Ess-a-Bagel

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#278 of 12,361 Restaurants in New York City$, American, Cafe, Vegetarian friendly

+1 212-980-1010+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

6:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Mon

6:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Tue

6:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Wed

6:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Thu

6:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Fri

6:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Sat

6:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,823 reviews

#278 of 12,361 Restaurants in New York City

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

American, Cafe, Fast Food

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Kosher

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

features

Location and contact

831 3rd Ave, New York City, NY 10022-7532

Midtown East

+1 212-980-1010

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Details

Manage this business?

CUISINES

American, Cafe, Fast Food

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Kosher

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

FEATURES

Delivery, Takeout, Seating, Wheelchair Accessible, Accepts Credit Cards

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4.5

1,823 reviews

Excellent

1,009

Very good

525

Average

193

Poor

Terrible

Anne O

Kennesaw3816 contributions

Good Bagels, Long Wait

Nov 2019 • none

This small shop offers a nice selection of chewy bagels with a variety of toppings if you don't mind the wait. Sandwiches and desserts are available, too. Seating is cramped, so I would recommend take out if possible. It captures a taste of New York and is worth a visit if you have the time.

Written January 7, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mzfitz31

New Hampshire12 contributions

Real NY Bagel

Feb 2020 • none

I wanted to finally have a real NY bagel so I did research and found Ess-a-Bagel. My husband went in one line and order two sliced, warm bagels with cream cheese on them and I went to the express line and ordered a dozen assorted bagels to take home to share with family and friends. We both thought the staff was friendly and helpful and these were the best bagels we've ever had.

Written February 10, 2020

sophljones

Bristol5 contributions

Not what was expected

Dec 2019 • couples

We were very excited to try this place as it is very popular and well known...we queued for about 40 minutes which was fine as it added to the atmosphere and excitement! It smelt lovely inside and was very busy! We paid about $34 for two bagels and a drink, I had the lux and my partner had the pepe. Both were delicious but due to how hard they were, it made them very difficult to eat and we ended up tearing at them due to how tough and chewy they were.

Written January 2, 2020

Shampeu

Northbrook455 contributions

Tourist trap

Jan 2020 • none

We decided to bite the bullet and wait in line to see what the appeal was surrounding Ess-a-Bagel. What a huge disappointment. We waited for 45 minutes for terrible service, expensive prices, and average food. The garlic bagel with cream cheese and lox was $14.50. There was a little cream cheese and very little lox. I ordered mine with capers, which was 75 cents extra. I received three small caper berries. My husband ordered a bagel with two hard boiled eggs. They were out of hard boiled eggs so instead he ordered two scrambled egg whites. They wanted to charge him for an egg white sandwich because they couldn’t figure out how to charge him for the scrambled egg whites. He refused to pay the extra amount. They then got more hard boiled eggs from somewhere. The staff was rude and inflexible for a simple item like egg whites. I would never go back.

Written January 20, 2020

Florence M

16 contributions

Tasty bagels, long queue

Dec 2019 • couples

We went to this shop at about 9am in the hope that the queue we had read about wouldn’t be too long... when we arrived it was out the door! We waited around 45 minutes until we reached the front of the queue. We had 1 bagel, 1 sandwich and 2 coffees and the total came to over $30 dollars. The bagels were excellent, really tasty and packed with fillings. Perhaps not worth the price, but I think you also pay for the experience as this shop is famous in NYC and has been branded by many as having “the best bagels in NYC”. We also managed to get a seat in the very busy seating area which was great. We did notice that there was an express line that you could be served at instantly, but this only offered cream cheese bagels. This may be worth considering if you don’t want to wait. The staff were very abrupt, but overall a good experience if you don’t mind a long wait.

Written January 5, 2020

Hannah18297

Blaenau Gwent64 contributions

Great bagel, awful service!

Feb 2020 • none

We visited today after reading great things online, the bagel itself was really tasty with a lot of choice but it just about ends there. I have no issue waiting in line, there were a lot of people serving and the line moved at a reasonable pace. I was given the wrong order, and was missing a drink. When I questioned it I was ignored and the guy serving me walked off to serve someone else. I brought it up with the cashier who claimed I must’ve ordered wrong and didn’t do anything at all about it. I then waited almost ten extra minutes for them to make my drink which was also wrong, I’d paid for a large and got a regular. The staff I dealt with behind the counter were so rude and had zero customer service skills so I just gave up and left as it was so appalling. On the way out I heard someone else complaining about wrong items and then the cashier shouting at another customer. I was a manager in a hospitality environment for a number of years in the past and I would be mortified if any of our staff behaved in that way, if you’re thinking about visiting save yourself the hassle and find somewhere else in the area.

Written February 9, 2020

Camilla C

Sydney90 contributions

Nice bagels, rude staff...go to Tal instead

Jan 2020 • friends

Nice bagels with something for everyone however the staff are terribly rude. We ordered bagels for pick up this morning and whilst they were nice, they were cold and I was grunted at by an incredibly rude woman who clearly hates her job/life (it was 7.30am....far too early to be so revolting to customers). On the other hand, Tal bagels is a short walk away on 1st and 54th and I would highly recommend them over Essa. The bagels are every bit as good as is the selection and the staff and friendly and obliging. Tal is also a traditional jewish bakery just like Essa Bagel so no difference really!

