Long Island is known for many things—its beaches, the Gold Coast, Billy Joel—but our consistently good bagels are a particular point of pride. Fresh bagels from Long Island are highly valuable commodities in less fortunate places, aka the entire country outside of the tristate area.
While this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are some solid bagel stores to start at in pursuit of your next gluten fix.
Bagel Boss
Like A&S in Franklin Square, Bagel Boss is open 24/7 and offers a wide variety of bagels. What makes this shop unique is that all 13 locations are kosher establishments, which means they follow important guidelines overseen by a rabbi. They also cater any event or holiday and can create bagels in crazy colors to accommodate it.
Multiple locations—Bay Shore, Carle Place, East Northport, East Norwich, Hewlett, Hicksville, Jericho, Lake Success, Merrick, Oceanside, Roslyn and Manhattan.
Bagelicious
If you are interested in getting your loved one a heart-shaped bagel for Valentine’s Day, you are in luck. With stores in East Meadow and Babylon, Bagelicious is well known in the Long Island community for its delicious breakfast options and fun takes on the bagels New Yorkers love. Customers also rave about their chicken salad.
Multiple locations—Babylon and East Meadow.
Bageltown
www.bageltownlevittown.com • 516-731-9320
Unlike most established bakeries, Bageltown of Levittown prepares their bagels in a brick-lined oven. This makes the bagel crunchy on the outside while remaining soft on the inside. It’s a perfect combination that encompasses what makes a New York bagel so good.
Located at 3263 Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown.
Gabby’s
www.gabbysgourmet.com • 516-496-9000
The key to Gabby’s Gourmet Bagelatessan’s success is how fresh their food is. Every day, the shop works tirelessly to make sure their food is at its tastiest. There’s nothing better than a breakfast place dedicated to making sure everything is perfect for the customer. Be sure to try the whole wheat sunflower flagel with cream cheese.
Located at 8025 Jericho Turnpike in Woodbury.
Hand Rolled Bagels
www.hrbagels.com • 516-352-1313
Celebrating its 20th anniversary last July, Hand Rolled Bagels of New Hyde Park lives and breathes the New York spirit. They hand-craft bagels using water from New York City and their family’s secret recipe. They started their business by giving away bagels for free to rack up a customer base. Now, they love meeting their regulars because it’s what earned them their success.
Located at 930 Hillside Ave in New Hyde Park.
Let There Be Bagels
www.lettherebebagels.com • 516-944-8822
The title of this shop indicates just how essential bagels are to life on Long Island. Situated centrally in Port Washington, Let There Be Bagels offers everything you’d expect to find at a bagel store and more. Patrons love the scallion cream cheese and recommend it with chopped nova, tomato and onions on a toasted poppyseed.
Located at 475 Port Washington Blvd., Port Washington.
Goldberg’s Famous Bagels
www.goldbergsfamouswhb.com • 631-998-3878
Goldberg’s Famous Bagels is a popular chain on the East End. Its eight locations offer “taste’em and toast’em bagels and flagels” for breakfast and lunch as well as a wide selection of spreads and sandwich trimmings.
Multiple locations—Southampton, East Hampton, Montauk, Napeague, Riverhead, Mattituck, East Quogue and Wainscott.
—Additional information by Kimberly Dijkstra