H&H Bagels

07/28/08

So sad. Not what it used to be. Lousy bagels.

by thisgirlsgottaeat at Citysearch

What happened to H&H??? Who's minding the store? It's not even a shadow of its former self! I was a loyal fan of H&H since the mid-80's and went there whenever I was in NYC. I even used to call in orders to send H&H bagels to my friends and clients. I read the recent bad reviews and was hoping they were wrong, but this place has definitely changed for the worse. Just went there last week (in the morning!!!) and the bagels were smaller and dry and the selection was paltry. The dough is still slightly sweet, but the bagels are no longer chewy (no longer bagel-like!). The previous reviewer was right, the sesame bagels had hardly any sesame seeds on them. I bought a dozen bagels including the old standards onion and sesame (the salt and pumpernickel bagels looked sad, and they no longer even make egg bagels there according to the young girl at the counter who looked at me like I was from outer space when I asked if they had any egg ones). My husband and I ate a total of 2 1/2, sampling each kind, and we actually THREW away the rest because we were so disappointed! -- and I never throw away food!!! The H&H bagels I remember from years ago were chunky and huge, moist and chewy inside, slightly sweet, and loaded with sesame seeds, onions, etc. and they were truly delicious. The H&H bagels that they are making and selling today taste like stale grocery store Lenders bagels. They're smaller than Thomas' bagels. I can't believe I'm even comparing them to grocery store bagels! It's so disappointing to see that what was once such a wonderful place is now reduced to this. They should just close their doors. If H&H is still owned by the same family, they need to reevaluate their operations. Ess-a-Bagel now has bagels that are the closest to what H&H bagels used to make when their bagels were good, except the Ess-a-Bagel dough is missing that slightly sweet taste of H&H. Left with no choice, I took home a dozen Ess-a-Bagels. Not a bad choice, just not old H&H.

• Pros: across from Zabar's (but Zabar's sells bagels, too)
• Cons: horrible bagels, not what it used to be

12/19/07

Great Bagel

by lazerus at Citysearch

Can't say any more, Great Bagel. Ate it with some Nova from Zabar's on the bench in middle of the street.

• Pros: Great Bagel
• Cons: No Milk

07/23/07

Not worth all the hype

by yumlum at Citysearch

Their bagels are a bit softer, chewier, with a slightly sweet flavor. My boyfriend liked the bagel; I did not. They only make bagels, so we had to buy cream cheese separately, which didn't taste that great, and had to put the bagels together on our own using flimsy plastic knives that they provided (which tore the bagels apart and made things messy). We had the bagels for a picnic lunch so we only used about half of the cream cheese and had to toss the rest away which we felt was a real waste, being that it was $4 alone. We went to Tal Bagels the day before, and both my boyfriend and I agreed that it was much tastier. We were told that we absolutely HAD to try this place, and after doing so, I couldn't imagine why.

• Pros: chewy, sweet tasting bagel, if you prefer that
• Cons: had to buy cream cheese separately

04/13/07

Biggest Hype, worst bagel!

by balumbum at Citysearch

I agree with many of the negative reviews on here about H&H Bagel. I am a Brooklynite transplanted from California. I am also Jewish, which may mean nothing to some, but I have had my share of bagels, good and bad.

Everyone that comes to visit looks at these damn city guides and sees H&H at the top of every list. They insist that we go, however nearby my place in Williamsburg there is a place, I think it is called the Bagel Store and its on Bedford and Metropolitan, that is amazing. The best bagel I have ever had!! However because I had not tried H&H I could not renounce their title as the best NYC Bagel, so these people still wanted to go.

I decided to go and try H&H out. I thought, maybe my life was about to change for the better through my H&H experience. It didn't...

First off, the space on the 46th street location is abhorent. It is like a very ugly and gross looking deli with high cielings. The bagels are small looking, like from a super market. They are in plexiglass cubbies that have water condensation all throughout make the bagels a little moist. Gross!