Written January 3, 2020

fuzzy09

New Jersey65 contributions

Stale and overpriced

Dec 2020 • family

It’s a rare occasion to actually say that something is the worst thing you’ve eaten in a long time but today’s visit was that. The bagel and cream cheese was stale, cold and $3.65. A slice of tomato .90. $12.10 for a bagel with whitefish, cream cheese and a tomato. It was all overpriced and stale. Service was quick though and the workers were nice enough

Written December 1, 2020

joelkevin

Mechanicsville54 contributions

Man Eats Bagel...!

Feb 2020 • none

Went to Ess...ordered a bagel. I ate it. It was very, very good. I had the signature bagel. Lox, tomato, red onion, caper, and cream cheese...on an everything bagel for a reasonable price. Lot's of food. Limited seating (when the place is busy). Lot's of variety here...great deli place. I'd go again.

Written February 14, 2020

zodreb

New York City190 contributions

not worth the huge line

Jun 2022 • none

I'm a local and I my company buys us a big stack of ess a bagels every single morning for breakfast. So I have had all the flavors very many times. When I first grabbed my free morning bagel for the first month, I noted that the bagels were nice and slightly larger than I'm used to, but nothing to write home about. It's a good bagel, you can't say much more than that. So imagine my surprise when one day I saw our company's invoice with the delivery and the receipt said they are Ess a Bagels. The point is that there almost always a giant line in front of this store and it's ridiculous. When I first saw the line I couldn't comprehend why there was a line there. I thought maybe it was for the next door business or perhaps there was some kind of event going on. But no, everyone was going into the bagel shop. Maybe they were giving away free bagels or something, I thought. No, I've since passed by and seen this line tons of times and I cannot for the life of me understand why people wait for a bagel that is basically average or slightly above average. Not only that but apparently their bagels are so good that you have to have them untoasted. No. I've had them untoasted and toasted and I'm sorry to tell you less than intelligent hype following zombies out there that they are fine both ways but toasted is probably better. I have one every morning and I'm cooking them in our toaster every time now. Don't believe the hype, don't waste your time. The bagels are nice but not "wait in line for an hour" nice. Certainly if you can find them outside of amusement park length line hours, give them a try. Frankly I've had better bagels at other famous bagel shops in other parts of the city and not waited. If you're a tourist, seriously just get your bagel at any good bagel shop and it will be very good, don't make pilgrimage to this just because you heard it was "amazing." If you wait an hour just for a bagel that is maybe 15 - 20% larger than the standard bagel then I don't know what to say to a person like that.

Written June 16, 2022

Cocktailess

Follifoot13 contributions

Long lines and not too friendly

Dec 2022 • solo

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?

Written December 28, 2022

Ben B

Minneapolis120 contributions

No lines late afternoon

Oct 2022 • none

When you are getting a bagel, cream cheese, and lox anywhere else in North America, you are comparing against what is here, because this is the perfection of the craft. The place itself is tight with tables for 15-20 really good friends max. In October 2022, the aforementioned bagel will run $14, or $16 as the signature favorite with red onions and capers. On Friday afternoon at 5:00pm, one can walk straight up to the counter. On Sunday morning, there is line out the door as if it were the place to get concert tickets. Could one assemble a bagel and lox for less? Yes. Could it be as good as here? Yes. Are there better places with better bagels? Very few in the world.

Written November 5, 2022

Michael F

16 contributions

Overrated, poor service, rude - try a street vendor instead.

Oct 2023 • family

Visited here on the recommendation of friends during a week long stay in NY. Me, my wife and 2 year old queued for about 20 mins in a slow moving queue (thinking the queue was a sign of its popularity) before leaving to come back another time... returning the next day (around 7am) there were no queues - great! But having ordered 3 different types of bagels, unfortunately, each one was made incorrectly (I didn't find this out until I got back to our hotel). Furthermore, I had to correct the cashier as they tried to over charge me - adding an extra ingredient which I hadn't asked for and that was not in the bagel. I then waited another 10mins for coffee, when I asked the cashier how much longer a filter coffee would take she ignored me and wandered off! I'm beginning to think the queue might be due to the poor staff. Save yourself time and money - go to one of the street vendors who do a much better job.

Written October 15, 2023

Tina Chiu

Singapore219 contributions

Favorite Bagel on earth

Mar 2019 • friends

This is a must go for bagels if you’re in New York City. They have the best homemade bagels on earth! The perfect balance of crunchiness and chewiness makes the bagel texture exceptional. I always love to make my own bagel sandwich so of course again and always - tomato, avocado and egg on my pumpernickels bagel. The avocado was disappointing as it was not fresh and most likely just some artificial avocado spread. However, I will always come back for their bagels whenever I’m in towns. Be prepared to wait in line if you don’t come early in the morning!

Written February 14, 2020

Global Foodie

Mumbai43 contributions

Terrific bagel sandwich

Dec 2019 • family

We went by chance the waiting was half hour but coz we had a small child they were kind to give immediate service. The sheer variety of bagels , the cream cheese & the toppings were too many . Each and every thing we tried were just terrific. Never had a better bagel sandwich. Will never miss going there whenever in New York.

Written January 21, 2020

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ESS-A-BAGEL, New York City - 831 3rd Ave, Midtown East - Restaurant Reviews - Order Online Food Delivery - Tripadvisor