Finding The Best Bagel in New York | Food Tours | Insider Food

"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across NYC to find the best bagel in the city. They'll be visiting four different locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."
00:23 Utopia Bagels
06:00 Liberty Bagels
13:51 Tompkins Square Bagels
20:23 Ess-a-Bagel
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• Finding The Best Pizza...
Finding The Best Burger In New York
• Finding The Best Burge...
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#bagels #nyc #foodinsider
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Finding The Best Bagel in New York

[@reeko2352]

that first bagel looked the best imo. everything just look perfect on it, just the perfect balance of ingredients

[@fayesouthall6604]

Absolutely

[@B339KLO39]

Utopia really is the best bagel in the city by far

[@Samurai78420]

​@@B339KLO39 Hells yeah. It sure looks like it.

[@kaiju_k5042]

@@B339KLO39 I get their frozen bagels all the time and even those are amazing!

[@andrewthompson6192]

I couldn't agree more !

[@Cornan1980]

I really do love the combo of Joe and Harry. Their personalities even out in the perfect way for this kind of content.

[@Lee-ic8ln]

Bro, yall say the same thing in every video! Find a new line! We get it already.

[@DLFH]

As much as I love Food Wars, I'm lovin this Finding Best Of series. And I hope it goes for at least a few more rounds.

[@dunkyourdonuts2282]

Harry: *tells a beautiful story about how excited he is to experience some of his culture's roots* Joe: I'm starving Dunno why but I laughed at this exchanged, it;s so them

[@sleazo930]

Bagels and Lox are meant to be eaten open faced.

[@hannacook859]

They have the same personality, it is just a nice one, and different accents

[@normtrooper4392]

We absolutely need a taco and bbq episode in LA. Definitely need to do more of these.

[@Chungus581]

Texas or South Carolina for barbecue

[@normtrooper4392]

@Chungus581 I feel like there's many different styles of bbq in the us that they would have to cover many states

[@Chungus581]

@@normtrooper4392 yeah that’s true but I chose those because I think SC barbecue is the best of southern bbq and Texan is the best of KS/TX/OK bbq so it’d simplify it a bit.

[@normtrooper4392]

@@Chungus581 those are fighting words down in the south

[@kennywise1]

Yeah Texan bbq

[@ShoelessJP]

Food Tours is an absolute vibe. Love Joe and Harry!

[@WaiiMiii]

Love it

[@andrewthompson6192]

Agreed !! They are really 2 great personalities who compliment each other, work great together from opposite sides of the pond, UK and USA, who are genuine, gives us great review opinions of delicious foods, have fun, and don't over act for the camera

[@harrykersh]

We’re BACK! I already miss these bagels so much 🤤

[@TheDontwanttodothis]

Need a food tour across the world with you two, stat

[@nicoleadam8526]

We need joe to try Tesco meal deals! 😊

[@ashhabimran239]

Hoping for a Season 2 of London, there’s still more to try there: chicken and chips, meal deals, Nando’s, Greggs, Sunday Roast etc.

[@robertf.8080]

Got to head to Montreal with Joe for bagels there.

[@Nooticus]

Brilliant video. But truthfully from one London Jew to another, when it cones to just the bagel alone, I won’t believe any of these are better than ‘Daniels’ on Finchley Road until I’ve tried them myself…! Nothing beats the uniquely super chewy London bagel.

[@xxPenjoxx]

7:42 blink and you'll miss it. That baker made those bagels so freaking quick.

[@JoeAvella]

Fun episode to shoot. Can’t get enough of that nyc lox! What was your favorite?

[@80sGamerLady]

Gotta be the one with the scallions

[@etiennesharp]

Pretty much all of them, Joe. The ones we get over here (UK) tend to be the mass-produced fellas that you buy in the supermarket. They're rank.

[@joshchan2642]

@@80sGamerLadythe classic lox

[@kandipiatkowski8589]

Hey, Joe....if you want to know who Timothee Chalamet is......he is the one playing Willy Wonka in the upcoming prequel movie.

