My Favorite Bagel Shop: Nyack Hot Bagels. What’s Yours?
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- July
- 22
I don’t usually declare favorites. But when it comes to Nyack Hot Bagels, I gotta tell you: I’ve never had better.
I know, I’m going to hear from bagel fans (and bagel shop owners!) all over the region, but I would challenge you to a blind tasting to prove my point. These bagels are chewy but not dense, bready but not yeasty and always always made fresh.
When I bring them into the office, people go nuts.
More on this great place — and a chance to tell me what makes your bagel shop your favorite — after the jump.
OK first of all, there are a million kinds of cream cheeses. Maybe that’s nothing out of the ordinary, but the sheer mass of volume is impressive:
But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. The bagel shop is in The Hub shopping center in West Nyack. And — yes, I’m sure you can point to a little bias here — I’ve been going there since I was a teenager.
It used to be just half the size. (The left side of this photo.) But it became so popular (and they need room for the lines and lines of people) so the owners expanded and took over the space of a deli next door.
And they have a deli section, too.
I’ve had everything from turkey sandwiches to sausage, egg and cheese on a roll. (Yes, of course there’s a griddle.) But my order over the last few years has become egg salad on a sesame bagel. The egg salad is to die for: rich and creamy… and no celery. (I like it that way.) I used to get it with smoked salmon, too. That is a great combination.
But I’m also torn. I adore the chicken salad, too. And I just noticed this new version. (I had already ordered. I’ll have to try it next time!)
There is always always a line. This is at 1030 on Tuesday morning.
So this time, I got a dozen mixed (the everything is great), cream cheese with scallion and bacon, vegetable cream cheese and a small container of chicken salad.
The bacon:
The bagels.
Devoued by noon.
In the height of summer, I’ll also bring tomatoes from my garden. Good times.
Nyack Hot Bagels, 344 Route 59, Nyack. 845-358-0837.
OK your turn. What’s your favorite bagel shop — and why? What do you get there? What makes it great? I’m hoping for a lively discussion here folks… I’m sure there are a lot of good ones out there… let hear it!
(8 votes, average: 3.38 out of 5)
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on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 at 10:23 am by Liz Johnson.
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Great job Liz. For once I agree with you. The bagels at Nyack Hot Bagel are the best I’ve ever had. Period. Getting a hot bagel from here (usually around 9 am) is a sublime experience. Don’t dare ruin a hot Nyack Hot Bagel with any type of spread. Just eat it immediately. The bacon/red onion cream cheese is excellent in all other instances. And the bagels are great for sandwiches.
Bagel Boys in Suffern has the best bagels in Rockland, I think. They also have a great deli, bakery and salad bar. Their sundried tomato cream cheese is the best around as well. But for coffee, I prefer Bagel Train in Suffern.
So I just talked to one of our web editors who said that if we get enough nominations here he can put together a poll so people can vote! So let’s hear it!
2 votes for Nyack Hot Bagels; 1 for Bagel Boys? What else is out there?
My order is always the same – olive/pimento spread on an everything bagel at David’s Bagels in Valley Cottage.
In upper Westchester, Panera Bread in Yorktown gets my vote. French toast flavor bagels, lightly toasted, with butter= yummy breakfast.
Im with you Liz. I “yelped” about them last year! Great Bagels. Best in Rockland
Avenue Bagel Cafe on Mamaroneck Avenue in Mamaroneck
Village Square Bagels on Bosto post Rd. in Larchmont
We go to Marty’s Bagels in Blauvelt. I lover flagels and their’s are pretty good. They also do a decent bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.
Sometimes department stores and online merchants are reviewed on the web with actual customer testimonials. Sometimes the reviews are legitimate and sometimes they are bogus. The amount of detail in your rave review including all of the hi-res photographs and the additional information about other items besdies bagels that the store sells makes me wonder if this is little more than free advertising for a local merchant by a local merchant who is masquerading as a happy customer.
Thanks for reading Thomas. I’m sorry you think that this post is a shill. I assure it’s not. I’ve been going to Nyack Hot Bagels for a long time, and I truly love it.
I’ve been writing this blog for three years now, and I usually have tons of photos. Plus, I’m a reporter — I always give as many details as possible.
Mabye you’re new to the blog? I think I’ve built up a reputation with longtime readers who know I’m not going to steer them wrong. They may disagree with my opinion but they know it is mine and mine alone.
