This morning, in a moment of absolute craving, Shannon and I decided to start hunting for good bagels in and around Brookline; the web page we found provides not only what seems to be a good list of Boston bagel shops, but also a good explanation of the difference between Boston-style bagels and New York-style ones. Of course (being that I’m a New York bagel snob) my favorite part of the page was:
David Lewis’s mini bagel FAQ:
Q. Does Bruegger’s make good bagels?
A. No.
Q. Does Dunkin’ Donuts make good bagels?
A. No.
Q. Does Einstein Brothers make good bagels?
A. No, but the stores are hip and trendy, so people claim to like their bagels.
The problem with the list is that there aren’t any New York-style places in Brookline; does anyone else have suggestions?
If you want New York style bagels in Boston:
1. Take the Acela Express to New York City.
2. Buy bagels
3. Eat bagels.
4. Take the Acela Express to Boston.
5. Repeat at needed.
This is very similar to the advice on how to get good BBQ in New York City.
• Posted by: Sam Greenfield on Sep 14, 2003, 2:02 PMOr perhaps you need to drive up to Montreal.
• Posted by: dan on Sep 14, 2003, 2:24 PMIf you do find any decent NYC-style bagels (or for that matter, knishes) around Brookline, let me know!
• Posted by: adamg on Sep 14, 2003, 7:19 PMi have not found any good bagel places off of the east coast, or pizza places either! i think the best pizza i had while in Seattle WA. was at this little place in the U-district… some Indian name…DAMNIT! i hate i when i can’t remember things like this!!!
• Posted by: JACOB on Sep 15, 2003, 5:51 PMTry Rosenfelds bagels in Newton Center, they come close to being real NY Bagels. In general, once you cross over the Conneticut border, bagels, corned beef, etc. go bad and thats just something you have live with up here in Boston. You would think with all the research and PhDs at Harvard and MIT that someone could figure out how to solve this problem, but obviously they do not have the capacity to get it done.
• Posted by: Stanley on Sep 17, 2003, 10:42 PMJake’s dad buys H&H bagels from Kupel’s Bakery in Brookline. They are mmmm goood! :) Now you have to find a bagel place in San Diego for me!
• Posted by: Karen on Sep 18, 2003, 12:20 AMIs there a “Finagle-A-Bagel” in Brookline? I know there is in Chestnut Hill (Rt 9 near Hammond, Movie Theater, Figs, Star). They’re quite good. Myth says that the owner went to NYC with buckets of water from Boston (legend had it NY Bagels were NY bagels due to the water) and made his bagels, and people said they were just as good as NYC. Er, something. I’m sure its on their site. Their toppings are very good too.
• Posted by: ~brian on Sep 18, 2003, 12:24 AMnew york style bagels? those poofy things? pffttt! what you want are montreal style bagels. they are the bomb!
• Posted by: heather on Sep 18, 2003, 1:52 PMBagel Rising, at 1243 Comm Ave is pretty good, if memory serves (I haven’t been to Boston in over two years).
• Posted by: Andrew Turley on Sep 18, 2003, 2:09 PMKupel’s on Harvard, though I don’t know about “NY Style” since I wasn’t aware there was a difference. But Kupel’s was always considered the best when I lived in Brookline. It’s right outside Coolidge Corner. Let me know how they compare.
• Posted by: megnut on Sep 19, 2003, 10:53 AMHey there are H & H bagels boiled and shipped to Arlington and baked daily in their ovens starting around 4AM you can have a hot one in your hand by 4:30 or 5AM. They are open every day but Christmas day. They also have some really excellent home made cream chese and one with Lox bits mixed in. To die for. Yes and a truly superb egg and cheese or with bacon or sausage cooked on a grille. Get there early though because they close at around 2pm.
• Posted by: Vicky on Mar 13, 2004, 11:12 AM