[@dianacampos9328]

I would stop by Ess-a-bagel 3x/week back when I was in grad school. I miss it so much

[@LibertyBagelsMidtown]

Hey Guys! Thank you for stopping by Liberty Bagels. Comeback soon :)

[@nader50752]

Lox (Lachs) is literally the German word for Salmon!

[@jonathanfinan722]

Well, lachs is. Lox isn't a word in either English or German.

[@ZimowHD]

In sweden its lax

[@fayesouthall6604]

That makes sense

[@fayesouthall6604]

@@ZimowHDYeah that sounds familiar from IKEA 😊

[@storyoptics4964]

Laks is the Danish word for salmon. Also, lox is just a stupid word New Yorkers made up because they thought it sounds more "European".

[@ThatCronus]

I love this series and Joe & Harry together. Maybe let's try the weirdest pizzas in NY could be fun. Like the Tri-color pizza and the clam pizza.

[@keirahealy7082]

I love this idea!!! 💡👏🏼😁❤️

[@williamerazo3921]

Don’t mess with pizza

[@michaelfairbairn4283]

Two Boots Pizza has one called The Bayou Beast, inspired by Cajun cuisine, with spiced shrimp, crawfish, andouille sausage and jalapeños. It's delicious.

[@luxe2622]

Life is too short to not enjoy amazing food like this. Great tour and well shot. Thanks for the upload!

[@ciaraperry3917]

Loving this series with Joe & Harry! This episode is making me wish I was in NYC visiting my brother.

[@ontopofitnews]

I can sympathize in a bagel hotspot like NYC you can't hit all the top contenders, but Russ & Daughters being left off seems like a crime, over 100 years of bagel dominace straight from the birthplace of the bagel (Poland). That aside, loved this episode!

[@Ash_Wen-li]

The Russ & Daughter's Bagel isn't that great. The salmon is top tier but not the bagels themselves

[@janecampbell4662]

They might have said no to filming

[@alexhayward8]

Agreed! Surprised they weren't included. Certainly much better than Ess-a-Bagel in my experience, so disappointing it wasn't featured as the last spot.

[@ermeeleer]

Agree too and also this video should’ve been called “finding the best bagel and lox in New York” 😒

[@word42069]

@@Ash_Wen-liAgreed. Lox is fantastic (as well as their schmeers) but the bagel itself, price, and ease of ordering at their locations are all points off for me.

[@SlayerJim]

I’m loving this new series❤ great job Joe and Harry!

[@Matt-fl8uy]

Love the WW2 date range comment. It encapsulated so much in so few words.

[@sryan84]

Im glad to see you guys split stuff. As always its great to see you both together.

[@ohhh_money]

I work in a bagel shop so I eat one almost every day. This video is literally out here making me crave a lox. Ahhh

[@sallypalmer6482]

Now this is my idea of heavenly Sunday viewing. No where to get good bagels near me but a good authentic fresh bagel is amazing.

[@joelkenton3563]

I’m from New Zealand and I love this series it’s so cool to see these iconic American food favourites and the different ways they are done

[@Time.for.a.new.september.11]

Bagels are not from the usa

[@Lottieloves287]

Please continue this series!!😇

[@SoCalGuppy]

Thank you, Jie and Harry! Now I wish there was a bagel shop near me!

[@breearuffo9214]

Yesss I thought i was the only one obsessed with Joe and Harry! 😅 yayyyy more content with these two gems 🎉

[@opheliaronin]

The one with the lettuce - noooooooo! I think the first one was the best. This show is a vibe. I value their opinions. In fact I love this show!❤🎉

[@ashleighjaimaosborne3966]

The crunch on the “Worth it” bagel had me drooling!

[@axebul.2366]

Bagels in NYC are just something else

[@rebecca14114]

These food tour videos are great!! Love watching them

[@yinyanz]

Loving this series!

[@davidstephenson9251]

Thanks guys. You’ve given me a totally fresh outlook on bagels. I’m definitely going to try adding capers to my UK lox bagels.