They do not toast or put cream cheese on your bagel! What? That is a simple service that you would expect, especially when you hear the price....$1.10 for one bagel!!! That is almost double the Bagel Store and is about the same price as a bagel toasted with cream cheese!!! What a rip off.

The bagel is very lackluster. Not only does it look like a super market brand bagel, it tastes like it too! Bland, uninspiring, not very fresh, small, and no toasting or cream cheese...well you could buy a tub, but what the hell? This is such a major issue I had to mention it twice.

This place is the worst!!! The WORST!!! Do not go. It must be knocked off the lists!!!!

• Pros: none...this is the worst bagel place
• Cons: many...this is the worst!!!

12/10/06

INCREDIBLY OVERRATED

by raboulafia at Citysearch

I first tried H&H Bagels approximately 8-10 years ago. From what I remember I was completely unimpressed. I've grown up in Brooklyn my whole life and I've tasted superior bagels at my local bagel store. I found myself near H&H last night and I decided to give it another chance. I figured all those people who swear by the place can't possibly be wrong, right? Well, I ordered a sesame seed bagel with cream cheese when I was informed they don't put cream cheese on your bagel for you. Can you say pretentious? I can't get a toasted bagel with cream cheese from New York's most famous bagel institution? I decided to just eat the bagel plain and I started to think to myself...Is this bagel really as bad as I think it is? It was very chewy and salty and left a really bad aftertaste in my mouth. I had to write this review because it was really eating away at me that so-called bagel experts who are probably not even native new-yorkers are hyping this place up. The bagels are edible, but nothing that I would recommend to out-of-towners.

11/17/06

Best Cinnamon Raisin Bagels in the City

by lynnie1979 at Citysearch

OK... I'm no native New Yorker, but I have eaten my weight in cinnamon raisin bagels and I can honestly say that no one has as perfect a balance with the flavors as H&H. I got one--it was still warm--and I scarfed it down on the street because I couldn't even get home.

No, there's no seating and they don't slather it up with toppings for you... But seriously, my bagel didn't need it. It was crunchy and chewy and slightly sweet... who needs cream cheese?

Yes, when the bagels aren't fresh baked and warm they might be closer to "regular" bagels--but still, they're consistently fantastic and bake through the night.

It's wonderful.

• Pros: Fresh, fresh, fresh -- and tasty
• Cons: this is not a full service deli people!

09/25/06

Grossly Overrated

by princemyshkin at Citysearch

I was so excited to try the bagels here and was let down. They do not even make your bagel for you. Also, they dont even have their own cream cheese- it's in packages from somewhere else in a refrigerator. Also, there are no seats, so you have to make your bagel in the street and throw away a whole container of cream cheese. Who would tell anyone to go here? Maybe if you are buying for a bunch of people who are at your house which is less than 5 minutes away. Needles to say, I was very disappointed, having expected so much and getting so little.

• Cons: no seating, packaged cream cheese, they don't even cut the bagel for you

07/26/06

Overpriced and tough

by veganteachergirl at Citysearch

I know H&H is a sacred New York institution, but c'mon. A dollar for a hard-baked piece of bread? And I hate that you have to buy cream cheese separately out of the fridge case. To me, bagels should be chewy with a bubbly outer shell and an airy inside. H&H are more like rocks.

04/21/06

Still Pretty Good

by tnyyujyuj at Citysearch

Oy, you can still get a decent bagel at H&H. Plus, you won't find any hint of the bubble gum that Kramer threw into the bagel dough many years ago.

07/28/05

Best Bagels

by dizdatreal1 at Citysearch

Although the locations are as central as I want them to, H& H bagels are far the best and consistent bagels I have ever tasted. Even if you forget to buy creamcheese, the bagel itself is not dry and as tasteful with or without anything on them. I love the way it is crusty outside and oh so soft inside. Don't knock it till you try it.

• Pros: Great Bagels