store - vegan options available - well priced FOOD - KICK sandwich on sesame bagel (9/10): vegan chickpea based chipotle cream cheese, avocado, onion, olives, and cucumber on a toasted sesame bagel. This vegan cream cheese was probably the best one I have ever tried. The texture was identical to regular cream cheese and had the slight tang from the fermentation. The only thing I would have added is either some lettuce or spinach but otherwise a very tasty sandwich. - veggie tofu spread on everything bagel (8/10): this sandwich was stuffed so full of tofu spread I could not even fit it into my mouth. The tofu spread was not as creamy as the other cream cheese but still had a great texture and flavor. There was a good amount of carrots and scallions distributed throughout the spread. WOULD I GO BACK? Yes! The bagels were very soft and chewy and there was a vast variety of options.

First time at this OG location of the iconic and ever-popular Ess-a-bagel. At noon on a recent Sunday, the line was out the door, but it moved pretty quickly, and the total wait was only around 15 minutes. My typical bagel order anywhere is lox and cream cheese on an everything bagel, but today I ordered an everything with scallion cream cheese, and an ever-so-slight toast. I thought there were a decent amount of cream cheese options, but the variety was pretty standard for a NYC bagel shop. The bagel itself was very good, with a voluminous, fluffy, and chewy interior. The top half of the bagel was adequately covered in everything seasoning, though I thought the bottom half could've used a little more coverage. The cream cheese was good and fresh.

So good, I took light tuna lettuce tomato It was delicious! Everyone was really friendly Highly recommend

I love the one on the upper east side because they have belly lox. Very few places carry this lox so it is quite a treat to get an everything bagel with cream cheese and lox!! Ambiance is crazy. Very hectic. Can be heard to get a table.

I recently decided to try Ess-A-Bagel. Not only was I recommended to go, but I pass by daily, and unfortunately, my experience fell short of expectations. Upon entering, I felt rushed to place my order despite it being far from closing time. I settled on the European sandwich on a sesame roll, but it turned out to be completely bland - no seasoning on the chicken at all. I tried to salvage it with hot sauce and mayo, but even that couldn't make it enjoyable. While it was filling, and had a promising look the $30 price tag for the sandwich and an iced coffee that tasted like watered-down disappointment felt excessive. To make matters worse, I witnessed the girl behind me struggle with her order and was met with unhelpful staff despite mentioning she was new to the place. Overall, it was overpriced and underwhelming, and I doubt I'll be returning.

Bagel itself was extremely fluffy and I really enjoyed it but thought the sandwich was really expensive ($17) and would probably not go back for it. Would go back to get only the bagels in the future. Service was fast and there were tables inside for seating.

I was out of my mind when there were no customers, but the cashier gave me a bagel as if I was throwing it and chatted with the male employee that I kept looking at the clock because I wanted to go home

Small place with a line that wrapped around. I was excited to finally try Ess-A-Bagel! There were some unique cream cheese flavors, but I stuck to my classic order of an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese. I was a little disappointed that the seasoning was only on the top of the bagel, I felt that it could've used more seasoning. The texture of the bagel was nice and thick. The cream cheese got everywhere so it was pretty messy, but I would rather there be more cream cheese than not. Overall, a solid bagel choice.

Really solid bagels here. We wanted to take some back and employee was very nice and showed us how to store and reheat.

Hands down one of the best bagel spots on NYC . Evan tried literally every place you're supposed to go and cool and Russ and daughters , Zabars etc... in my humble opinion this place beats them all . My go to is a toasted everything bagel with scallion cream cheese ( which will set you back as of 2024 $6 and some change.. what seems to be the going rate everywhere/ at other bagel places in New York ) . I love the size and texture of their bagels . It's hard to describe and unlike bagels you get in California where I'm from . But again in my humble opinion it's the perfect bagel . Highly recommend.

A chaotic bagel ordering experience for delicious NYC style bagels. My sister and I split an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, and a plain bagel with funfetti cream cheese. The bagels were delicious, light, chewy and everything you want and more. The cream cheese was so flavorful - I truly enjoyed trying to funfetti, but also loved the classic scallion. Also, we were with a vegan friend and I love that they had tofu schmear options for her! They also offered bagel sandwiches and a variety of other pastries to try.

