Ess-a-Bagel

"For a bagel with as much puff as it has history, head to Ess-a-Bagel’s original location on 1st Ave. and 19th Street. Now at a few Manhattan outposts, this family-owned business has been churning out highly consistent, quarter plate-sized bagels since 1976. Slightly sweet, these are crisp and chewy in all the right places, and take scallion cream cheese like champions. Their everything looks like it’s frolicked in a meadow full of seasoning, with not a bald spot in sight, and you should eat one in nearby Stuyvesant Square for a perfect start to a New York day. In our taste test, these were the top crowd-pleasers, scoring high on chew and flavor. " - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah

"What is a bagel but an overgrown spare tire of dough and seed, before it receives its consecration of a thick schmear of cream cheese? And nowadays, those cream cheeses come in a wild variety of flavors, including — during a recent inspection of Ess-a-Bagel’s glass refrigerated case — scallion, olive, jalapeno, herb, raisin walnut, avocado garlic, blackberry, oreo, sundried tomato, vegetable, lox, and a dozen others." - Robert Sietsema

"If you want to be early for work, you probably shouldn’t stop at Ess-A-Bagel on your way in. The lines in the morning are always pretty long, but they’re much more manageable at lunch, when you can order breakfast-y things like a bagel with whitefish salad and nova, or lunch sandwiches, like a reuben or the BLT with avocado and Russian dressing." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, matt tervooren

"It’s not controversial to say that Ess-A-Bagel serves the best bagels in Midtown. People around here seem to agree, as evidenced by the lines that stretch out the front door. But the lines move fast, and while you’re waiting you can figure out your order. Get the signature bagel with whitefish salad, or try the pizza bagel if you want to feel like it’s school pizza day. " - team infatuation

"Ess-a-Bagel in Midtown East has turned to distributors other than Philadelphia to maintain its regular cream cheese output of hundreds of pounds per week, according to chief operating officer Melanie Frost." - Emma Orlow