By Gus Saltonstall
Eater New York City recently put together its new list of the best bagel spots in New York City, and, somewhat surprisingly, just one Upper West Side shop made the ranking.
Published earlier this month, the list featured nearly 20 bagel joints across the five boroughs.
The lone Upper West Side representative? Bagel Talk at 368 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 77th and 78th streets.
“Sure, Zabar’s and its stellar smoked fish are just around the corner in the Upper West Side, but the bagels here have a better chew,” Eater NY wrote. “The place is full of customers excited for any of the bagel sandwiches, from the standard bacon, egg, and cheese to those with whitefish or cream cheese and lox. Despite having a no-toasting policy for years, owner Abid Islam now grumpily allows it.”
The most notable omission? 2788 Bagels, formerly known as New Absolute Bagels, which replaced the long-running, much loved Absolute Bagels.
Tal Bagels and Bagels & Co. also made the list, but Eater NY specified both of the shops’ Upper East Side locations, despite both having outposts on the Upper West Side as well. In the description of Bagels & Co., the Eater editors even write, “This shallow storefront was a favorite in our Upper West Side bagel crawl to nine locations,” but then list 1428 York Avenue as its location of choice.
Tal Bagels has a location at 2446 Broadway, between West 90th and 91st streets, and Bagels & Co. has an outpost at 391 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 78th and 79th streets.
While Bagel Talk was the only Upper West Side shop to make the list, there was one other not far from the neighborhood’s boundaries: BO’s Bagels at 235 West 116th Street, between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. boulevards.
You can check out the full Eater NY best bagels list — HERE.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
Oh please
can’t agree
This has me wondering whether this Eater NY review was AI generated.
Forget about renaming Absolute Bagel. Maybe we just need to rename The West Side Rag. May I suggest The West Side Bagel?
West Side Pizza.
I’m wondering how many of the folks at Eater who did the scoring are actually real New Yorkers. It often seems like every website/blog/Instagram page about NYC is written by someone who’s been here for all of three months and considers themself an expert.
Like many things on Eater, this is an old listicle that Eater just recycles every 9 months or so, sometimes without even a single update. Robert Siestema hasn’t been with Eater for years now.
Essentially worthless.
I must have gone on an off day then…
Yes! Bagel Talk is the one to beat. Especially the salt bagels early in the day. For Thanksgiving, I grab a bakers dozen of a few different kinds, cube and toast it, and make it into the best stuffing.
It’s barely better than Bagels & Co. across the avenue. Then there are vastly better bagel places in just Manhattan.
Why would you need high quality fresh bagels for stuffing? Stuffing is one of the many things to do with stale bread, along with French toast, bread pudding, etc.
Oh, but everyone else seems to think Bagel Talk bagels are pretty bad (I have no idea, myself, never been). So maybe that’s the reason to use them for stuffing?
I have never enjoyed the bagel(s) I got at Bagel Talk. Last time I threw them out rather than eat them. And I’m not a picky eater.
How can you not mention your own previous reporting on how unhygienic it is? https://www.westsiderag.com/2024/10/28/popular-uws-bagel-spot-temporarily-closed-by-health-department
New owners and place was gutted and rebuilt. Clean but bagels still mid.
Are you sure it’s has new owners, it doesn’t look different from the street.
I guess it’s not impossible.
Because the owners were responsible and fixed the problems so that they could stay in business?
Spin it as putting a new glow on the everything bagel.
Bagel Talk sells awesome, authentic, NYC bagels made fresh on the premises. They deserve kudos!
The only part of your comment that is on point is that the bagels are made on the premises.
The fact they didn’t name one place in Brooklyn south of Park Slope or in Queens south of Forest Hills tells you everything you need to know about the quality of the list and the people who put it together.
This is dubious, it’s only about the level of the revived H&H, so nothing special.
I got an egg bagel there at noon today (no shmear, just plain). It was stale as can be.
U know what made Absolute Bagel so great back in the day? I mean really back in the day—It was a neighborhood spot with that big chewy bagel and delicious spreads and pretty much known to the neighborhood only—nobody made a big effing deal over it endlessly—no lines—no buzz—just a neighborhood find—oh well that attitude (pre social media) like the place itself gone gone gone
But as a neighbor of that place, there has always been a line on the weekend. Not because of influencers. The line predated the internet frenzy over food.
Sure maybe on the weekend some line—a neighborhood line—but not crazy down the block line like it became and most of the time u could just pop in with a couple ppl in there at most—I’m describing the pre frenzy vibe that used to be there before it blew up after social media and reviews— get it?
I will never trust anything I read on Eater again. Bagel Talk isn’t the best bagel in a 100 yard radius.
Bagel Talk’s fare is less fluffy than the bagels from across the avenue — making bagel talk a bit better.
The Eater assertion is preposterous.
Bagel Talk is solid. Good but not great. If it is convenient I get bagels there. But I’m not going out of my way and it isn’t the best in the city. I miss the old H&H. New one is pretty good but not as good as the old one.
Bo’s bagels is awesome.
Tal is overpriced
Bagel Talk has been my go-to for ages. Great taste and texture, but only if you get them before noon. I have tried every other shop mentioned here but none are as good as BT. All the other bagel haters are just missing out on these gems!
When I saw the headline of this article, I thought “Well, I know they’re not going to name that place on Amsterdam and 77” — and stunningly there it is. Bagel Talk sold me the driest, stalest bagel I have ever purchased. For some reason I gave them another try and they did it again.
Live one block away from Bagel Talk and will only go there as a last resort. Always disappointed in their bagels. Prefer Broad Nosh but 10 blocks away.
complete balderdash
As far as I am concerned, the two bagel stores that get my vote for “the best” are Zuckers on Columbus Ave and Kossars on WEA and 72nd St.
I grew up with bialys from the original Kossar’s on Grand St.! And although there’s a TAL Bagels on Bway, it’s no longer owned by the same folks as those on the East Side, and the other four are much better…better bagels, way more fresh toppings, cleaner, brighter. I live on the UWS, but go out of my way to the three TAL’s in the 80’s.
The original Kossar family bakery was on Clinton Street off Delancey.
That’s from where THE bialy came to NY.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BROAD NOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So good, such nice staff, usually get an extra bagel thrown in for free (no I’m not talking about the, but a dozen get another free thing that’s everywhere)
Used to be good bagels, but since the renovations they are not.
I like Broad Nosh. Continuously baking small batches all day long. Many varieties, including spicy and sweet. What child wouldn’t love the rainbow bagel?
Average strip mall spots in NJ burbs beat any NYC bagel most days of the week. Sorry but it’s true.
The problem is your claim about “any NYC bagel” place, not that there aren’t some good stripmall bagel joints in New Jersey.
If those bagels could talk, they’d say “We’re usually stale”. Bad take by Eater.
Hi think with all respect this place is the worst place I haven’t see in my life. Very ruth people the bagel are disgusting and expensive and the place is dirty. They must pay a lot of money for get this review on the magazine Fake one
I used to go to bagel talk circa 2008-2012 just for the spectacle. The owner, I guess, was visibly angry if you asked for a bagel to be toasted. “ITs already hot” he would bark at you. Then he would put the lightest toast he could on it. Comical what NY’ers will tolerate.
Who. Cares.