Times Square Hot Bagels

Walked in to the bagel shop. It was fairly small but I was overwhelmed with all the bagel spread choices. I got everything toasted with bacon and cheese. My girlfriend got everything toasted with garlic and herb.
My first bite of the bagel and cheese remind me of my mom frying bacon on a Sunday morning. It was so delicious! The garlic and herb spread was to die for. Both of these spreads were great in there own way.
Since the time I was here and the time i decided to write the review, they have closed down. This makes me sad because where am I going to get some good bagels in NYC?

This was my last stop at NYC and I didn’t realize it was about to close down on November 23^rd, 2012.
I had an Italian Combo (Ham, Salami, Provolone Cheese w/​Roasted Red Peppers, Lettuce, Oil and Vinegar) for $ 6.75 and a cup of large hot tea for $ 2.45. There was nothing really special about the sandwich and hot tea tasted like … hot tea. Even though this place is closed down, there are still other great cafes to try in NYC.

I only just wandered in to try this place in October to pick up some bagels. They were fantastic! My wife, who’d only ever previously had store-​bought, packaged ones, really loved them.
The guys working there were friendly and cheerful when I ordered and asked for them to slice the bagels for me.
But then, I went back this week and they were closed… They lost their lease and shut down sometime last week or the week before… Bummer… The sign on the door didn’t say they were opening at a new location.

My work always orders bagels from here for what I call Free Bagel Friday, or Fat ass friday. you choose.
The bagels are pretty damn good. Thick, dense and chewy.
The chive and lox cream cheeses are also pretty good.
So sad to see them close down soon. Hopefully we can find a suitable replacement.

So, there are a ton of places you can buy a bagel at in Times Square whether it’s at a café or from a street cart, but TSQ Hot Bagels serves quality bagels that doesn’t taste like rubber or cardboard. A really tiny, narrow shop located right by my office, I make a trip here at least once a week. I can’t come here too often though. For one, the price of a bagel with cream cheese is a little more pricy than standard, and second, you have to wait at least 15 – 20 minutes in line because lines are always long. I don’t mind doing this once a week though because the bagels are fresh and the cream cheese is delicious. It’s like a little treat in the morning. They offer a wide assortment of cream cheeses from scallion to lox. The bagel menu is quite sufficient. You cannot go wrong with the bagels here. Also, their coffee is pretty good.

For the tourists that are regularly in Times Square, this bagel shop makes a quality bagel which exemplifies the quintessential New York bagel. While it’s not necessarily absolutely best bagel I have had, it is a quality bagel and worthy of praise, and therefore makes it so that a tourist doesn’t have to go hunting for the «perfect» bagel in order to experience what they’ve been told that they must try when they are in town. They have a great selection of cream cheeses and cold cases with all the things that accompany a good bagel, and, for example, can be taken up to the hotel room or your local office, to share with family, friends or co-​workers.
I will warn you that the shop is rather small and if you are claustrophobic you could have a problem. The prices, even though in Times Square, are semi-​reasonable, but in this day and age, is it really necessary to put a 50 cent premium on charges under $ 5 from a bagel shop when you are already spending $ 3+ plus for a bagel with cream cheese? But then again, maybe I am knit-​picking on that issue.

Because it truly doesn’t get any better than these bagels.
Super small spot. Know what you are going to order and do it quickly. Then take your bagel into Times Square and eat it while you are watching the Parade, or the street scene.

If the bagel shops in NYC were boys you knew in high school, Times Square Hot Bagel would be that guy who was really popular and really handsome, but had this secret freaky side and you were inexplicably, repeatedly drawn in.
Let me break it down for you:
Really Popular: The line is often out the door. But don’t worry, Times Square Hot Bagel has time for you too, since he quickly moves from customer to customer.
Really Handsome: He’s got a lot of cream cheese and he isn’t afraid to put the goods on display. Particularly attractive are the tomato herb and veggie.
Secret Freaky Side: The bagels are both weirdly chewy and also hard to bite into. How does he do it?
Inexplicable, Repeated Draw: I’ve been here many mornings for a quick, cheap breakfast.
Times Square Hot Bagel will definitely cross my mind before our next reunion. Which may be tomorrow.

I sampled several bagel places while on a trip to NY, and this was my favorite: small shop (no room to eat inside) — just grab the deliciously warm and perfectly toasted bagel and go.
The whole wheat everything bagel with scallion cream cheese (or scallion tofu spread, take your pick) was the standout of the flavors. I heard lots of other people in line ordering this too, so it seems that others would agree.
Toasted bagel + cream cheese = $ 3.50 well spent

1^st NYC bagel. not impressed. It is reasonably priced for being so close to Times Square but if NY is known for its bagels… I have had better.

Long line in the morning but staff was friendly and efficient. Bagels were fresh and nicely toasted. The strawberry cream cheese was tasty and plentiful on my cinnamon raisin bagel. Lots of beverage options available. They also have sandwiches and lots of topping options and various cream cheese flavors.

Delicious bagel with the best cream cheese flavors ever! I had the lox spread on a plain bagel and my friend had the strawberry spread. Both were soooooo good. I usually hate fruit spreads too.
Drinks are outrageously expensive. Buy a bagel but not a drink :)

They have good bagels and a decent cream cheese selection.
In the morning the line is usually very long. Prices are pretty reasonable considering it’s in the heart of Times Square.
Make sure that you watch them make your bagel because some of the workers make a lot of mistakes and will either leave off an entire ingredient, not toast your bagel or not cut your bagel.
The people who work at the counter are very friendly.

