A few doors down at 260 West 35th, Liberty Bagels is the loud, colorful one.
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A few doors down at 260 West 35th, Liberty Bagels is the loud, colorful one. Yes, they do the rainbow bagels and the over-the-top stuffed situations that end up on Instagram. Roll your eyes if you want. Underneath the theatrics is a legitimately good hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagel, and the line moves faster than the crowd out front would suggest.
Here is my honest downside for this one. If you order one of the maximalist creations, you have blown your speed advantage, because those take a minute to build. What to skip if you are on a clock. The stunt bagels. Order a plain everything with a normal schmear and you are in and out. Save the strawberry-cream-cheese rainbow thing for a lazy Saturday.
Weekday hours run 6am to 5pm. It is genuinely fun, which counts for something on a gray Midtown morning.
Bagel: good and underrated. Line speed: fast if you order simple. Verdict: keep it plain on weekdays.