New York Style Bagels and New York City (2024)

A recipe for New York Style Bagels inspired by our visit to New York City! These soft and chewy bagels are boiled briefly on each side, then baked until golden.

Disclosure: I received a ticket to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

I visited New York City for the first time last monthwith Chad to celebrate our anniversary. We only had two days so I didn’t get to see everything on my list, but we still managed to fit in quite a lot.

Today, I am featuring a recipe for New York Style Bagels along with our experiences (updated over the past few years) at the9/11 Memorial and Museum, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Battery Park.

Check out the rest of our visits to New York City:

• New York Style Pizza and New York City
• Black and White Cookies and New York City
• Chocolate Hazelnut Babka and New York City
• S’mores Macarons and New York City
• Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies and New York City
• Xiao Long Bao (Chinese Soup Dumplings) and New York City
• Matcha Lava Cake and New York City

Ess-a-Bagel

We started our day with a quick stop to Ess-a-Bagelfor bagels. It was only a 5 minute walk fromour hotel (The Lexington) in Midtown. I have heard that lines can get long, but we wereluckyon a drizzly, early Sunday morning.

I had a plain bagel with egg and cheese while Chad had one with a thick layerof cream cheese. It was one of the best bagels I have ever triedand definitely the perfect way to start the day.

Along with bagels with a variety of toppings and spreads, Ess-A-Bagel also servessalads, sandwiches, soups, knishes, desserts, and more.

Dominique Ansel Bakery

From Ess-a-Bagel, we made our way to Lower Manhattan and stopped by the Dominque Ansel Bakery on Spring Street.

The space inside the bakery itself is small with only a couple of tables. Lines form outside early for the Cronut with groups of around 10 being let inside at a time.

If you won’t be ordering a Cronut, then you can bypass the line and walk right into the bakery.

We picked out theDKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann), Nutella Milk Bread, and Frozen S’mores.

The Kouign Amann is a Bretonpastry made in a similar manner to a croissant to create flaky layers with acaramelized crust. The Frozen S’mores are madeby wrapping a honey marshmallow around firm Tahitian vanilla ice cream and chocolate wafer crisps. It is torched to order and served on a smoked willow wood branch.

If you do want a Cronut, be sure to arrive early. They often sell out. The one available flavor changesevery month. In March, it was Blackberry Brown Sugar with Toffee and the current flavor is Raspberry Earl Grey with with Earl Grey Sugar.

I actually have Dominique Ansel’s cookbook, but haven’t tried any of the recipes yet. I can’t wait to recreate the Frozen S’mores at home.

9/11 Memorial & Museum

The 9/11 Museum & Memorialis located over 8 of the 16 acres of the World Trade Center and recognizes the2,983 people who were killed in the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 attacks.

As you walk towards the Memorial, One World Trade Center dominates the skyline. It was completed in October 2014 and is now the tallest building in the western hemisphere and sixth tallest in the world at 1,776 feet and 104 stories.

We did not go inside, but there is an enclosed observation deck on the 100th floor.

Check the museum for current pricing.

Admission is free for members, 9/11 family members, active/retired US military, 9/11 rescue and recovery workers, ages 6 and under, and the public from 5:30 pm to close on Mondays (first come, first serve).

The Memorial plaza outside of the museum was designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker andholds the two reflecting pools where the original twin towers once stood.

The edges of the pools have the names of the 2,983 people etched aroundthe sides. We saw white roses on a few of the names and later found out that they are placed by staff every morning for those who have a birthday that day.

The poolsare each nearly an acre in size and havethe largest manmade waterfalls in North America (30 feet). Theyare surrounded by hundreds of swamp white oak trees.

After spending some time at the memorial, we made our way to the museum. Tickets to go inside are timed-entry withno re-entry allowed once you are inside. There is a security line at the entrance.

When visiting, please be respectful as this area is for remembrance and quiet reflection. Refer to the rules and regulations before visiting.

Oversized strollers are not allowed. Note that some sections may not be appropriate for those under the age of 10.

After passing through security, we walked down the stairs to the exhibits. We weresurrounded by the flags of the 99 countries with victims affected by the attacks to signify the global impact.

The Tridents (photo above) are two 80-foot tall columns that once formed part of the outside of the North Tower. Both towers had 84 of these columns each to form the perimeter of the first five stories.

It took us about 2 hours to walk through the museum and its exhibits. The nonprofit foundationhas over 60,000 items with more than 900 personal objects on display in the 110,000 square feet of exhibition space.

We were surrounded by the heart and foundations of the two towers. The exhibits tookus through the events of the day from the unfolding of the news broadcasts to the answering machine recordings and radio dispatches of the victims, and the immediate and subsequent aftermath including health effects of the survivors.

The massive Foundation Hall with 40-60 foot ceilings houses the slurry wall (photo above), a retaining wall that withstood the collapse of the towers, and the Last Column.

The 36-foot high Last Column was the last steel beam to be removed from the site inMay 2002 and is covered by memorials, notes, and other mementoes from ironworkers, rescue personnel and others.

The exhibit,“In Memoriam” (not photographed), featuresthe portraits of most of the victims along with biographical information, quotes, interviews from family members and friends, and personal items.

Overall, this was an incredibly soberingand emotional experience. The personal touches were particularly moving and I definitely recommend including the site on a trip to New York City.

Hudson Eats

Just a quick 5 minute walk from the World Trade Center is Hudson Eats, a large food court inside Brookfield Place with views of the Hudson River.

