New York. Bagels. Right? Sure, the city is famous for them, and there are a bunch of heavy hitters and, well, not so heavy hitters…does that make them light tappers? While NY is well known for their bagels, so is our poutine-eating neighbor, Montreal. When the two come together, you get a hybrid of NY and Montreal style bagels at Black Seed in NoLIta. 

These medium sized bagels are made with yeast-raised dough. They’re then hand-rolled, boiled in honey water, and baked in a wood-burning oven. They have a handful of types to choose from, but you can gussy them up with the array of fancy spreads and smoked fish they have available. 

I’ve heard a lot about this NY vs Montreal bagel thing, and, regrettably, while I was in Montreal, I never got to try them. So, even though there are lots of spreads and salads to choose from, I wanted to see what an au-natural Montreal bagel is like. I tried their Everything Bagel. I’m a fan. It’s served warm and toasted, not too dense, not too light. It has a nice light crispness on the outside and a soft chew to the center. The flavor is really great too, and the “everything” seeds really enhance it all. 

The Shorts:
Name: Black Seed Bagels
Location: 170 Elizabeth Street, NYC
The Long and Short: Would I go back? Yes, and next time I’m pimping out my bagel and going for some fancy spreads.
Would I recommend it? For sure, these are great for pretty much any meal, or, win over your crowd with some brunch or office bagels from these guys.