Great selection of different bagels and cream cheeses so everyone can get what they'd like. They are popular and unfortunately small, so the line gets tightly packed and seating is not plentiful. I ended up quickly ordering, grabbing seats, then having to circle back to get food and pay. On busier mornings, expect to take to go. I got the "signature favorite" because you can't go wrong with a name like that - bagel of your choice (everything is the way to go) and lox with lettuce, tomato, onion, and capers. It was very thick with its innards with a soft bagel around it. Lox was plentiful and slightly salty. She got a pumpernickel bagel with walnut raisin cream cheese which I thought was a wild combination, but it really worked without being too sweet. So, something for everyone. Good bagels, quick service, and a nice variety of options. read more

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We enjoyed: Vegan Pumpernickle Rye Bagel with scallion tofu spread, capers, tomato, and cucumber Vegan Everything Bagel with scallion tofu spread, capers, red onion, tomato, and cucumber Vegan Salt Bagel with veggie tofu spread, capers, red onion, tomato, and cucumber The best I've ever had anywhere. Last time we were here we took a suitcase full back with us to Wyoming. We come here every time we can when visiting NYC. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Salt bagel with cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion. - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

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Vibe/ambiance: classic grab and go bagel spot Service: standard Items ordered: scallion cream cheese sesame bagel: there was no wow factor to the bagel, but this was a standard bagel and does the job. the bagel texture needs a little more bit and fragrance read more

Delicious bagels, long lines but worth the wait. Came here on the first day of my most recent trip. I ordered a Morning Classic (bacon, egg and cheese) on an everything bagel. Super fresh and so so good. Service was good and not confusing even though it looks a bit intimidating as you walk in since the place is so full. read more

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I mean it doesn't get more classic than Ess a bagel, the place is iconic for sure and the ideal spot for a New York bagel. I'm super biased and love my Jersey bagels over newyork but that's another story. Ess a bagel hits the mark on every level, they have the culture, atmosphere and the bagels are great. My bagel was slightly stale but hardly noticeable. I just maybe question the freshness bc they are pumping out a lot of bagels. Super packed and you'll wait in line. The cream cheese spreads are impressive. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

Love the bagels but some other options are a pass. Had the signature favorite. Was wonderful, the cream cheese was laid on thick and went well with everything. The salmon really takes home most of the flavor and is delicious. Had on a poppy seed bagel and had a nice chew to it. Got a black and white cookie and it was very disappointing, falling apart after opening and lacking from any good cookie texture. read more

Date: Thursday, March 5th, 2026 Time: around 11:45am Party of: 3 Meal: Breakfast / Brunch *LEO ($13.25) *Morning Classic ($10.50) *Signature Favorite ($17.85) *Small 12oz Regular Brewed Coffee ($3) x2 *Tax ($4.22) We had time to kill until checking into the next hotel. Decided to drop to grab a bagel. I ended up getting the lox everything bagel which is their signature favorite. I went to go find some seating while the boys went to order. Eventually I saw a group leaving and grabbed their table. Honestly there isn't much avail seating here, so I got lucky. My bagel was delicious. Sliced nova, scallion cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, capers. What's not to love? I mean I could have used more lox and more cream cheese, but I like A LOT of stuff on any carb item, so I am a lil extra. The boys were a little confused when ordering. I think they tried to go to the cashier and order? I believe you order at the counter then walk over to the cashier. I wasn't paying attention so I wasn't exactly sure. Great spot to grab a bagel to go. Wished they had more seating for dine in tho. REVIEW #4016 read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Signature Favorite ($17.85) - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

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If the line wraps around you could pass, but if the line isn't too bad jump on in. Ess-a much like most bagel spots in New York is quite good, but just like most spots, there are so many great bagels in NY you don't need to be waiting 40 to an hour for a bagel. They have a location in Dumbo at the time out market which I was a frequent visitor to, and it was just as good with no line ever. But that location doesn't have the charm that this particular location holds. So for visitors I do get the pull to wait in line here. I was taking my parents who've never been and they very much enjoyed the chaos and charm on the inside. I personally stick to the signature favorite as is, and it never fails me. My parents who aren't big on lox, did the egg sandwiches, which they liked but I would say if you're having to wait in line and you're planning on getting the egg sandwiches maybe wait for a time where the line is much more manageable. read more

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This place is a new york staple! good bagels, so don't let the long line scare you because it goes by pretty fast! The bagels are great size and they put the right quantity of spread and lox inside. There is a great selection of cream cheeses and the bagels are very fresh. I had the lox and scallion cream cheese on mine and it was sooo yum. I wish it was toasted just a little bit more. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - bagel - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

