Brooklyn Bagel
 

After many months we went back to Brooklyn Bagel today.
We were pleasantly surprised.
They reconfigured the seating and they have a very nice staff.
What was the most noticeable was how CLEAN the store was.

If you haven’t been in a while you should give them a try.

AGREE Excellent Bagels go early for the best sellection

Is there anyone originally from NYC (or thereabouts) who can confirm these are actually good bagels?

Yes they are actually good.

I'm from Connecticut, home of Lender's Bagels. My grandfather and Harry Lender (the founder) used to play golf together. Lender's is no longer family owned, but I grew up eating the fresh ones still warm from the bakery where we'd pick up half a dozen every week. They aren't the same recipe now, and aren't fresh anymore, and aren't delicious like they were. We also used to go to New York frequently and usually picked up a bagel with belly lox in the lower east side. There was also the kosher market, M&T, in New Haven, which sold fresh-made bagels. I'm not sure if they made them themselves or got them from one of the kosher bakeries in the area. My grandfather's family also owned a kosher bakery and made bagels. That's a brief summary of my "expertise" with bagels.

Brooklyn Bagels are good. They're yeasty, crusty, soft inside, crunchy outside. They toast well, and have enough bubbles inside to catch and hold the cream cheese so it doesn't all melt off the sides right away.

Definitely a better comp to NY....than the pizza!

Even in our NY days over 30 years ago, thought Lender bagels were not in the same league as a bagel bakery bagel.

Lenders USED to be a bagel bakery bagel. Before they became nationally available and were just a local New Haven bagel bakery. This is going back 50 years, not 30. 30 years ago they had Lenders restaurants and they were okay, but nothing like the Lenders bagels that I grew up with. At that point, you could get a half-dozen frozen Lenders in the supermarket. 50 years ago you couldn't.

Yes.

I accept your bona fides and am now quite eager to try. Thanks!

35 years ago before we left NY they were available in supermarkets in packs of 6. They were the bagel of last resort,

I'm out! They call Taylor Pork Roll, "Taylor Ham".

What do you think of "Just Bagels" from The Bronx? They sell them on QVC.

hmmm haven’t been to BB in years now. Used to go for bloodletting at Quest nearby, but switched to LabCorp in Brownwood.
Thanks to the post, I’ll make a trip up to BB. Loved their coffee too.
Sesame seed bagel… yum.

Never heard of them.

Will say Whats a Bialy is an excellent bialy. Available at Publix

Is this "Brooklyn Water Bagel" ??
 

Just did a google search and "Brooklyn Water Bagel" came up on 27/441 - is this the one you're talking about? Can't move down yet, but that was one the things I was definitely going to miss coming from NYC.

Thanks!

All things Lender's Bagels are lacking...

Thats them

People who say lenders bagels are good need to try some good water bagels with poppy, sesame or onions baked in

I'm from New York and when you think of bagels you always relate them to a Jewish Brooklyn neighborhood.
But the best bagel in N.Y. for the longest time was H&H Bagels, which were owned as I understand it by a Puerto Rican family.
So, who knows what an actual bagel is.
I miss Zabar's

How about a boy from the Bronx?
Great bagels. Enjoy.

When I went in February they still had some serious training issues for Food handling & hand washing by the front of the house staff. Do not handle $ and then use that dirty hand to open bag and drop in bagel.

H&H? Is that where Kramer worked?smiley:

Brooklyn Bagel
 

After some bad experiences with Brooklyn Water Bagel and not using them for a few years, our club went back under the new ownership and couldn’t have been happier. Nick and his staff took good care and our 200+ members were very happy. We will surely be using them again

yes!!!

they are probably the best around, but not much competition. That said, they are not close to NY bagels - it's the water......

Not for long

Was it owned by a Puerto Rican from the get go, of did they buy an established business. Significant difference...

If you want a solid "new spin on an old traditional" get the Williamsburg, without the tomato, on a *toasted* garlic bagel.

That's a bagel, lox, cream cheese, raw onion. You can pay a little extra and have them add some capers to make it perfect.

Suggestion though: bring a friend who orders -just- a bagel with nothing on it. Ask for a knife, and buy another bagel on the side. Scrape off half the cream cheese and peel off half the lox, and make a second sandwich. They really do stuff them generously.

Bushwa.

Taste is very personal. I liked Better Bagel in Amityville Long Island. He is Greek, but he bought the business from a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn who gave him the recipe.������

Brooklyn Bagel is very good. I also like their coffee and egg creams.
They also know what I mean when I say I want it scooped.

Agreed, it's always about the water. That's why you can't get a decent cheesesteak outside of philly vicinity. The rolls just don't do it. It's all about the bread and the bread is all about the water.

But it sounds like they at least make them correctly, so that's something.

As far as I know the shop was establish by a Puerto Rican family.
This is what I found online:

"H&H. Back in 2011, the 40-year-old legend H&H shuttered its doors, leaving carb fanatics lost and forlorn. H&H Midtown Bagels East isn't officially affiliated with the famous Upper West Side shop, but it was connected in the past: The original owners went their separate ways decades back".

They do still sell online and in N.Y. there are many stores that close their doors to customers and sell directly to restaurants avoiding excessive rents and dealing with the public

I'm only familiar with the small supermarket freezer Lender's. Did they ever make a better version?

BTW the correct name is Taylor’s Ham

I would hope so, the ones we had years ago were rather pathetic.

The package, and cool people, disagree.

I LOVE Belly Lox! The closest place to get freshly sliced belly lox is Jo-Els in St. Pete. I make a trip down there once a quarter to get some. Let me know if you want some too!

I'm surprised that no one mentioned that the place that the OP is referring to is really named The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.

i love them, it's a solid place to get a REAL NY style bagel. crispy on the outside tasty & soft inside. the crew is pretty friendly too, working hard under pressure.