Best Bagels Restaurants in Upper West Side (Central)
7 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Modern Bread and Bagel
Serious gluten-free baking that feels like a destination café, not a compromise.
Notable Picks
8.6
Modern Bread and Bagel is a 100% gluten-free, kosher bakery-café where bagels, cinnamon buns, and pastries are made with serious technique rather than marketed as substitutes. The Upper West Side location doubles as a brunch and lunch spot, with baked goods, sandwiches, and breads that draw both gluten-free diners and everyone else.
Must-Try Dishes:
Gluten-Free Bagels, Cinnamon Bun, Chocolate Babka Loaf
What Makes it Special: Serious gluten-free baking that feels like a destination café, not a compromise.
#2
Zabar's
8.5
Zabar's combines a landmark appetizing store with a busy upstairs café where bagels, smoked fish, and coffee fuel classic Upper West Side breakfasts. Regulars treat it as a one-stop morning ritual, grabbing lox sandwiches, blintzes, and baked goods before or after shopping the market downstairs.
Must-Try Dishes:
Toasted bagel with Nova lox, Cheese blintzes with sour cream, Smoked fish platter
What Makes it Special: Iconic appetizing market with an upstairs café for classic lox breakfasts.
8.3
Vibes:
Brunch Bliss Spots
Cheap Eats Budget Brilliance
Quick Bites Champions
Solo Dining Sanctuaries
Broad Nosh Bagels is a high-output neighborhood bagel shop known for big, chewy New York–style bagels, loaded breakfast sandwiches, and a long cream-cheese lineup. The Broadway space runs on constant lines, takeaway orders, and a few indoor and sidewalk seats that make it an easy grab-and-go stop before a park walk or commute.
Must-Try Dishes:
Everything Bagel with scallion cream cheese, Broad Nosh Special breakfast sandwich (egg, avocado, cream cheese), Norwegian smoked salmon (Nova lox) bagel
What Makes it Special: Bustling Broadway bagel shop with hand-rolled bagels and a deep sandwich menu.
The Upper West Side Orwashers outpost extends the century-old bakery’s bread credentials into bagels, morning sandwiches, and coffee. It’s less of a pure bagel shop and more of a bakery café, but the bagels, spreads, and smoked fish options make it a strong choice when you want a bagel alongside excellent bread and pastries.
Must-Try Dishes:
Sesame bagel with cream cheese, Bagel with smoked salmon and tomato, Freshly baked sourdough or rye loaf to take home
What Makes it Special: Historic New York bakery bringing serious bread chops to its bagels and breakfast sandwiches.
#5
PopUp Bagels
8
Fresh, hand‑rolled bagels with creative schmears and reliably chewy texture make PopUp Bagels a local favorite for grab‑and‑go breakfasts and casual brunch stops on the Upper West Side.
Must-Try Dishes:
Everything Bagel with Seasonal Schmear, Sesame with Scallion Cream Cheese, Salt Bagel with Lox & Capers
What Makes it Special: Fresh bagels with inventive schmears and consistent quality.
Worthy Picks
#6
Bagels & Co
7.9
Vibes:
Cheap Eats Budget Brilliance
Family Friendly Favorites
Quick Bites Champions
Solo Dining Sanctuaries
Bagels & Co is a long-running kosher dairy bagel shop at 79th and Amsterdam that serves hand-rolled bagels, classic spreads, and a surprisingly broad menu of dairy plates. It’s the kind of counter-service spot neighborhood regulars use for quick bagel breakfasts, coffee, and simple lunches with a kosher certificate.
Must-Try Dishes:
Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, Nova lox and cream cheese bagel sandwich, Toasted sesame bagel with tuna salad
What Makes it Special: Kosher neighborhood bagel counter balancing traditional New York bagels with a dairy-focused menu.
#7
Bagel Talk
7.5
Bagel Talk is an old-school, cash-friendly bagel counter where griddles, egg sandwiches, and simple bagel-and-schmear orders drive steady morning traffic. Quality can be a bit uneven, but early-morning regulars still use it for inexpensive, no-frills breakfast sandwiches in a narrow, takeout-focused space.
Must-Try Dishes:
Bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel, Plain bagel with scallion cream cheese, Sesame bagel with tuna salad
What Makes it Special: Old-school neighborhood bagel counter turning out classic griddle sandwiches at low prices.