Big Beautiful Bagels (Part 2)
If you have yet to catch up on season 1 of Dakota trying bagels and then poorly describing them, check this out first.
Before giving reviews to my favourite dish of all time, I would like to pay a quick tribute to Anthony Bourdain. Growing up in Indonesia, CNN was my gateway into world affairs. Oftentimes, sandwiched in between breaking news stories, I would find myself mesmerized by the shows and segments that featured Bourdain. His ability to cut through the noise and have an honest conversation with anyone over a delicious meal painted a picture of the kind of person I wanted to be when I grew up. In a sense, the process of making, eating, and sharing food is an art form akin to that of music, cinema, sports, literature, and more. Having grown up a picky eater, I never truly appreciated the power of sharing a good meal with a stranger; that all changed when I was in high school. During a football tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, I was hosted by a Japanese family and they served me all sorts of dishes I had never tried before. Hungry after playing multiple matches that day and not wanting to offend my great hosts, I dug into unfamiliar fare and have never looked back. Anyways, these reviews, are my way to connect to Bourdain, to my Jewish heritage, to the friends I shared these meals with, and to the city I adore.
Court Street Bagels (Cobble Hill - Brooklyn, NY)
The video speaks for itself (literally). This is a great spot in a charming neighborhood in Brooklyn. If you want juicy and chewy, this is your go-to spot. It’s an unpretentious locale, with quick and friendly service. Before my Sunday league matches on Pier 5, I’ll try and stop by to get a prematch bite. Each time I’ve gotten a bagel from here before playing, I have ended up scoring during the football match later. Correlation? It must be.
Bagel Pub (Crown Heights - Brooklyn, NY)
Want more proof about my Court Street bagel theory? Look no further than this video; I had a bagel from Bagel Pub before my most recent match and did not score. This is science, people. Jokes aside, this was a good bagel. If you’re looking for a solid, standard, and maybe even, somewhat sublime experience, then Bagel Pub should be on your list. They also had great iced tea. The ingredients were up to snuff and despite being very busy, the service and order time was quite quick. Doing the camera work, Elisabeth had a pumpernickel bagel with butter, which she enjoyed but declined to comment further on, given that this is not her regular go-to order.
La Bagel Delight (Park Slope - Brooklyn, NY)
If I didn’t end up skateboarding and playing catch, with my friend Dan, after eating this bagel, I probably would’ve forgotten that I ever ate this bagel. I know both Dan and I said this was a 7/10 experience but after a few more bites, we downgraded to a 5 or 6 out of 10. This bagel was not the best nor was it the worst. It was average and I don’t think I can say more than that. They got my bagel order wrong, which didn’t help my impression. Dan’s key comment about the eggs being overdone was emblematic of the whole experience as the bagels themselves were quite good but the additional elements ended up subtracting from the bagel as opposed to complementing it.
Zucker’s (Upper West Side - Manhattan, NY)
Similar to the experience at La Bagel Delight, Zucker’s did not meet my expectations. The service was lackluster despite the quality of the lox being great. Even though this was an afternoon bagel it still had a decent consistency. The biggest letdown, as I discovered after filming this video, is that there was cream cheese in my bagel. Not a lot but not a little either. Either they were putting the bagel together with the same utensils that they were scooping up the cream cheese with for other bagels or they were just not careful throughout the whole process, this bagel made me feel sick, which is a shame. I had higher expectations for this establishment.
Bagel World (Park Slope - Brooklyn, NY)
Quick guest review by Mariana:
She got an egg bagel with egg, cheese, tomato, onion, and hot sauce (Dakota: This looks awesome!). The bagel had a really good texture - not too hard on the outside while being soft and chewy on the inside. A good amount of seasoning. The overall meal was not too heavy. The price was reasonable and the service was good. She would definitely return here again and her typical order usually includes avocado.
Gramercy Bagel (Gramercy Park - Manhattan, NY)
This joint had the opposite review from Zucker’s. The bagel, avocado, and capers were tasty but the lox felt like it had been sitting out too long or was not fully defrosted. It was a tough chew, which made the overall experience feel disjointed as I had to pause in between several bites to properly chew on the fish. It’s a nice local spot but it probably will not be my local spot.
Any recommendations for future bagel reviews? Should I review something else? Let me know!
Other great food!
Below are some shots from some other great meals that I have been fortunate enough to enjoy this year, thus far. From Shake Shack in Madison Square Park to Sushi in Denver, and a big breakfast in Atlanta, I’ll never forget where my own food journey started. One quiet evening in bustling Bangkok, with my host family.
“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you.”