[@word42069]

Just because it’s “standard” at many places here in NYC… doesn’t mean it’s the most popular. Most people (myself included) skip the capers. IMO they overpower everything and make it too salty.

[@TheGlamorousLifeofNae]

I love this series! & those bagels look amazing! 🥯😋

[@TheFacelessStoryMaker]

I hope we get ones about Seafood, Barbecue, and Steaks.

[@PapagenoMF]

Harry only visited New York City on this trip, so they're sticking to iconic NYC foods.

[@bigtimegamer56]

@@PapagenoMF last episode was Philly cheesesteaks in Philly

[@PapagenoMF]

@@bigtimegamer56 Good point, I forgot about that one. Maybe they just stuck to the East in their first go aroiund.

[@lemonynora]

Really enjoy these. More so than the food wars. Hopefully there’s more on the way.

[@williamerazo3921]

@@bigtimegamer56Philly is an 1 hr on a train. So not very far at all

[@OneOlive1]

Yesss, more Harry and Joe content 🙌

[@anastassiya_lebedeva]

Thank you! I so enjoy your channel and the food in general:)

[@smyles58]

I'm a bagel purest, just want mine with plain cream cheese. When you put all the other stuff on it, it becomes hard to judge the bagelness. I grew up in Queens and have enjoy many a bagel at Utopia bagels, great choice, great episode!

[@MrCrs9225]

this is my complaint with this video lol they keep saying "best bagel" but they're not judging the actual bagel at all

[@99txgh]

I loved the chicken bagel and the steak & cheese bagel in liberty bagels when I went to Manhattan, definitely a must visit!

[@larsstougaard7097]

Great show, Im hungry for more 🥯

[@claudiaweidman1004]

Great video Guys. I grew up with this, and it looks so good 😊

[@connorcrowley1]

Do I appreciate you acknowledging Queens exists! Best Borough.

[@user-xe2gp2xu4p]

Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.

[@kiananaghshin1127]

I know no one asked but my dream bagel is: Plain bagel+smoked salmon+loads of onion+scallion cream cheese (which I had no clue was a thing)+ maybe some burger gherkins? I never had them with bagel but imagine it might be good! Also never been to new york but in London, our typical bagel spot sells these for like £3.5 so £12 for bagel is NUTS to me

[@fayesouthall6604]

Agreed it’s very expensive

[@rajivkishinchand3189]

These are mostly heavily popular bagel destinations so the price is definitely inflated but most New Yorkers could stop by their local deli and grab a bagel in the morning for around ~$1-5~ depending if you want it plain or with sausage, eggs, bacon etc.

[@themoviedealers]

They are close to that if you get just cream cheese no salmon.

[@Xantosdude]

As a person who's had bagels in NY and London. I feel the need to clarify something. Smoked Salmon =/= Lox. Smoked salmon is cured and smoked. Lox is just cured similar to gravelox, except gravelox has got herbs... which might be better in a NY bagel. The Lox MUST be cut super thin (so you can read a new york newspaper through it), as this will lead to even more tender texture and when you bite, half the filling won't come out with it. Also, when you say "pickles" in the US you generally mean burger gherkin. However, US pickles generally fall under 2 categories; 1. Bread and butter pickles (pickled with mustard seeds, sugar(giving it a sweet taste), and onions) 2. Dill pickles (pickled with dill and other herbs). The standard NY bagel includes bagel(Plain, Poppy, sesame, onion salt, garlic, pumpernickel, everything, whole wheat, egg, cinnamon, pretzel bagel), Cream Cheese (Plain, scallion, vegetable, horseradish-dill, goat, lox, caviar, green olive, vegan), red onions, capers, tomatoes. Usually the place makes their own bagels and cream cheese. Russ & Daughters, which is my personal favorite, cure their own fish as well, although it's quite posh... and the prices reflect that. For a bagel in London, the CLOSEST i was able to get was Papo's bagels (run by a NY couple). The guy makes the bagels every morning.

