Utopia Bagels
Bagel shop · Bay Terrace (Queens) ·
Hand-rolled bagels, deli sandwiches, classic recipes, 40 years
Hand-rolled bagels, deli sandwiches, classic recipes, 40 years
"Having baked bagels since 1981, Utopia’s rounds—now available at a new on-site bakery in Murray Hill as well as its original Whitestone location—strike a balance of crispy crust with tiny air bubbles and a solid, not overwhelming, chewy interior." - Devra Ferst
"A longtime, tradition-focused bagel shop whose hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels follow recipes unchanged since its 1981 opening; at the original Whitestone location the bagels are even baked in a 1947 carousel oven. The results are a crisp crust, slightly dense interior, and the chewy texture New Yorkers prize, best enjoyed simply or with deli-style toppings like smoked salmon." - Merlyn Miller
"An older, more traditional brand whose original shop dates to 1981 in Whitestone, Queens, and which is planning to open its third location this spring as part of a modest brick-and-mortar growth plan." - Nadia Chaudhury
"This bagel shop has been a Queens staple since opening in 1981. To date, it serves some of our favorite bagels across the five boroughs. “It’s what you do with the water. It’s how much water you put in, it’s how much, when you proof, [when] you let in the air,” co-owner Scott Spellman told Eater. “Those are the things that are not talked enough about... It’s those techniques that make our bagels what they are.” A branch of the store has opened in Murray Hill, Manhattan, with another to come to Long Island City." - Robert Sietsema
"You can’t come to Utopia in Whitestone and not get an everything with cream cheese and lox. The place has been around since 1980, with a carousel oven from 1947. Their Midtown sequel is just as good—with the bagels at both locations an exercise in balance. They’re slightly chewy but not too dense, well-inflated but not huge, and the seasoning on the everything doesn’t completely overpower the surface area. Their sandwiches also have the perfect cream cheese ratio, so there’s no spill-over from the sides when you take a bite with some salty, savory fish." - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