How do you go to the middle of Manhattan and not eat a bagel? I wanted a fresh one, not the designer kind you get at Noah’s. To my surprise, you can get an authentic, freshly boiled and baked bagel in the most touristed part of Times Square right across from Shubert Alley on 44^th. Did you miss it? Yeah, so did I until I noticed it on the Unilocal app as «Nearby» my hotel. It’s a closet of a place, but that doesn’t stop a caravan of Europeans from marching here to get their morning carbs.
It sure smells good in here, and there is a huge variety of bagels from which to choose from their display case. I was dull and went with a Sesame one and had them put in fresh lox and slather cream cheese in between (see photo). It cost about $ 2.55, which considering the location, didn’t seem bad to me. Jamie W. and I took our bagels over to the ped area in the middle of Times Square and grabbed one of those banged-​up red tables to do some serious people-​watching while chomping on our bagels. On a Sunday morning, I can’t think of a better way to take in the spirit of this great metropolis.
FOOD — 4 stars… fresh bagel to go with plenty of lox
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… just a closet but obviously really close to the hurly-​burliness of Times Square
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… they shmear with the best of them
TOTAL — 4 stars… despite rumor, you can get a good bagel in the middle of the tourist foot traffic

I’ve always equated the East Coast with bagels. It’s hard to mess up a bagel but it’s not that easy making them good either. Times Square Hot Bagels had 3 things going for it:
1. Variety: there are close to 15 varieties of bagels and the baskets in the display case are full of fresh and delicious bagels.
2. Homemade Cream Cheese: the only thing that can make a bagel better is cream cheese and TSHB makes their own cream cheese. Garlic&Herb, Tomato&Herb, Bacon&Cheddar, Olive&Pimento and even Scallion Tofu. Their cream cheeses also looks like ice cream hehehe.
3. Location: Times Square is madness and it’s nice to have somewhere to get something warm and filling for cheap.
I got a toasted plain bagel with Tomato&Herb cream cheese. Freaking delicious. It was warm, toasty, stuffed full of cream cheese that had chunks of tomato and specks of herb in it.
Pretty much one of the best pick-​me-​up breakfast options before a long day at the office or a long line at the TKTS booth.

The bagels are average, but set at a decent price. I came here upon a recommendation for a quick bagel fix while at work.
My only problem with my experience is that the shop did not honor their present Unilocal deal (offer of a free coffee with «any purchase»).
I had ordered a regular toasted bagel and when I mentioned the Unilocal deal the cashier gave an entire soliloquy on I had to order something more expensive to qualify for the deal. He actually said to me: «otherwise the shop loses money.»
That’s not even a plausible excuse. If you’re going to offer a deal at a loss, then that’s your own problem. Maybe you should figure out your finances better. Furthermore, you can’t pick and choose to whom you will offer the deal unless it’s well defined within your offer.
Anyway, I’m not too upset by it. There are a million other bagel places within a 2 block radius, and I get free coffee at work so it’s not like I was going to die of caffeine withdrawal due to this one incident.
I merely thought I would just pick up some coffee since I was already out getting breakfast — and since I was rejected — I’d like other Unilocalers know that you better order more than a plain bagel if you’re hoping for a cup of free coffee!

I was having an email exchange a few days ago with Elaine M. about Bialy and I found myself wanting one. Passing my Times Square Bagels, I saw the perfect opportunity.
This is a very tiny shop. Inside it’s basically a standing room only area and you’re surrounded by drinks on one side inside refrigeration units, bagels on the other and a section with deli meats. Next to the bagels is an amazing array of cream cheese spreads including lox and many others. I was very impressed by the selection of both bagels and cream cheeses.
Looking inside the case, I found my quarry and ordered it along with some cold cuts. Now keep in mind it was about 6am at the time, and this place already had steady traffic in and out. The staff was already hopping and totally on point. They were not overly friendly, but they were courteous, quick and did not act like they were trying to get rid of you.
The Bialy was absolutely delicious. I toasted it and the outside was nice and crusty while the inside was wonderfully chewy. There was a hint of garlic flavor and with the turkey and Swiss cheese I had purchased it was heavenly.
I’d go back to Times Square Bagel any day of the week. It’s a great little hole in the wall that’s one of the reasons I like walking off the beaten path in tourist areas such as Times Square.

Lox spread = divine.
I rest my case.
Fast service, fresh bagels, wide variety of homemade spreads… what more can I ask for? Also inexpensive at $ 3.50 for a bagel + spread and ~$ 5 if you want it with egg/​ham/​cheese.

Came here craving a bagel. I ordered the onion bagel with tomato herb cream cheese. I did get it toasted but by the time I got to my hotel, it was cold. Even though it was wrapped in aluminum foil. hmm. The workers were very unorganized and people’s orders were coming in all at the wrong times. Oh yeah and they cashier kept calling me sweety. Weird.
I got there before a certain gent and he left before I was even helped. They were just a little flustered, I guess. The bagel and cream cheese was very tasty so I cannot knock them for that. They have a lot of options but can someone please let me know why they do not have any type of cheese bagel? So bizarre. Maybe it’s a NY thing.?

I’m not a bagel expert but I fell in love with the everything bagel here while roaming around the city by myself post-​red eye the first morning.
Cost to worth it rating: 5 (think was $ 1)
Return worthiness: yes
Eve award: best introduction to everything bagel
Highlights:
— Everything bagel: haven’t had one before but LOVED all the salty garlicy seedy flavoring on this warm puffy yet dense bagel. Filling and oh so satisfying.
Lowlights:
— Tiny like a short hallway so line inside can twist around and pack you in
Know there are bagel shops all over NYC but this is my first memorable true bagel experience so has a special place in my foodie heart.