Upper West Siders have known about Absolute Bagels for years. This unassuming shop near Columbia University turns out some of the freshest bagels in the city.

The Experience

There's no seating. There's barely room to stand. The operation is simple: order, pay cash (they grudgingly accept cards now), and get out. This is a bagel shop, not a café.

The Bagel

I got a sesame bagel straight from the oven – literally watched them pull it out. The outside was perfectly golden, studded with seeds. The inside was soft and still steaming.

This is the Platonic ideal of bagel texture. That perfect chew, that slight malt sweetness, that crisp-yet-yielding exterior.

The Lox Spread

Instead of a full lox setup, I went with their lox cream cheese spread. It's cream cheese blended with bits of smoked salmon throughout. Not as elegant as sliced lox, but deeply satisfying and more affordable.

The Numbers

• Bagel: $1.50
• With spread: around $5
• Wait time: 5-10 minutes

Why It Works

Absolute Bagels succeeds by focusing on what matters: excellent bagels at fair prices, served fast. No instagram-worthy décor, no avocado toast, no cold brew. Just really good bagels.

The move: Get there right when a batch comes out of the oven. Ask what's hot.