Amazing bagels! It was a quick line and easy to order. You actually have time to think about your order before getting to the front. We ended up getting a few bagel sandwiches (a BEC and a lox sando), but next time I'd just do a classic bagel and smear. Lots of bagel and cream cheese options! Only a handful of seating options but most people were grab-and-go. Fun vibe overall. read more

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It gets crowded but they move the line quickly. There are so many bagel options and they give an enormous amount of cream cheese. Seating is minimal but possible if you don't want to walk and eat. It's a small shop but worth the stop! read more

Awesome breakfast sandwich here. I got an egg and cheese on one of their rainbow bagels. It was delicious. The bagel was toasted perfectly and the egg and cheese were good! I also tried a latte which was awesome as well! Solid place for a quick breakfast. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

The best bagels in the city! After moving away from the NYC area, I take any chance I can get to have a good bagel. Ess a bagel is authentic, hand rolled, boiled, New York bagels. read more

Long line but it moves fast and it's worth the wait! Go early in the morning to get freshly baked bagels. I recommend the scallion cream cheese with salmon, it's delicious. The matcha latte was so good and during the spring try the honey lavender latte! It's seasonal. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Sesame seed bagel with scallion cream cheese and matcha latte. - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

They pack the signature favorite bagel with lox, an it's a great bagel. There were a handful of bones in my salmon still, but I didn't mind. The line was just out the door at 11 AM on a Saturday, but it moved fast, and I think we only waited 15-20 minutes. You order at the counter, then wait for your bagel, then take it to the cashier to pay. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Signature Favorite - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

I couldn't NY without a bagel. Thankfully, ess-a-bagel is on delivery apps so I was able to get a bagel delivered without having to make the walk in the pouring rain to go get it! I know this is a popular spot, but I have to say, it was kind of just okay to me. The bagel was so thick and bready. I know this is more of the NY style, but it just wasn't quite doing it for me. Even with all the fillings I had inside, it was good, but not the best bagel I've ever had. read more

I hope to give Ess-A-Bagel another try when I can. The bagel I had on Labor Day was called Eggsplaining which included a bagel with scrambled eggs, sliced turkey , and American cheese. The bagel selected was pumpernickel and was hard to chew. The egg and turkey came across as cold. I wanted to inform Ess-A-Bagel in their location near Waldorf Astoria. read more

It pains me to write this, but did Ess-a-bagel fall off?? I've come here many times and always remembered the bagels to be to die for. However this time they really disappointed. Chewy but also not tasting very fresh. "Everything" was not very "everything" either. The scallion cream cheese and lox were still good. Talked to others who had the same opinion. What happened?? Hopefully they fix whatever is going on and return to making the best bagels in NYC. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Toasted sesame with scallion cream cheese, lox, and tomatoes = heavenly bagel magic - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

When I first had the Signature Favorite, I thought it was good, but now I find myself craving it again after a couple of weeks. I can't stop thinking about the perfect combination of ingredients. This place and their signature bagel definitely live up to their hype! read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Signature Favorite - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

The Good: NY bagel, what's not to like. The scallion cream cheese is outstanding! Signature with Nova was tasty! I do have to admit it's not the best NY bagel I've ever had though, but it's definitely solid. The Bad: Be ready to line up even at 8am on a Sunday morning, but the lines move quickly. The Ugly: Eating another standard Marriott/hotel breakfast bagel afterwards makes you wonder if they are even of the same concept. read more

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The long lines in a NYC bagel shop always gives away the type of quality they serve! I ordered the Signature Favorite which is the sliced nova lox with all of the fixings on a toasted everything bagel and it did not disappoint. While the line may be long but it moves quickly. When in line, be ready to move ahead of the people in front of you so you can place your orders. This is a staple bagel shop with the vibe to match the big apple, and should be experienced while in the city. read more

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When In New York you have to try every bagel you possibly can! And that's clearly what I did taking a brisk morning walk to grab a bagel from another nearby bagel shop! Ess-a-Bagel was another large bagel shop, with a decent amount of indoor seating and extensive bagel and cream cheese options. Also plenty of other goodies to choose from throughout the shop. I picked up a scallion cream cheese with lox bagel. It was HUGE. I swear New York bagels put all other bagels to shame with how much filling you get, it really balances out the bread to cream cheese ratio perfectly. Perfectly toasted. And the salmon was absolutely wonderful. Each bite into the sandwich was the perfect expectation of salmon, bagel and cream cheese. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

It's easy to forget what a good bagel tastes like -- there are so many bad ones out there! But the bagels here are the real thing -- chewy and flavorful. Lots of good options, but a simple bagel with schmear is a classic for a reason. Lines can get long on the weekend, but that's the price you pay for the good stuff. Tip: if you're just getting loose bagels, there's a separate line for that at the back! If you're feeding more than 5 people, recommend getting some bagels and separate cream cheese and save yourself the wait. read more

