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boop-snoot-boogie t1_j69x7z3 wrote

As a transplant from here to NYC, back to here, back to NYC, and back to here again - as many have said, you’re not going to find the perfect bagel here. Bagel Gourmet, Bagel Express on Broadway are perfectly acceptable. Bagel Gourmet for a BEC, and Bagel Express for a lox special. You can get a bacon egg and cheese at Bagel Express, but the egg and bacon are microwaved so that’s a hard no from me. If you don’t mind making yourself a sandwich, grab a half dozen from either place and diy at home for the closest possible thing.

If you really want a solid bagel sandwich made-to-order, head north and hit up Katz in Chelsea, Kupel’s in Brookline, and I’ll throw Bagelsaurus in Cambridge in there too - not exactly NY style, but very good in its own right.

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FrutaFertil t1_j6d1gne wrote

If you’re talking bagels in Boston I don’t think you have the best spots on your list. Kupel’s bagels are so sad, fluffy and bready and the lox spread has no flavor at all. Bagelsaurus has sourdough bagels with the right chewiness but the sour flavor is too much. The best bagels in Boston are at Exodus. They’re also hated on the Boston sub same as Rebelle… but no doubt the best bagels in the area!

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boop-snoot-boogie t1_j6dditj wrote

I haven't had Exodus, but I'll give em a shot for science. Katz is still my favorite in the area, but I'll admit I only lived there for a year so my conclusion about Boston is that the bagel situation is only slightly better than Providence's - but the NYC gap is just too great. I am surprised to see negativity around Kupel's though - I've gotten a few bacon egg and cheeses on salt bagel and the pump and rye. If you put it next to a BEC from a mediocre Brooklyn shop (Smith St Bagels is my go-to for this comparison - they are very"okay") I might mix them up.

The thing that all of them are missing though is that moist sponginess that lightly dabs away one of those nasty "got to bed at 4:30" hangovers at the crack of noon. They just make fucking weapons-grade bagels in NY and NJ and I don't know why they are so much better, but they just are.

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FrutaFertil t1_j6esu00 wrote

Yeah I mean I guess my vibe is more like… Russ & Daughter style than NYC corner bodega. If you’re looking for a bodega style bagel sandwich Kupel’s is correct for sure.

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boop-snoot-boogie t1_j6i27wb wrote

I mean R&D is clearly superior, but I’m definitely not chasing that dragon round these parts.

Fun fact, while ordering Russ & Daughters on Goldbelly is prohibitively expensive (or at least financially unwise) - Shelsky’s is very close in quality and has reasonable prices, shipped nationwide. For those days you would otherwise break down and buy an Amtrak ticket

https://shelskys.com/shipped/all/

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FrutaFertil t1_j6k8pnf wrote

I have ordered Russ & Daughters on Goldbelly and it's eye-wateringly expensive but worth it. Rebelle scratches the itch for me bagels-wise and they have Acme nova lox which is where R&D gets theirs. I do miss me some lox spread...

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