Apollo Bagels

"We’ve got a new-age space race brewing between Pop-Up Bagels and Apollo Bagels, which are each opening locations at an astonishing pace. Just five months after their initial East Village launch, Apollo has a second location across town in the West Village. Expect long lines for their bubbly sourdough bagels." - will hartman

"Bagels "I love Apollo Bagels and get them nearly every weekend. There is something really special about a good sourdough bagel. I like to bring a couple extra home to freeze for the week in case I have a spontaneous Wednesday bagel craving and don’t have time to run out and get one. I like to bring a sesame bagel back to my apartment, toast it, and eat half with peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, banana and flaky salt, and the other with a vegan cream cheese, smashed avocado, sliced tomatoes, EVOO, lemon zest, and za’atar." - brennan carley

"Apollo Bagels is a minimalist bagel shop. There’s nowhere to sit and only three kinds of bagels available (plain, sesame, and everything). One thing about running a bagel shop that way? It takes a great product. The bagels are sour and bubbly, with a nice, crunchy exterior. The options for toppings include tomato, cream cheese, and peanut butter and jam — so if you’re looking for a bacon, egg, and cheese, you’ll have to try Tompkins Square Bagels a block away." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff

"Apollo in the East Village is a bagel shop with the look of a clean industrial kitchen. You won’t find crates of bagels cooling in a display case up front, or an entirely separate and (hopefully) refrigerated case of schmears and smoked fish salads. But you will find bagels served hot out of the oven that make a sound like popping bubble wrap as you tear into them, burning your fingers in the process. Apollo started as a pop-up from the sourdough pizza experts at Leo, and their bagels are tangy, chewy, and structurally sound enough to hold up their loaded whitefish and lox sandwiches—though we'd recommend ordering your bagel with a separate tub of cream cheese. Remember to breathe while having a primal bread moment on the sidewalk." - willa moore, neha talreja, hannah albertine, will hartman

"Apollo Bagels, which started as a pop-up from the sourdough-pizza folks at Leo in Williamsburg, has a permanent home in the East Village, and we’re so thankful that they do. The industrial-looking counter is a bit of a scene—especially on the weekends—but once you get your order, and your clothes are perfumed with everything seasoning, you’ll forget that you didn’t wake up early enough to beat out the crowd. You can get a very good bagel sandwich here (they offer versions with lox or whitefish spread), but we'd suggest ordering a plain, an everything, or a sesame bagel, and getting a tub of scallion cream cheese alongside for ad-hoc, knifeless schmearing. Served hot out of the oven, the bagels are crusty and burnished, as if sun-kissed by Apollo himself. The insides are craggy and chewy, like a really good sourdough loaf, with a little tang. This is bagel that you may never be able to cut in half, because by the time you get to your kitchen, you’ll have eaten the entire thing, rip by savage rip. photo credit: Will Hartman" - Will Hartman