[@cubicqe]

This channels is FOOD HEAVEN...... YOU BOTH ARE FANTASTIC !!!!!! LOVE YOU GUYS ♥

[@user-bx7kq1gl6j]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched... but are felt in the heart.

[@lauralutz4538]

You 2 Guys are a great team. I love your posts. Please keep them coming! Do Chinese food at some point, thanks!

[@ZoKitchen]

Good to see you again. Happy Sunday

[@CoCoFantastique]

when I was a kid I would get a butter bagel from Ess a bagel for 1 dollar. there is a difference when you get an out of the oven bagel with butter over a toasted with butter. totally different texture and taste. I like both but prefer the out of the oven if I had to choose.

[@aletheavanwicklin1437]

I live this new york and British series. Need more episodes please.

[@mrgarfer]

Growing up we always had bagels with a schmeer, like, half at a time, a bagel sandwich was kind of out of the question and the test of a good bagel was just how good the actual bagel was...which, in Brooklyn, it was always good. I do like a bagel sandwich but it can be a whole lot of food.

[@Absynth616]

I love watching those two doing anything. ^^

[@olichef76]

You guys are a awsome duo.....love your show

[@kandipiatkowski8589]

Harry has an Ash and Charizard t-shirt!!! Cool!!!

[@LP-xw7ix]

Currently eating a bagel while watching love the series keep it up!

[@fayesouthall6604]

Bagels baby. One thing, I never thought I’d like them. Bloody love em now.

[@Dugie555]

Wouldn’t mind going to NY just of the delicious bagels. Loved the commentary.🥯 👏 😋

[@FernandaBecerril]

Finally!! Thanks for doing this haha

[@panayiotaalexopoulos2396]

Liberty bagels is my personal favorite 😍, they have so many different options on bagels sandwiches I could never get sick of it, and they’re truly consistent

[@renegadeoffunk32]

I was really disappointed in Liberty Bagels 😢

[@lewis120]

The best bagel I had in NYC was at best bagel and coffee on W 35th street, incredible bagels.

[@cameron-white]

We need a BBQ episode for sure 👌🏻

[@fayesouthall6604]

Kansas

[@clarafrancheteau1896]

I will never get tired of this ❤

[@MrSpeedyAce]

I’m going to Utopia tomorrow! I’m really excited to try their cream cheese lox!

[@tomoflathead]

Oooof, missed out on those incredible bagels at Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe!

[@darrenmdr]

Crunchy on the outside. Chewy on the inside. Armadillos.

[@user-mp8yq3eo2g]

Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.

[@rachanareddy9021]

That’s nuts the cost for bagel sandwich $12-15 😮. My perfect bagel sandwich 🥯 would be a toasted everything bagel , smoked salmon, cream cheese with a little jalapeño tomato and onion 😋

[@victorconejo4935]

I really loved this section

[@yelinaivone3711]

Love these two, so chaotic but funny. 14:27 Harry: All I know about this place it's Timothee Chalamet's fav bagels in NYC. Joe: and who is that? Harry then replied : he's a guy 😂😂😂 lol

[@RobertWilke]

Yeah, these all looked great and probably tasted even better. As much as NYC is great, NJ has its fair share of Bagle shops too. I'm just two blocks from literally a hole in the wall place that makes great bagels. Just had an everything bagel toasted with scallion cream cheese. Was Soo good. If you ever decide to see what's on the Jersey side of the Hudson you might be surprised.

[@roberthindle5146]

Harry looks like he started the day with a rough hangover!

[@Samurai78420]

Necessity is the mother of invention, and repetition is the mother of near-perfection. That's all these institutions are based on and I think it's awesome.

[@csorange]

I love Lox and bagels 🥯! Ordered Lox for lunch right after watching 😂

[@basicinfo2022]

3:30 I need to try Utopia Bagels. That bite looked delicious 16:33 Tompkins Bagel too. I like a more smokier salmon too

[@skc9192]

These guys are so raw and uncoordinated I lurve it

[@ChristopherOSU]

The way onions are most awesome is sliced paper thin and piled high, w/lemon juice squeezed on them.