In the vicinity of several laundromats, so convenient to stop by here when you're doing a load for the week. Friendly staff - they make bagels in house which you can see through a glass. They also make some traditional ethnic baked goods other than bagels. Very clean with a few seated tables available near a window overlooking the street. Bathroom is available and decently clean for guests. For bagels, they're thick and chewy. You can choose half and half on different kinds of cream cheese - they're displayed in large gelato-like tubs. The cream cheese amount is laughably large. Lox tastes fresh. Ultimately too large a meal for on the regular due to the amount of cream cheese imo.

Always a solid choice , ess a bagel is a quintessential NY bagel creation and has the right chew and size to make it distinctive. Various options from plain to pumpernickel are available and they dip half the bagel in whatever topping you pick like sesame or everything while the other half remains plain. Worth considering if you like your bagels less drowning in toppings like other places .

I used to go to middle school near Ess A Bagel so it's not a surprise that I'm a big fan of their bagels. Although they moved locations, their bagel quality is still top notch. They also have a crazy assortment of cream cheeses and I ordered a 1/4 pound of maple bacon cream cheese to go. It wasn't crazy packed when I got there since it was just 8 in the morning but there was still a small line. There were 4-5 people behind the counter taking orders so it didn't take long before it was my turn. So if everything went well and the food is good why only 3 stars? Well honestly it's because I have a hard time justifying paying $10+ for a breakfast sandwich. I understand inflation plays a huge responsibility but inflation effects everybody and the price is damaging on the wallet

Great food & great service. Lots of menu choices @ great prices. I had the Tuna Salad sandwich on an everything bagel. It was so much tuna I could only eat 1/2. Here, your sandwich runneth over. You get your monies worth. Oh, there's seating, so you can dine inside in the A/C. I recommend this place.

Quick and fast but line can be long. I started from the door and it took about 10 minutes to get to the front. The bagel is good. They are so generous with the spread. I got salmon lox and love the taste with a little salty on everything. You better order quickly wnd you do have like 10 minutes to make you your mind. I think the price is a little much but it's the city tax right? This place is small but effective on getting you in and out.

Good sized tacos, honestly two was enough for me to get a good fill of them. It can get pretty crowded but wait was not that long for me honestly maybe like around 15-20 mins before being able to order. No seating inside, mainly standing. I didn't know the toppings were on the side, so that I had to figure out on my own since it was hidden by the crowd. Overall, it was ok and I wouldn't mind coming back as they have multiple locations around the city.

My absolute favorite bagel in NY (Sorry Russ and Daughter). I've gotten this bagel every time I've visited NY, and no lie, one of the reasons I'm actually moving here from across the country. Super expensive, but there's a reason why, and it's totally worth every bite. If you've had it, you'd know. If you haven't, just stomach the $18 price point and order their signature salmon bagel. No need to thank me (other than liking my review, haha). (I do think I might try to just order their bagels plain, but the ingredients separately, and make the entire signature myself though. Likely will be far cheaper.)

New Yorkers tend to be fastidious about their bagels. My preference is for a bagel to be quite dainty and chewy (think Pick A Bagel). At Ess-A-Bagel they are chunky with little flavor. I took home a plain and an Everything bagel which I slice as it's easier to eat. But something is missing in the flavor content...

Food 8/10 Solid bagel location, plenty of cream cheese topping flavors. I got the lox cream cheese with a toasted everything bagel. Even though it was a Sunday, it wasn't too full, and the line to order passed by quite quickly. Massive bagel too, was both my breakfast and lunch. The cream cheese wasn't too heavy either, but just the right amount to make me feel fulfilled. Atmosphere 7/10 Typical bagel store vibes. Service 5/10 Not sure why my bagel took so much longer than others, I saw people who came after me leave before me. Maybe they forgot about my order, so I had to pester them. Very unfortunate.

Eh... It's definitely a solid bagel and is by no means bad, but for New York i've definitely had better and cheaper. I opted for an everything bagel with plain cream cheese to really taste the flavor of the bagel and I was pretty underwhelmed. While the bagels are huge and cream cheese is not at all shorted on your sandwich, the everything bagel was very short of "everything." Very little seasoning and truly all I was able to taste was the cream cheese. It overall got the job done and I was very full for most of the day but for the price I paid to the taste, it definitely wasn't the best bagel experience. If you're in the area, Ess-a-Bagel is worth a stop, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. There's better places close by

Barely any cream cheese or smoked salmon. It was like having a tomato onion bagel.. Bagels were too thick as well. Also, do not have an iced coffee here.

