Ess-a-Bagel.

Ess-a-Bagel is the name everyone throws out, and for once the hype is deserved. These are enormous, chewy, properly hand-rolled and kettle-boiled, and the schmear situation is genuinely absurd in the best way. The main Midtown shop sits at 831 Third Avenue between 50th and 51st, and there is a second, faster location at 108 West 32nd Street if you are closer to Herald Square.

Here is the catch, and it is a real one. The Third Avenue line at 8:45 is not a line, it is a phenomenon. I have watched it wrap toward the door. If a better bagel exists in Midtown, I have not found it, but you cannot show up at a quarter to nine and expect to make a nine o’clock meeting. That is not their fault. That is physics.

My move. Get there before 8:15, or go to the 32nd Street location, which runs a tighter, quicker counter and stays open till 7pm daily if you would rather grab one on the way home. The Third Avenue spot runs 6am to 6pm on weekdays. Order the everything with scallion cream cheese and do not overthink it.

Bagel: elite. Line speed: brutal at peak. Verdict: worth being early for, not worth being late for.

831 3rd Avenue between 50th and 51st. Take the 6 to 51st Street.

Ess-a-Bagel makes comically large bagels. Like, significantly bigger than your head. And they pile on toppings like they’re personally offended by the concept of moderation. The cream cheese to bagel ratio here is aggressive in the best possible way. Their hand-rolled bagels are dense, chewy, and satisfying in a way that makes other bagels feel like bread with a hole in it.

The scallion cream cheese is legendary. I’ve seen tourists literally gasp when they get their order because the sandwich is so enormous. This is not a delicate, Instagram-pretty bagel. This is a “you won’t need lunch” bagel. And I mean that as the highest compliment.

Ess-a-Bagel is the bagel that inspired this entire list. My husband I were randomly wandering down 3rd Avenue and couldn’t resist popping in (the smell was intoxicating). Within one bite, we looked at each other and nodded in agreement, these are easily the best bagels in New York City.

In my opinion, Ess-a-Bagel sets the standard for all NYC bagels. The interior is really goodly chewy while the exterior satisfies with a crunchy texture few bagel shops emulate this well. The long lines are warranted, arriving around opening or after 2pm to avoid the longest wait times.