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Ratings and reviews

Travelers' Choice2022
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

CUISINES
American, Cafe, Fast Food
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Kosher

Location and contact

Midtown East
0.4 miles from Grand Central Terminal
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Reviews (1,768)
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1,391 results
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821
365
137
37
31
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Time of year
LanguageEnglish
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Traveler rating
821
365
137
37
31
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All reviews bagels ny bagel scallion cream cheese nova lox black and white cookies sandwiches breakfast sandwich salmon pastrami salad worth the wait bagel shop skip the line new york whole wheat line out the door long wait
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Reviewed 3 days ago

Never disappoints! The fact this is a short walk from the Kimberly is a super plus; take out bagels with a fantastic view!

Date of visit: March 2023
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Reviewed 5 days ago

This is one of those popular places where the wait is absolutely worth it. When you arrive, there will almost always be a line and you will want to leave, but don't do it. The bagels are fresh and ginormous, there's a multitude of toppings,...and once you do get to the front of the line, everything moves quickly - but you should have time to decide on your order while you wait in line. I love an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, and I also love adding the Spanish eggplant salad if I'm super hungry. You might not finish your bagel, but you'll have leftovers for later. If you want to save time, order bagels in bulk and skip the line. There are some tables if you want to eat here, but not a lot, so I'd recommend taking your bagel to go unless you're lucky enough to get a table.More

Date of visit: May 2022
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Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Huge queue inside and outside but worth the wait as bagels are massive and fillings are fab! Very few seats inside to sit and eat but there’s a very cute little park just around the corner to sit and enjoy your bagels.

Date of visit: May 2022
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Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile

Buy by the dozen ( or less) and skip the line. Go in to the store and go to the back. They sell in bulk back there. Grab some cream cheese from the fridge, get some plastic ware and head to the cashier bypassing the...long line.More

Date of visit: March 2023
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Reviewed 3 weeks ago via mobile

Tricky this one. We were recommended to go to this particular bagel outlet/eatery and there was a queue out of the door when we arrived at breakfast time. We queued for quite a long time (maybe half an hour) and watched the comings and goings...- there were a few tables to sit down and eat but not many given the numbers of people visiting, there was also a pick up point at the back of the shop and so people weee popping in/out just to collect their orders which made everything feel more frenetic. There was a good selection and we went for speciality bagels - a pizza bagel and a pastrami bagel. I’m not sure that I chose particularly well as it was a little sloppy and felt really caloric. I would perhaps have done better with something plainer!More

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed February 12, 2023 via mobile

Enjoyed the experience of queuing and watching how the locals order their bagels. Decided to go for he signature Nova bagel which was delicious. I keep thinking about it even three weeks later. My partner got hot beef bagel but didn’t enjoy it but I...think this was because of a miscommunication when ordering and it wasn’t very hot. Would recommend and go For the signature bagel. Yum!More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed February 11, 2023 via mobile

Ordered a beef and cheese melt but it was lukewarm and after a long wait I couldn’t be bothered to go and complain. My partner has salmon and loved it so I guess I was just unlucky. Coffee wasn’t the best either.

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed January 16, 2023

Well worth a visit, even if there was a large line outside. They are working hard but it takes a while. Some people ordered on line and picked up, but still took us an hour. Not a lot of seating. i didn't see many natives....I asked for no meat on my bagel and they put in on anyway. Still great though.More

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed January 15, 2023 via mobile

Bagels were delicious! We didn't realize we were going to wait 2 hours in line they should have a better system for service.

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed January 9, 2023 via mobile

Found this gem the day before the end of our trip. There was a long line outside so we knew it had to be good. There is limited seating inside and by the time we ordered there was a table available. I bought bagels to...bring home too.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed January 4, 2023 via mobile

Very good bagel ! Only 6$ and you have a big amount of cream cheese. I tried the signature bagel and i loved it. There was a long lone but it went by quickly.

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed December 31, 2022 via mobile

Amazing! Huge line to get a sandwich (an hour?), but local gave a tip - if you just want to but some loose bagels and prepackaged cream cheese just walk in, go to very back. No wait required :) got regular cream cheese and three...sesame bagels and they were fantastic, still warm 10 minutes later when we ate then our hotel room… could watch them boiling the bagels…More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed December 29, 2022 via mobile

Very poorly run business. One cashier. We waited at least 45 to get in doors, to see another long line inside which would have been another 30 minutes. Ridiculous! The manager sitting on the side on a computer giving orders looking at her screen and...not helping. No bagel is worth 1.5 hour wait!More

Date of visit: December 2022
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Reviewed December 28, 2022 via mobile

I’m sure there are bagels out there that are just as good as these without the line. There was no customer service at all. The man who took my order asked me to repeat it twice as he wasn’t listening (or didn’t care). They all...seemed to be taking their own sweet time with each bagel which might be why the lines are so long. I can understand other reviews where it said they loved the vibes? The vibes here are lines of people treated like a production line themselves while the workers shell out standard bagels without a smile or friendly conversation. Can’t really understand the hype. The bread was fresh but I’m sure it is in other local friendly bagel delis that need supporting?More

Date of visit: December 2022
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Reviewed December 27, 2022

Best bagels we ever had. We somehow managed to avoid the busier times, although we probably were in line about 20 minutes. The place had a great atmosphere, friendly staff even if they were busy. As a tourist it was kind of scary to order,...but I made sure I had my order ready by the time I got to the guy.More

Date of visit: July 2022
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Questions & Answers
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coleydj
November 17, 2019|
AnswerShow all 13 answers
Response from sunnyboy9 | Reviewed this property |
For sure. That’s what they did for mine
0
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Elise R
March 11, 2019|
AnswerShow all 5 answers
Response from Haddon P | Reviewed this property |
we saw numerous people come in and pick up orders big and small.
1
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SueGodwin
October 26, 2016|
AnswerShow all 8 answers
Response from Amanda B | Reviewed this property |
They have pumpernickel raisin bagels! Not sure about plain pumpernickel.
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ESS-A-BAGEL, New York City - 831 3rd Ave, Midtown East - Menu & Prices - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Ess-a-Bagel

Yes, Ess-a-Bagel offers takeout services.

Yes, Ess-a-Bagel offers delivery services.

Ess-a-Bagel is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 3.5