Quantum Crumbs Bagel Map

What’s more “New York” than a quest to find the best bagel?

In April 2021, a month after the New York Times announced that the best bagels are in California, we went down a real gluten hole trying to prove them wrong and reclaim New York’s honor.

But in the city that popularized the bagel (Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe brought them over in the 1800s), and where passions run high (everyone has an opinion and a favorite), we knew we risked being schmeared.

We tried over 40 bagels, limiting ourselves to the everything variety unless the bagel was non-New York-style. We assessed the composition and style of the seasoning; sponginess and density of the crumb; color and integrity of the crust, as well as the overall size, shape and flavor in order to select the top 10, as detailed on the back.

This map is a result of our search.