Even though it is a quieter borough, Staten Island's bagel shops are not to be overlooked. Often the center point of neighborhoods, these shops are homey and community based. People have started their morning routine at some of these shops for 20+ years, and these establishments take their roles in the lives of their neighbors seriously. Along with having high quality ingredients and a welcoming atmosphere, Staten Island Bagels shops are also some of the most inventive. These shops are continually trying out flavors and combos that the rest of the boroughs haven’t seen yet, and quietly waiting for their flashier neighbors to catch up.
Locations: 6959 Amboy Rd, Staten Island
Tottenville has hit the holy trinity of good bagel shop: reasonably priced, fast service, and a great selection of delicious bagels. All their bagels are hand rolled, baked on premises, and are coated with a modest seasoning. This shop is open 24 hours a day, and even during a weekend morning rush, you can expect to get your order fairly quickly. Their bagels are chewy, dense, and will fill-you-up, so if the classic New York bagel is a bit too heavy for you, you can try out their mini bagels!
If you're looking for novelty, Tottenville bagels deliver: try their Bagel Burger! A burger with all the fixin’s, on your favorite bagel.
Location: 4300 Amboy Rd, Staten Island
Bagels R Us is a choose-your-own adventure extravaganza. Fresh, warm, and soft bagels in flavors ranging from jalapeño cheddar to fruity pebble, to cinnamon toast crunch, to cocoa pebble bagel, and even all the way to an oreo bagel. If you can’t choose between two different bagel flavors, no worries, their cream cheese flavors are just as dazzling. This shops cream cheese flavors include fruity pebbles, Nutella, cannoli, apple cream cheese, chocolate chip, cinnamon toast, triple layer s'mores, and many more. Not a cream cheese person? Their butters are just as exciting: with some more savory options such as avocado butter, and honey butter, garlic butter every palette is catered to at Bagels R Us. This Willy Wonka-inspired bagel spot is a once-in-a-lifetime spot!
#2 Bagels R Us
#3 Bagels Bread and Butter
Location: 732 Forest Ave, State Island
Affectionately nicknamed the 3 B’s, the bagels here are also an exciting journey into culinary innovation. Everything is made fresh on site, and made well. Every one of their bagels are chewy with a crispy, crunchy outside and are generously seeded. Along with the classics of everything, poppy seed, and cinnamon raisin, the 3 B’s is also home to the Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Bagel. To pair perfectly with their bagels, they have delectable cream cheese selections such as pistachio, jalapeño and chocolate chip! A must-try for those who enjoy a savory breakfast.
#4 Heartland Bagels (I)
Locations: 2311 Richmond Ave, Staten Island
Fruity pebbles bagels seem to be the name of the game in Staten Island because Heartland bagels also boast of this breakfasty delight! Along with this sugary novelty, they have all of the classics: poppy, sesame, and even the highly coveted egg everything bagel, with a modest seasoning that won't overpower the taste buds. These bagels are breadier, and lighter, while still maintaining the NY standard size: ginormous. Heartland Bagels is an 100% Kosher establishment, so this is THE spot for our Kosher friends. Although our expertise lies within the realm of bagels, we would be remiss not to mention that Heartland is a true jack of all trades: they also have delightful pastries!
#5 Bagels and Buns
Location: 2491 Victory Blvd
Bagels and Buns is the definition of a community establishment. Regulars have been maintaining loyalty to Bagels and Buns for 10…20… even 25 years. They churn out bagels all day long, so no matter what time of day you come, you can get a fresh-out-the-oven bagel. They check off all the boxes for a Traditional New York bagel: fast service, mountains of cream cheese, and a line out the door on Saturday mornings. Their bagels are dense and chewy, which in this writer’s humble opinion, is the best texture of a bagel to eat; when it's still steaming hot.
A colossal fluffy construction of chewy, crispy goodness, Forrest Avenue Bagels are hard to beat. Keeping up, and potentially surpassing its Brooklyn and Manhattan brethren, Forrest Avenue Bagels have loyalists staking their claim that this is NY’s best bagel. It’s hard to argue with them- made fresh daily on site, the seeds cover every square millimeter of the bagels surface area, and are large enough to keep you full for the whole day. On top of their size, and taste, they are reasonably priced and make the perfect, easy, cheap breakfast to-go.
Location: 1910 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 1
A family business, with everything made fresh on premises, Not Just Bagels is the shining example of a Staten Island Bagel shop. Although, as their name clearly states, they offer a wide range of breakfast concoctions and pastries in their cute and cozy shop, we will be focusing on the bagels. Their most delightful bagel is the rainbow mini- although we have seen mini bagels in all flavors and forms (they also have a wide variety of minis here) this is the first we’re seeing of a rainbow mini! Their bagels are bready, with a loose crumb and a chewy exterior. Although enormous, they are a fluffier, airier breed of bagel, so don’t be intimidated by their size. Overall we are in wholehearted agreement that this place is, as the glowing sign on the wall declares, the place to Enjoy Life and Eat Bagels.
#8 Bagel Depot
Location: 3854 Richmond Ave
Bagel Depot’s attention to detail and dedication to craftsmanship makes this bagel sets this bagel apart from the rest. Although many spots make the claim to handroll their bagels, Bagel Depot goes above and beyond. Bagels are hand rolled, kettle cooked, then baked on burlap covered boards and finished on a seasoned stone hearth. Along with rocking the old-timey aesthetic, this method produces the highest quality bagels in Staten Island. Crisped to perfection on the outside, on the inside they are springy and moist, with a tight crumb that all comes together to create a chewy, crispy bagel that gives brooklyn and manhattan bagels a run for their money.
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Join us on a journey through the bustling streets of New York City, sampling some of the best bagels the city has to offer. Your expert guides will lead you to hidden gems and beloved local spots, giving you the inside scoop on the history and culture of the bagel in New York City.
