The best bagels in Queens are not a debate that gets settled quickly, and honestly, that’s the fun of it. This is the borough that actually makes the things New York bagels are famous for: the malted water, the wood-fired ovens, the guys who have been hand-rolling since before you were born.
Manhattan gets the tourists and the $28 caviar bagel headlines. Queens just quietly keeps doing the actual work, from a 45-year-old institution in Whitestone to a sourdough upstart in Sunnyside that’s currently blowing up on TikTok.
Here are 7 spots serving some of the best bagels in Queens right now, whether you’re after tradition, a Korean-fusion sandwich, or just the shortest line.
Utopia Bagels – 🏆 Bowery Beat Editor Top Choice
Address: 1909 Utopia Pkwy, Whitestone, NY 11357
Phone: (718) 352-2586
Style: Old-school hand-rolled, kettle-boiled New York bagels
Vibe: No-frills institution, line out the door most mornings
Price: $ (bagels around $2, sandwiches roughly $6-$10)
Website: utopiabagelsny.com
If you ask a Queens native where to find the best bagels in Queens, this is the answer nine times out of ten. Utopia has been hand-rolling and kettle-boiling since 1981, and the process hasn’t changed much since.
It’s also having a real moment online, the kind of viral run that includes a novelty 25-pound, $225 bagel and a giant-bagel reel that’s racked up millions of views. None of that would matter if the everyday bagel wasn’t this good: crisp shell, dense chew, the malt flavor actually coming through.
Go early. The Whitestone shop hits its rush by mid-morning on weekends, and the good stuff sells out.
Between the Bagel
Address: 31-13 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11102
Phone: (718) 932-1425
Style: New York bagels with Korean-inspired sandwiches
Vibe: Bright counter-service spot with a genuine cult following
Price: $$ (sandwiches roughly $8-$14)
Proof that the best bagels in Queens aren’t a one-neighborhood story. Between the Bagel opened in Astoria right before the pandemic and built a following on sandwiches that don’t play it safe.
The signature Seoul Meets Bagel piles bulgogi, kimchi, egg, American cheese, and gochujang aioli onto a fresh-baked bagel, and it’s exactly as good as that sounds. A recent Beli users’ poll put it among the top four bagel shops in all of New York City, ahead of a lot of Manhattan names.
Weekend lines form early, but they move fast.
Curley’s Bagels
Address: 43-04 47th Ave, Sunnyside, NY 11104
Phone: (718) 333-5950
Style: Sourdough bagels, a real departure from the standard NY style
Vibe: Small, focused neighborhood bakery
Price: $ (bagels around $3-$4, sandwiches roughly $10-$12)
Website: curleysbagels.com
The most underrated entry on any list of the best bagels in Queens right now. Curley’s makes sourdough bagels, which is a genuine departure from the malted-water New York standard, and it works.
Get the za’atar bagel with a lox shmear, or the rosemary salt bagel with roasted veggie shmear if you’re skipping meat. Sunnyside doesn’t get the food coverage Astoria or LIC does, which makes this one feel like a genuine find.
Middle Village Bagels
Address: 79-16 Eliot Ave, Middle Village, NY 11379
Phone: (718) 457-8936
Style: Classic New York bagels and deli sandwiches
Vibe: Community hangout with a borough-wide fan base
Price: $
Middle Village Bagels won the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Queens’ Best Bagel Competition, with more than 3,000 votes cast by actual Queens residents, not internet strangers. That’s a real mandate.
It’s also reportedly where Knicks captain Jalen Brunson gets his order, which the shop now sells as an unofficial menu item. You don’t need to care about basketball to appreciate a bagel that good.
Black Seed Bagels (Hunters Point)
Address: 5-18 50th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Style: Montreal-style, wood-fired New York bagels
Vibe: Sleek, newer shop with indoor and outdoor seating
Price: $$
Website: blackseedbagels.com
Black Seed built its name in Manhattan and Brooklyn splitting the difference between a boiled New York bagel and a wood-fired Montreal one, denser and sweeter than the standard. The Hunters Point shop was its first Queens location, a 2,200-square-foot spot baking fresh on-site daily.
It’s a chain, technically, but the bagel itself is distinct enough to earn its spot, and Hunters Point needed a good one within walking distance of the waterfront.
Bagelette
Address: 97-42 63rd Rd, Rego Park, NY 11374
Phone: (718) 459-0204
Style: Classic New York bagels, certified kosher
Vibe: Low-key neighborhood counter, quick and unfussy
Price: $
Rego Park’s reliable option, and one that doesn’t get talked about outside the neighborhood nearly enough. Bagelette is a straightforward, kosher-certified counter that turns out a consistently good bagel without the wait times of the more Instagrammed spots.
This is the pick for anyone who wants a great bagel on a Tuesday morning, not a production.
Bagels for You
Address: 113-29 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375
Phone: (718) 793-9200
Style: New York bagels with an extensive cream cheese lineup
Vibe: Casual cafe, regulars in and out all morning
Price: $
Forest Hills’ answer, and one built around the cream cheese as much as the bagel itself. The garlic bagel here gets singled out by longtime customers as one of the better versions in the entire city, not just Queens.
It’s a weekday-morning kind of place, easy to fold into a walk down Queens Boulevard.
The Best Bagels Queens Has to Offer
Finding the best bagels in Queens really depends on what you’re after.
If you want the old-guard legend, Utopia Bagels has it.
If you want a sandwich that breaks the mold, Between the Bagel delivers.
If you want a genuine hidden gem, Curley’s sourdough in Sunnyside is worth the trip.
If you want the neighborhood’s own pick, Middle Village Bagels has the votes to prove it.
There isn’t one single answer, and that’s kind of the point of a borough this big.
Grab a coffee, pick a neighborhood, and go find your own favorite among the best bagels in Queens. And if you’re on the Manhattan side of the river more often, our best bagels in Manhattan guide and our Best Greek Food in Astoria roundup are good next stops.