I've been coming to the area weekly since fall '25 and every time I passed Ess-A-Bagel, there would be a queue outside of the establishment starting as early as 9 AM. After stumbling upon a "best bagels of NYC" article that mentioned Ess-A-Bagel, I told myself I'd give it a shot if the line ever died down. Well, with the tourist rush of November and December out of the way, the snowy slush of January/February meant that less people were willing to make their way out so early to line up. Even though it was a random February Saturday morning, there was still a line of about 5 people in front of me, though it moved quickly. There is limited sparse seating around the bagel shoppe (some bar seating in the front, tables in the back) and the "island" in the middle that separates the queue contains some boxed cookies and other fare. It's a pretty impressive dance for all of the workers to be handling orders all at the same time, a combination of called in, internet, and in-person. At 9:15AM, I already saw 15 bags of orders being prepped by the staff that equaled in number. They offer a variety of offerings -- breakfast egg sandwiches, lunch sandos, and a smattering of cream cheese smears. The smears and bagel types were more limited than others I usually go to (i.e. no egg everything and no bacon chipotle cream cheese), so I settled for an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese. For those visiting or transplants, please have your order ready and listen for the workers when they say "next" -- otherwise, you ruin the natural NYC flow. That is one note that might tarnish the experience -- the lack of awareness of people not from NY. The clientele is mixed bag, and some can be entitled and unaware, so just be mindful that you might have people ordering slowly or trying to nudge past you to grab things without saying "excuse me". The bagel though? Standard. I didn't think it was anything that special compared to any other bagel shoppes I've been to since childhood. If I was in the area and had there was no line, I'd come back, but otherwise, I wouldn't seek this out or queue. I don't see anything *that* special about Ess-A-Bagel. read more

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The bagels here are good and a great bite on the go. The selection of flavors isn't bad and it is fairly quick to order, grab your food, pay, and leave. We got our bagels to eat in and were able to find a table to accommodate 5 of us. You got to pounce once a table opens up though! As stated above, the bagels were good but not the best bagel I've ever tasted. I got the sesame bagel but it wasn't toasted to the point of having crispy sesame seeds or a crunchy outside. The salt bagel was indeed veryyyyy salty. The coffee tasted like diner coffee which is actually something I like~ kind of dark roast but light tasting. lol! read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

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Once upon a time, this was the best bagel in the planet. It is no longer - there are better ones, even, in Park Slope - but they've upped their game in some ways, if not in the bagel construction, then in their service (much more kind than in the old days), and in the portions (a Dagwood Bumstead - sized sandwich indeed). You can't go wrong with whitefish, lox, and pumpernickel, in copious amounts, can you? read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Pumpernickel whitefish - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

Great bagels, fast service, awesome local place. Quintessential NY bagel place. So many to choose from, choose wisely and go with Ess-a-Bagel!! read more

Bagel Heaven right here! Crowded yet Cozy cuz the smell of warm bagels makes everything just feel alright. Fairly fast service considering the amounts of hungry people. I love all the different flavors of schmear. Strawberry cream cheese, yum! read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Cinnamon Raisin with strawberry cream cheese - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

You want to charge almost $17 for a baked salmon salad bagel then I want more filling! I've never seen it this thin!! read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Bad baked salmon salad bagel - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

Great food - not just bagels and toppings - but loads of baked goods like black & white cookies and babkas. Super efficient staff that have to move quickly, and do. Why not 5 stars? It's damn close, but going in when it's busy is a nerve-wracking affair. Long lines with a separate line for delivery pick-up folks that sort of blocks the bottle/can drink cooler, and very few tables for the enormity of the crowd. This place is an assembly line of deliciousness, but as with every assembly line, the hectic pace is wild. Is it worth it? Went there three times in three days. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Soda and bagel toasted with butter. Breakfast of champions. - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

When in NYC not much beats a super busy and popular New York bagel shop, savoring a signature lox sandwich on an everything bagel toasted and open faced, and actually finding a tiny corner seat by the window to people watch. This place rocks! Hand rolled bagels that are plump and huge, lox that melts in your mouth, with all the fixings to round it out. Pure perfection. I could get used to mornings like this. If you're in New York or just visiting, Ess-a-Bagel is the real deal and should be a pit stop for anyone. read more

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Super busy place! It wasn't a holiday week either. This place is decent but I won't wait in line for just a regular bagel. I got cookies to take him black/white. Not bad. My bagel was the bacon bagel. It's ok. Nothing wowed me. I did like the lox bagel but it's not my thing. Maybe next time I'll try a different bagel. I can say the avocado schmear was 9/10. I even took some home. We also got a blueberry bagel with regular schmear. That was good. I would go back if it didn't have a line and a place to sit. I do like how fast they took my order and how the workers are friendly and nice. read more