I’ve found Liz’ comments to be based on her experiences, and those alone. I’ve never thought she was masquerading as a silent partner or biased customer. I may not agree with her all the time, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Oh, Liz, the photos really help, too. Much thanks
Zimmy’s Bagels(Pearl River) and Pete’s Bagels (Nanuet) both a mile from each other on Middletown Road are the areas finest bagels ever! I believe they both run by the same owner. Deliciously flavorful, not too chewy, but chewy enough. Cinn. Raisin perfect warm, no spreads neccessary. Come on voters, give these two establishments a vote today!
Bubba’s Bagels in Monsey are the ones I grew up with. They are the absolute best. And be sure to pick up a bag of their bagel chips. David’s has good biayls.
I haven’t lived in New York for several years and am not sure if they’re still in business, but Goldberg’s Bagels on 304 in Bardonia always had the best bagels!
Somers Hot Bagels has really fantastic bagels as well! Always fresh!
I love the bagels from Shop-Rite. They are darn good for supermarket bagels.
JV Bagels (Jefferson Valley & Shrub Oak) are THE BEST!
Although it’s not in Westchester, Rockland, or Putnam, Downtown Bagels in Middletown NY (Orange County) has the most amazing bagels. They alternate between hand rolling them or letting the machine roll them depending on the season. The usual favorites are the hand rolled bagels, and when I get a hot everything bagel with jalapeno cheddar cream cheese I am in Heaven.
Other then that, What a Bagel on Mamaroneck ave has pretty good bagels. They are pricey and the service can be iffy, but I find myself there quite often.
i agree. nyack hot bagels are the best bagels around. i used to drive to old tappan to buttersworth bagels (who does have one thing over nyack… smoked salmon) but nyack hot bagels takes my vote. tuna salad on a sesame bagel or a sobo (sausage, egg, cheese and potatoes) on a roll. great stuff.
I’m personally partial to Wanna Bagel in Yonkers on Bronx River Road. The service is spotty, but the bagels never disappoint.
That being said, Park Place Bagels in Bronxville is THE best place for a bagel in Westchester.
There is nothing better than Goldberg’s bagels on Central Avenue in Yonkers. It has everything the shop you described has: many flavors of cream cheese, great cold cuts and salads and excellent coffee. But it also has something I bet you’ve never had before – a flagel. Come across the river and try it Liz, you won’t be disappointed.
Lenny’s Bagels in Rye Brook – definitely amazing bagel and cream cheese flavors!
We have friends who swear by your bagel place, too. But I’ve never had any bagel that can top David’sin New City with my favorite spread, sun-dried tomato tofu (on a sesame seed bagel. I am going to Nyack Hot Bagels to conduct the test, though!
My all-time favorite bagel is the asiago cheese bagel that Au Bon Pain makes. When it’s split and toasted, I don’t need anything else on it…no cream cheese, no butter. The asiago cheese that is in the batter melts just enough.
Sadly, there are no Au Bon Pain’s in Rockland, anymore, so I only get one occasionally when I am at work in Manhattan.
For plain bagels, I find any place that has them hot out of the oven is usually fine with me.
Hastings Own Bagels – the bagels are so good, fresh and hot that you don’t mind being grunted at by the less than communicative help behind the counter. I get up early Sunday, walk the dog, get my baby her Sunday papers and a bagel, and she’s putty in my hand for the rest of the day. . . . The bagels are THAT good. . . .
Nyack bagel in the hub shopping center is the best in the county. I usually go to bagel boys in Suffern or bagel train..But Nyack bagel is the best bagel in the county…
Gramatan Ave Bagels in the Fleetwood section of Mount Vernon.
Posting pictures of such ridiculously good looking food while I have a ton of work to do. Thanks Liz Johnson.
Lol, I kid I kid. My fave place is Avenue Bagels in Mamaroneck. Props to Mr./Ms. Yum who commented earlier about it.
I’m with you on this one Liz, Nyack Bagels have the best bagels, flagels and cream cheese variety
Bagel Train in Suffern for the absolute best bagels and Bagel Boys (also Suffern) for everything else.
I think the best bagels around are Zimmy’s in Pearl River or Pete’s in Nanuet. As the other reader stated they are the same family I believe. Nyack’s Hot Bagels are very comparable.
I agree…Nyack Hot Bagels does good bagels….but they changed the Smoked Whitefish Salad recently and the new brand is awful. Sweet, no taste, just not up to par compared to what they used to serve.
