The Great Bagel Rivalry

There’s no food as synonymous with New York as the bagel—soft, chewy, doughy, with a generous schmear. But one city is giving the Empire State a run for its money. Welcome to Montreal, Canada, where the bagels are a little crispier, a little sweeter, but no less iconic. Still, the question stands: which bagel reigns supreme? We hit up New York’s legendary H&H Midtown East and Montreal’s famous St-Viateur to get to the bottom of the battle of the bagels.

This story is a part of our Flavors series, where we do so much more than play with our food. Come with us as we dive into deliciously different and tastefully off-beat stories in the culinary world.

Got a story idea for us? Shoot us an email at hey [at] GreatBigStory [dot] com

[qazwad]

“Everything is better with cream cheese”

*spreads cream cheese on my dads and moms divorce papers*

[MeetTheMlg]

"It's New York, we're moving at a fast pace."

*24 hour process*

[upbeat]

0:14 “there’s something that could rock New York and it’s precious bagels to the core”

*Ah yes, the Coronavirus*

[MotownShaker]

I'm surprised at the amount of Bagel historians in the comment section

[breach]

2:13

*Takes 0.001 percent of the cream cheese off*

[fuzzyscarfandmittens]

I remember Anthony Bourdain on one of his trips to Montreal scoffing at Montreal bagels. Then he tried one and he turned to the guy that brought him and said, "I hate you" because he liked it so much.

He admitted that he preferred the New York bagel but did have to say that the Montreal bagel was really good.

[denizgul]

I go to school in Montreal, my boyfriend goes to school in NYC. This is our favorite thing to argue about when we visit each other!

[tosht]

I love both NYC and Montreal bagels but the real question is which is better, St. Viateur or Fairmount?

[MelonMafia]

Montreal bagels: I'm better
NYC bagels: I'm better
Polish bagels: *you dare challenge me mortal*

[danielvincent]

Everything’s better with cream cheese eh

David Seymour would like to see your manager

[KonradofKrakow]

You cannot discuss bagels without mentioning their place of origin: Kraków, Poland. Bagels were originally made by Jewish communities in Kraków and they are still widely sold from street carts all around town for around 1zł (0.3$) a piece. Kraków's bagels (or "obwarzanek", as they are widely known in Polish) have the status of a regional protected food of European Union and are one of the symbols of the city. Kraków's bagels are a little bit wider and harder than the American variant, and tend to be eaten solo, mostly as a quick snack by frugal students moving from lecture to lecture within the city. Nevertheless, they are a quality in their own right.

[Movie_Games]

2:50 JESUS LOOK AT ALL THAT LOX. Bagel stores around here always skimp on the lox.

[benjamintran]

I ate a St. Viateur bagel while watching this video.

[gfjfkvkhujtyytydytyt]

"Everything is better with cream cheese"
Spreads cream cheese on my grades

[VespertineHeirloom]

"Everything is better with cream cheese"
*Mom crying*
*Puts cream cheese*
Why is she crying harder

[heyjingxuan]

*0:42** waow that lady have some biggo eyes!*

[egg]

1:51 Tbh New York bagels look like plastic

[sakatagintoki]

Are bagels like donuts but without the frosting?

I'm very sorry but I still haven't tasted any bagels in my life.

[SarahFloria]

Montreal! I had their bagels once. Delicious! The shop smells amazing.

[monke]

Ive lived in ny my entire life and i never cared for bagels til i tried the montreal style