Ess-A-Bagel (Interrupt)

Date of Dining: 10/6/2012
Price: $10.75 for sandwiches
Location: 831 3rd Avenue, New York, NY
website

The Quick Bit

+ classic bagels made fresh on site

Δ wait time could be shorter

While I was in New York, one of the things I wanted to try was the classic lox and bagel. After consulting many different sites, I chose Ess-A-Bagel as the place to try the delicacy based on location and reputation.

Established in 1976, Ess-A-Bagel has become a staple of the New York bagel scene. The bagels are boiled and baked on premises constantly throughout the day.

everything bagel - nova lox, scallion cream cheese

For my one breakfast at Ess-A-Bagel, I settled on the classic sandwich. While I asked for a hot bagel, I assume this was code for tourist and I felt my bagel was anything but hot and fresh. Further, the lox was not particularly good to make up for the bagel; the kirkland brand smoked salmon you get at Costco was better. Overall, I have to say that the sandwich was a little better than what you would get at the local Einstein Bros. However, when cost and convenience are factored in, I didn't particularly feel that Ess-A-Bagel was far superior to the local bagel shop.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I have to agree with the Serious Eats article that I referenced when choosing a bagel shop - namely, a bagel older than 30 minutes is indistinguishable from any other bagel. While Ess-A-Bagel was churning out fresh bagels to order from the bagel counter and was packed full of customers, they were unable to send out fresh bagels as sandwiches to customers. This failure is a massive oversight.

If you are in New York and want to enjoy great bagel and lox, I recommend ordering the lox and cream cheese separately and then going to the bagel counter to make your own sandwich. This will ensure the freshest bagel with the best taste.