Ess-a-bagel is a close second for my favorite bagel in NYC. Second only to Brooklyn Bagel company. Both companies' fresh bagels have similar texture and stand out taste. Ess-a-bagel has large bagels, chewy, covered in seasoning all the way around and delicious when fresh. Versus I had Ess-a-bagel that was shipped to the West coast and found the bagels smaller, tasted like a standard NYC bagel nothing special, and was unimpressed. Therefore only recommend to get the bagels fresh. The staff were super friendly and prompt. I got a take out order so I cannot comment on the interior. Would definitely recommend- fresh only! Hoping they can perfect their shipping so the fresh and shipped taste more similar.

GOOD to GREAT QUALITY BAGELS--do not need to be toasted! people who toast them are fools and should not be trusted. with that off my chest... the bagels are no ZEROs at Ess-A-Bagel and DO NOT NEED TO BE TOASTED. these boiled & baked carb rings have a nice crispy shine to the outside and good healthy chew on the inside--perfect for a schmear of your favorite cream cheese or other spread. recently stopped by and got an onion bagel (so underrated!) with scallion cream cheese and onions ($5.25 + tip)...oniony overload is totally delicious plus destroy your enemies with your breath! lol. old school deli/bagelry vibes --bagels made fresh on premises; there's seating if you choose to stay; and a large menu of hot as well as cold bagel sandwich options. pretty clean. staff is a little gruff. welcome to New York

Ess-a-Bagel is one of the popular Bagel spots in New York City that you have to try! Solid bagels, multiple locations, and quick service. Give it a try!

My go to bagel spot. They are very efficient with serving. It's a bit pricey for a bagel, but they are made fresh there. They also offer any toppings that you want (an insane cream cream selection). I enjoy that they are open every early in case I am looking for that breakfast bagel.

Cheese pull: 0/10... bagel was literally cold. A NYC classic like a bacon egg & cheese w salt, pepper, ketchup was absolutely butchered here. The bagel was cold, the egg was cold, and the cheese was cold. The egg portions are premade and slapped onto the bagel. Would not recommend this here.

Do I really need to explain how AMAZING this bagel place is? The everything bagel with sausage, egg, and cheese is always my go to. The bread is so perfectly soft and fluffy, the sausage is a perfect size and piping hot, and with the egg and cheese to top it off is *perfection* absolute PERFECTION. Best bagel you will ever have. Side note: the line is always an hour wait. Do yourself a favor and order ahead of time to pick up. These bagels are incredible.

fast service and has stamp card! bagel was chewy and fresh but the cream cheese was a bit salty, overall good place

Taking off a star due to the 30 min wait but this place was delicious! I got a garlic bagel with their signature favorite (lox and cream cheese but without the tomatoes) and it was incredible! I loved the smoky flavor of the salmon with the scallion cream cheese that I got. The garlic also added tons of flavor to the bagel however it was a little hard on one of the sides. I also think it is a little expensive for a bagel (17$) but I know lox isn't cheap. Overall a great tasting bagel but took off one star for the price and wait

Great bagel sandwiches and spreads. Long lines but worth it. Fresh and hot. Wish they had gluten free at all locations. No gluten free here even though I saw it advertised somewhere on Instagram.

i love ess-a-bagel - i think it's one of the best bagel place in nyc and better than tompkins square bagels. the line moves pretty quickly and the bagels are chewy and soft but still a bit crunchy on the outside - amazing.

The most overrated food place I've been to. Go down a few blocks to David's bagels. Much better especially the bacon. They use real bacon. How does a place as famous as Ess-a get away with using microwaved eggs and bacon?

One of the best bagels of my life, I kid you not so I needed to finally complete this review in honor of National Bagel Day (Jan 15). The lox bagel is so delicious and how Ess-A-Bagel stacks the ingredients helps everything stay into place. Usually massive bagels like these can be a bit of mess to eat but this one was pretty solid. The bagel is layered with cream cheese, capers, tomato slices, salmon, and then the last layer of cream cheese. You can choose two different flavors for cream cheese too and there's such a wide variety to choose from! The bagel ratio was perfect and was soft enough to bite down but an nice crisp on the outside. For the ultimate bagel, must stop here!