There were plenty of upscale counter-service restaurants to choose from including Black Seed Bagel, Chop’t, Dos Toros Taqueria, Num Pang, Sprinkles, and more.

There are a variety of seating options and even a few high chairs.

Chad picked out the Rice Bowl from Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar while I had the Pork Dumplings and Chicken Wonton Noodle Soup from Northern Tiger (closed).

Everything was delicious and perfect for holding us over while we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Battery Park

Seaglass Carousel

During our latest (2023) visit to NYC, we stopped by Seaglass Carousel. This whimsical fish-themed carousel opened on August 20, 2015 and is just a short walk from the South Ferry Subway Station.

Tickets are available in person only. Hours may vary based on the season and weather.

The theme of the carousel was inspired by Battery Park’s New York Aquarium (opened in 1896 in now Castle Clinton and closed in 1941, now located on Coney Island).

The interior is made up of iridescent fish with the shapes of Threadfin Butterflyfish, Clown Triggerfish, Regal Angelfish, Betta, Clearfin Lionfish, and more.

Statue of Liberty

If you are able to find a spot, go to the top of the boat and along the rail on the right side towards the back. This will give you the best views of the Statue of Liberty and the skyline of Manhattan.

On our boat, everyone rushed to the left side to get the first views of the monument, but you can get great shots on the right as the boat turns.

The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island in the New York Harbor with Ellis Island a short boat ride away. It can only be accessed throughStatue Cruises.

The ferries depart from Battery Park in NYC and Liberty State Park in New Jersey.

When returning back to either location, make sure you boardthe correct ferry.

We didn’t plan our trip until about a month before our visit, but you can order the Crown Access tickets if scheduling many weeks in advance.

They are limited to four per cardholder and children must be at least 4 feet tall. It is a 20 story walk up to the Crown, 162 steps up a spiral staircase, so plan accordingly.

Before entering the pedestal and crown, all food and backpacks must be stored in lockers.

See Also

New York City Weekend For Foodies - Picky Palate Best Food in NYC!

We had tickets to enter the Pedestal with wonderful close-up views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the skyline of Manhattan, New Jersey, and the surrounding New York Harbor.

Ellis Island

From Liberty Island, we took the ferry to Ellis Island. No additional ticket is required to enter the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.

Ellis Island was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. The Registry Room (photographed above) would fill with up to 5,000 new arrivals a day.

I loved the amount of detail included in the three stories of the museum. You will learn about the process immigrants went through on Ellis Island from inspections and medical screenings to legal hearings and the steps to citizenship.

The first floor takes you through the history from 1550 to the present including first hand accounts and stories with interactive media and hands-on exhibits.

The Treasures from Home exhibit was also fascinatingwith everyday and favorite items from the peak immigration period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Have family that immigrated through Ellis Island? You can search for their records.

Brooklyn Bridge

After arriving back in Battery Park, we took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge stationfor a couple of quick photos.

We didn’t have time to walk all the way across the bridge, but hope to explore Brooklyn on our next trip.

New York Style Bagels

I wanted to try making my own New York Style Bagels following our trip since Evan started requesting them after seeing the photos from Ess-a-Bagel!

After bringing together the yeast-based dough and allowing to rise until doubled, the pieces are formed into the notable bagel shape, set aside to rest one last time, then boiled briefly on each side and baked until golden.

The resulting soft and chewy bagels are best within a few hours after baking and perfect on their own or as a sandwich base.

A Few New York Style Bagel Tips

This particular versiononly requires a couple of hours, but there are others that take a day or two of prep to get an even more perfect texture.

The dough should be moist enough to come together, but still firm/stiff. The exact amount of flour and water required may vary based on time of year and region.

In a warm kitchen, the first rise should take about one hour to double in size. During the winter with cooler temperatures, it sometimes takes closer to 2 hours.

The bagels can be formed using two different methods. I generally prefer to roll each piece into a smooth ball, then poke a hole in the center and stretch the dough into a ring until the hole is about 1-2 inch (2.5-5 centimeters) wide.

You can also roll the piece of dough into a rope, then attach the ends to form the ring. If using this method, make sure the ends are well sealed to keep them from separating during the baking process.

Take care when adding the malt syrup and baking soda to the boiling water. The mixture may bubble up, especially if the pot is too small.

Boil the New York Style Bagels in batches to prevent overcrowding and lowering the water temperature. I usually boil two at a time in a large pot.

When boiling the bagels, cook on each side for 2 minutes. This will help develop that notable chewy texture and shiny exterior. Gently use a large slotted spoon to transfer them back to the baking sheet.

The texture of these New York Style Bagels are best the day they are baked, but leftovers will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.

Notable Ingredients

I added malt syrup to the dough plus a few more tablespoons to the boiling water. Malt syrup is an extract syrup from sprouted barely and adds a characteristic flavor to the bagels.

It is available in some specialty baking stores, larger supermarkets, or online: Barley Malt Syrup.

Serving Ideas

These New York Style Bagels can easily be customized based on personal taste.

After boiling, you can brush the bagels with egg white and top with desired spices or leave them plain. I usually make a variety with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and Everything Bagel Seasoning. Other options include onion flakes, garlic, flaky sea salt, or even cinnamon sugar.

The egg and cheese sandwich at Ess-a-Bagel was a favorite for me, so I made a similar one at home. Chad had his bagels with whipped cream cheese and lox.

The kids usually prefer Nutella.

New York Style Bagels Recipe

Adapted from Sophisticated Gourmet