These 2 Midtown Bagel Spots Named 'Best': Ranking

MIDTOWN-HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — In a neighborhood filled with places to get a classic bagel with a schmear, it's no surprise that two Midtown bagel shops were named among the best in the city.

While some notable bagels (ahem, Liberty Bagels) were absent, two longtime classic spots made the list compiled by Eater NY.

The bagel institutions are both on the east side and should come as no surprise to diehard bagel-heads: Ess-a-Bagel and Tal Bagels.

Since 1976, Ess-a-Bagel has been credited as the originator of the "modern gigantic bagel," writes Eater. After leaving its first location near Stuyvesant Town, the Third Avenue and East 51st Street spot "still slings big, chewy, crusty bagels," says Eater.

On First Avenue and East 54th Street, Tal Bagels is not only known for their fresh and tasty bagels but also for the shop's wide array of salmon varieties, with several choices of lox, nova and smoked salmon — which in a separate article, Eater parses out those exact differences. But if you want to learn firsthand, "Tal Bagels is the place to find out," writes Eater.

Another Hell's Kitchen shop appears on the map, but it appears to be in error since the description says the shop in question, Hudson Bagel, is a "modest, West Village store."