[@MichaelJohnson-vi6eh]

A fresh bagel after 11am - a rare find where I live. Im actually fond of the poppy seeds bit. It did throw off my pee test before. Worth it.

[@davidhilton2358]

I'm a bit anti flying but those bagels Wow. I might just have to get over my fear and jump on a plane to NYC for one of those bagels.. The British ones just don't compare, think the supermarkets have spoiled it with their long life bagels

[@kelvin3103]

Cunard do a transatlantic crossing but a return is probably a bit too expensive 😂

[@KillerTacos54]

So good!

[@devynkumar1997]

Absolutely salivating

[@orientalmoons]

Someone needs to do a montage of Joe dropping vegetables he's removed from sandwiches.

[@thegayathrikable]

Yaay I was waiting! Why was there such a long break in between episodes?

[@EDROCKSWOO]

Yes! this is my favorite show!!!

[@davidgolf3245]

Being a member of the tribe, I loved this video. Nice going Harry and Joe. Now I need to visit NYC for some bagels and lox!!!! In my current location, they have no idea what a true bagel and lox combo is.

[@LancerX916]

When I visit NYC, my friend always takes me to the same shop in the morning. I always get a bagel with cream cheese. Sadly they are always out of Salmon but just with the cream cheese is great.

[@kelseyanderson7351]

I love Harry!

[@user-qj8bs5xt7p]

Excitement replaced fear until the final moment.

[@bobthegrinch]

That exact Ess-A-Bagel was the first breakfast I had in New York (second meal as we'd hit up Shake Shack the night before after landing) and it was gooooood! We sat almost exactly where they were except at the window counter because we wanted to people watch. I think the other good bagel spot we hit on our last day was called 'Best Bagel' or something and was also good. I loved New York.

[@jaime_abad]

I went yesterday to ess-a-bagle for breakfast during my vacation in NYC and it was incredible. Huge bagles. I took The Pepe and my wife a salmon and creme bagle. Both great. Also, the location is great in you are downtown.

[@renegadeoffunk32]

My top 5: 1. Kossars (LES) 2. Tompkins Square Bagels 3. Essa Bagel 4. Chelsea Bagel of Tudor City 5. Russ and Daughters

[@tinamacias775]

We need to get these two their own TV show!!!

[@matsui90]

Joe and Harry have their own show. This is it, you just watched it. And its on YT which is better than TV.

[@StayGold222]

Is this not a show? 🤨

[@anonamouse9198]

Please make a travel series: Planes, Trains & Automobiles. & Lunch. It will be firkin EPIC 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[@maxjurg3026]

Harry’s shirt is amazing. Am I the only one who noticed?

[@eleanormadziva1283]

Joe is such a vibe! ❤❤❤❤

[@DrLilo]

Love Harry's Trainer Red tshirt.

[@coronaking6736]

Great show

[@jamesclark4099]

Liberty Bagels is literally the best I have ever had. I’m a little biased because my family friends own it. Utopia is my second pick for sure

[@auntiedough2488]

Love Harry! Reminds me of my fav cousin 💕.

[@DarioUK]

I went to Liberty Bagel near Wall Street. It was to die for.

[@justhuman3424]

Usa really does make great bagels. When i went to Jersey, bagels became my favorites suddenly haha

[@randomaccount0073]

this show has everything but good host chemistry

[@AK007Channel]

"There's bagel in the Lion King?" - Joe. 😆😂

[@svenblubber5448]

That final Bagel was clearly only seeded on one side, contrary to what Joe said previously!

[@iqraeffendi747]

Best bromance ever

[@piplup10203854]

I really like the contrast of preferences in cream cheese versus the actual bagel itself. I find that interesting cause sometimes I am definitely both. Like some times a cream cheese makes or breaks a bagel and either saves it or just ruins it and same goes for the bagel but I feel like I don't find myself seeking out a much higher end bagel but now I'm curious to.