Panera Bread – Waterfront Port Chester—Cinna Twist – Yummy-licious
I agree Panera Bread has awsome bagels including the
cinnamin mentioned above but also the whole grain
but best of all their coffee is great..
PARK PLACE BAGELS Bronxville NY terrific small store soon to be bigger. Great!
Everybody in New Rochelle knows that the bagel store in the shopping center on Quaker Ridge Road is the best! Some people call it Hot Bagels, but there’s no official sign outside. I think the real name is H&R. Hot, crusty, delicious and you can watch them boiling the dough and taking the baked bagels out of the oven. One of my favorite things in the world!
David’s Bagels in Pomona are the best! The bagels are delicious, the workers are friendly. They do their best to fill your order quickly and courteously.
Bagel Boys has the BEST bagels! Especially their “healthy” bagel made with Green tea, whole grains and flax and sunflower seeds.
Pete’s in Nanuet and Zimi’s(formerly known as Pete’s) in Pearl River have the best bagels.
Any time I go the bagels taste great.
Stars Bagels in Ardsley always makes hot fresh bagels. When paired with their homemade scallion cream cheese, their bagels cannot be beat. I always give the guys at Stars a tip.
Zimmi’s (formerly Pete’s) Bagels in Pearl River are excellent. The lox is the best I’ve tasted in Rockland.
Without a doubt, Big Apple Bagels in Mt. Kisco is the best. I’m a bagel addict and I can tell you their Super Onion bagel is outrageous. And to whoever posted about Somers bagels…I live in Somers and I will travel way out of my town to get other bagels instead of going there. The bagels there are terrible.
I like bagels. But, why are the plain bagels at so many shops so sweet tasting ? I want ‘bread’ to taste like bread, and not taste sugary.
Zimmy’s! Zimmy’s! Zimmy’s !!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the line out the door is any testament to the popularity,well then the quality has to speak for itself.
With bagels being made in small batches in clear sight,you know the freshness is uncompared.
I have been going to Zimmy’s in Pearl River now as the selection doesn’t stop at hot fresh bagels.The selection of warm muffins,scones and croissants are fantastic…..and ther Lox????Hand carved off a beautiful filet….not the presliced,prefab,commercial kind that most others use.
These guys are the true craftsmen of the “Bagelshop” in wich everyone else are the imitators.
Zimmy’ by far is the CHAMPION and KING of the Golden Bagel Award.
Johndavid Hensley
Wow! This post got such a great response that I’m thinking of doing a story with volunteers for a blind tasting. Anyone up for it?
I am.
We need a good bagel shop here in Peekskill!
Well, Liz,
On your recommendation we tried Nyack HOT Bagels on Saturday morning. Thanks in part to youI think, they were very busy. However, I’ll stay with David’s Bagels of New City. No contest! I did like the Strawberry cream cheese, however!
Try the BLT on an everything bagel there at Nyack Hot Bagels – amazing. We gotta have them every weekend now. My only complaint is that they put too much onion in their tunafish.
I’m always up for a blind tasting. I’d like to add, that Bagel Boys has really good chopped herring. I still haven’t come across a bagel like those I remember growing up. We would get the best bagels on Elmora Ave. in Elizabeth NJ. They were much smaller then the ones you see around these days, a tad bigger then a mini bagel. Dense, yet soft, slightly sweet, with a very thin crust that had a crackly feel as you bit into it. I’d love to find a bagel like that in Rockland.
Zimi’s in Pearl river is great. they make the best everything bagels with NO salt..just the way I like them
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I grew up in Brooklyn and know what a good bagel is. I even used to work in a bagel shop growing up. The best bagels in Rockland Co by far are in Bagel Train. Nyack Bagels definitely comes in second place for me. Bagel Boys, Davids, and Goldbergs don’t make authentic bagels since they use machines and don’t even hot water boil them. They use convection ovens. Bagels aren’t supposed to be sweet and doughy(bagel boys). Bagel train’s are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Nyack bagels just aren’t crispy on the outside. I have to try Zimi’s next but this is how my opinion stands.
I know its been a while since this post but I just had to say-Zimi’s in Pearl River, hands down THE best bagels in the world (at least that I’ve tried). Family from out of town makes it a priority to head to “Pete’s” as we still call it, when they come to town. The lox spread is AWESOME. The bagels are a little crunchy on the outside warm and perfect on the inside. Everything is so fresh and although their muffins can be greasy-I love them!