SO GOOD. Got a cinnamon raisin bagel from Ess-A bagel and it was everything you'd want a bagel to be. Slightly crispy on the outside with a good amount of crunch. The inside was doughy and soft- perfectly tender but with a hint of sour to balance out the sweet. UGH. Such a good bagel. It was also thick- one is definitely enough to fill me up for the rest of the morning well into lunch. Each one has its own nooks and crannies which shows the love that went into handrolling each one. Would come back and try the other varieties with different fillings!

I've been craving a bagel with cream cheese. I've heard great reviews of Ess-A-Bagel and it is along my way to work. When you enter, you can order to the left with any of the guys behind the counter. I got a toasted sesame bagel with scallion bacon cream cheese. You pay at the register to the front left. There was a register in the back right but maybe that is only used when it's really busy. The bagel itself was not bad. They were very generous with the cream cheese. I don't eat bagels with cream cheese often so it was a little too much for me but I can see why people love the options here.

Was told this was the best bagel in NY so I went there for breakfast. The line was about 10 mins and there were quite a few tables to sit at. Everything looked fresh and tasty so I was excited. I got the cinnamon raisin bagel with maple bacon cream cheese. Total was around $6 which isn't too bad. The bagel looked good but it was far too dense. The cinnamon flavor was faint and it needed more raisins. The maple bacon cream cheese was good but I could only taste bacon. No maple flavor detected. If you are looking for the best bagels in NYC I would recommend Tompkins Square Bagel, Tao's Bagel or Liberty Bagel over this

I love essa bagel. I've been going to their east village location since I was a kid and have loved every single experience there. The bagels are doughy, soft, fresh, and warm. There is an insane number of cream cheeses in a variety of different flavors. They have different sand which options from a loaded lox sand which to a basic egg and cheese. They have two different areas- one for sandwiches and another for only bagel orders which is a great system. I used to get the egg and cheese but noticed there isnt always enough cheese. Now my order is a simple bagel with some type of cream cheese and I never complain. Hands down the best bagel in NYC-- I'd fight on behalf of essa bagel for that title. Will continue bringing friends here, enjoying weekend mornings here, and continuing to grow up alongside essa bagel

The thickest bagel around. For $9, I got a plain bagel with lox cream cheese and that thing could barely fit in my hand! Flavor wise, I thought the cream cheese was pretty unique because I've never come across cream cheese with lox embedded in it. They don't skimp out on the cream cheese but at some point (aka halfway through) the flavor got way too overpowering with this cream cheese to bagel ratio. My biggest qualm was that the bagel was hard af. I got it toasted and that was a big mistake. Instead of getting it warm with a nice crisp, it turned out incredibly hard. By the time I got through half my bagel, my jaw was so fatigued from all the chewing. With that being said, don't get your bagel toasted! As for the service, I came on a Thursday at noon and it was packed! I waited about 20 minutes just to order and then another 10 to get my order so beware of potential rush hours. Overall, decent bagel place but wouldn't frequent often unless I was desperately craving a bagel like that.

I used to pass by this location all the time but never went in. I finally went in recently had surprised about how early they close and how pricey their bagels are compared to other places especially when other places are the same or better For the price, I'd rather go across the street or other places

I'm coming out of my Yelp review retirement to let the world know that I just had the best tuna salad bagel I've ever had in my life. Tuna on everything, lettuce tomato onion, add bacon. It was a masterpiece. Thank me later!

This place gets my order wrong more times than they get it right... for example, today I asked for a sesame bagel with an egg and light jalapeño cream cheese, but they proceed to DOUSE it with regular super bland cream cheese. The variety of bagels is very low and there's no signs that show what kinds of bagels they offer

These bagels are big, and oh are they so delicious. The bagel had a twist to it that I thought was really impressive. I only had one bagel, so I'm not sure if this is done to every single one but it made me want to try and replicate it at home! My only complaint... they give you WAY TOO MUCH cream cheese. Once I took matters into my own hands and scraped it off it was one of the best bagels I've ever had.

We were here on a Sunday around 11am and the line was out the door. The line moved pretty quickly and we ended up waiting around ~20 minutes to order. I got the Signature favorite bagel and the portion size was good, but the bagel itself was just okay. I would come back if there wasn't a line as I don't think it was worth the wait. Luckily, it was pretty easy to find a table inside as it seemed most customers were taking their bagels to go.

Always a staple when visiting New York as this place has tasty bagels and the food is always fresh to order