Bagel Hole

"Bagel Hole refuses to toast, and we respect them immensely for it. This tiny Park Slope shop keeps things plain and simple. They’ve been baking the same 11 flavors of hot kneaded bread since opening in 1985, and our all-time favorite is the everything with cream cheese. It’s the textbook example with a golden brown shell, chewy white center, and crunchy edges that give you a satisfying cracking sound with every bite. Whatever you get, don’t be discouraged by the fact that these run small—that just means you’ll have more room to take down a salt bagel with lox spread and a pumpernickel with butter in one sitting." - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah

"An old school shop in Park Slope known for small, chewy bagels. Cash only."

"This tiny Park Slope bagel shop has been baking the same eleven flavors of hot kneaded bread since it first opened in 1985. Our favorite is the everything with cream cheese, which is a textbook example of a golden-brown shell, chewy white center, and crunchy edges that give you a satisfying cracking sound with every bite." - nikko duren, matt tervooren

"The first thing you should know about Bagel Hole is that under no circumstances can you order a toasted bagel here. They simply will not make it for you. The bagels are so fresh and so good that to toast them would be an insult. Even though the service is pretty brusque and the line can stretch out into the street on weekends, this cash-only spot is still one of our favorite places to get bagels in the five-boroughs. They’re on the smaller side, and the folks here don’t put an entire pound of cream cheese on a single bagel, which makes for a more enjoyable experience overall." - Carina Finn

"Park Slope’s Bagel Hole owner Phil Romanzi says that they’ve had to temporarily change cream cheese suppliers from Philadelphia to James Farm for regular flavors like plain or chive." - Emma Orlow