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Solid bagel stop in NYC. I like the large selection of cream cheese flavors. Quite a hard crust though and a tad on the dry side. I prefer a softer bagel and I don't love how crunchy the outside is. I felt like the bagel itself was also a bit dry. I wish the bagels were warm too. Decent amount of schmear but would've been happier with a tad more. I tried the salt bagel- it was fine. Chocolate chip cream cheese and the oreo cream cheese were nice to try. I haven't seen these flavors at other bagel shops before. They tasted rather similar to be honest- both sweet and slightly chocolatey. Overall, I will likely not return. I would recommend Absolute bagels (RIP) or now Broadway (the closest substitute I can find). read more

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One of the worst bagels I've ever had. Very dry, way too chewy. The whitefish bagel had WAY too much cream cheese. The avocado egg bagel was okay but they used zero salt in it. Couldn't finish the bagel because it was so dry and overcooked. read more

Though I've visited the city before, I somehow had not had a New York bagel until this trip. 1st proper bagel is not something I take lightly, but after much deliberation, Ess-a-Bagel, of TikTok and Instagram fame, got the honors. I came here on a Saturday morning, finding a line outside wrapped around the block. Despite its length, the line moved relatively quickly, and in just under an hour, we had made it inside, to the counter, and were being served. Throughout this process, staff were calm and quick, operating as a well-oiled machine. Always a "one thing sweet and one thing savory" person, I got 2 bagels -- everything with scallion cream cheese, and red and green with Oreo cream cheese. Both were prepared very quickly, and came to me warm and toasted with an extremely generous amount of cream cheese in them. Probably a 1:2 shmear to bagel ratio by volume. Both bagels were crispy outside, soft and chewy inside. The everything bagel was very generously seasoned outside, and I loved how brightly pigmented my festive red and green bagel was. The scallion cream cheese was delicious and oniony, as expected. It was 10/10. I was a little worried about the Oreo, because this is something that can be hit or miss. I had nothing to worry about, because it ended up being very adequately Oreoed (if that's a thing), and just sweet enough without being sickening. I also tried a bite of someone else's everything herb cream cheese, which is what I would order if I go back. Absolutely no critiques of the other 2, but I would consider killing for the everything herb. It's one of the best things I've ever tasted. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

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DELIGHTFUL, classic New York bagels! Really, it's the perfect spot for a bagel in the City. Really, try any bagel, and I'll bet you that it will be great. The cream cheese they put in the middle is about equal to the width of the bagel itself--when I picked up the bag holding my bagel, it was heavy! Very good. read more

The best and most expensive bagels ive had haha We ordered the signature favorite and mr nova lova and holy it is so stacked!! Since it's so massive it's hard to get everything in one bite, but each bite is heavenly! The sliced nova with the scallion cream cheese and fresh tomatoes and crunchy lettuce makes it a very filling breakfast. If you love avocados youll love mr noba lova, it's very creamy! I've come a couple times and sometimes there's a rlly long line, but I came once on a tues afternoon and there was no line, so it rlly depends on time of day. Staff are very quick to prepare your food and there's some tables and seats to sit inside. Def recommend trying the signature as a first time ny bagel experience! read more

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What a good way to start the day... we went to the 9/11 Memorial and wanted to grab a NYC bagel, we heard a lot of good things about Ess-a-Bagel and it was not too far away so... I got Everything bagel with Novacado with egg whites. I'm not a huge bagel guy but this really hit the spot. The bagel had a nice crusty outside and soft inside. The avo and Nova were delicious. They wrapped it nice and tight to avoid all the slippery stuff from falling out :) We would have probably given it a higher review but the staff rushed us to order and then our bagels just sat while they made a lot of coffees for others (with higher order numbers than we had). We were thankful that ours stayed relatively warm. read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Novacado with egg whites. - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

Always long lines but pretty good quality bagels. Defs a nyc classic and staple.. would recommend should try but there are a lot of good quality bagel places. Overall service as expected and recommend read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York

Ess-a-bagel is a must try! I ordered a simple bagel with sun dried tomato cream cheese and added avocado. I asked light on the schmear and it did not disappoint! Bagel toasted perfectly and flavorful cream cheese. Whats not to like in this NYC bagel! I saw they had a long long line, so I decided to order for pick up and it was quick. I would rather order for pick up than stand in line, it was quite busy. Would love to come here again next time in town :) read more

Ess-a-Bagel - Bagels Near Me - New York, New York