The best bagels in Manhattan in 2026 are Russ & Daughters for lox and appetizing, Ess-a-Bagel for huge classic bagels, Murray's and Tompkins Square Bagels for schmear-loaded sandwiches, and Kossar's for bialys on the Lower East Side. H&H on the Upper West Side, Leo's in the Financial District, Liberty Bagels in Midtown, Apollo in the East Village and Bo's in Harlem complete the map.
For bagels across all five boroughs, see the best bagels in NYC; for certified-kosher bagel shops, see our kosher guides.
The appetizing institution for lox, sable and bagels since 1914.
Russ & Daughters' Houston Street shop sells hand-sliced smoked fish, cream cheeses and bagels; build a classic with Gaspé Nova and scallion cream cheese.
Good to know: Take a number; or sit down at Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street.
179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002
Giant, chewy bagels with heaps of cream cheese.
Ess-a-Bagel has been making big, dense, old-school bagels since 1976, now on Third Avenue, with a long deli counter of spreads and fish.
Good to know: One bagel sandwich is a full meal.
831 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022
Hand-rolled, kettle-boiled — and famously no toasting.
Murray's on Sixth Avenue makes classic hand-rolled bagels and is known for refusing to toast them, insisting a fresh bagel doesn't need it.
Good to know: Don't ask for it toasted.
500 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Creative cream cheeses and overstuffed sandwiches.
Tompkins Square Bagels is an East Village favorite for its long menu of cream cheeses — from birthday cake to jalapeño — and generous sandwiches.
Good to know: Try a seasonal sweet cream cheese on a plain bagel.
165 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
The country's oldest bialy bakery.
Kossar's has baked bialys on Grand Street since 1936, alongside hand-rolled bagels and bulkas, and now serves sandwiches with smoked fish.
Good to know: Buy a dozen bialys to take home — they freeze well.
367 Grand St, New York, NY 10002
An Upper West Side name reborn, with classic chewy bagels.
H&H, a legendary Upper West Side bagel brand, bakes its bagels fresh at its Columbus Avenue shop and ships nationwide.
Good to know: Walk over to Central Park or the Natural History Museum afterward.
526 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10024
The Financial District's essential bagel stop.
Leo's on Hanover Square serves hand-rolled bagels and big sandwiches to Wall Street workers and visitors heading to the ferries.
Good to know: Grab one before the Statue of Liberty ferry.
3 Hanover Sq, New York, NY 10004
Rainbow bagels and an enormous cream cheese menu near Penn Station.
Liberty Bagels near Penn Station makes classic bagels plus colorful specialties, with dozens of cream cheese flavors.
Good to know: Handy before a train at Penn Station.
260 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001
Sourdough-style bagels with a cult following.
Apollo Bagels makes large, airy, naturally leavened bagels that sell out daily, from the team behind a popular pizza and bakery business.
Good to know: Go early — popular flavors sell out.
242 E 10th St, New York, NY 10003
Harlem's own bagel bakery.
Bo's Bagels, founded by a Harlem local, bakes traditional hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels with a menu of sandwiches and spreads.
Good to know: Combine with a walk along 116th Street or Morningside Park.
235 W 116th St, New York, NY 10026
A bialy is a chewy roll from Białystok, Poland, baked rather than boiled, with a depression filled with onion. Kossar's on Grand Street is the classic place to try one.
Fresh, warm bagels don't need toasting — many old-school shops frown on it. If it's from earlier in the day, toasting is fine.