The steamed up storefront window at Brooklyn’s newest bagel joint, Bagelsmith, was a true testament to their sign clearly stating, “EVERYTHING SERVED HERE IS MADE HERE.” Gothamist stopped in at Bagelsmith, on Bedford Avenue & N. 7th, right next door to the Bedford L-train stop and the new artisanal pizza place, Fornino. Gothamist is wondering if the new kid on the block can live up to New York City's high standards because even with the low-carb craze on its way out, this is a tough town for bagels.

Customers are greeted with menus on large chalkboards hanging on three walls, one listing beverage options, a second one enumerating flavors of cream cheese, and the last as-of-yet to be filled.
A display case full of at least a dozen varieties of cream cheese mounded on large white plates was almost shocking to look at (who could possible eat ALL OF THAT CREAM CHEESE?), but Bagelsmith does offer colorful flavors from veggie to scallion to blueberry (and also light and tofu varieties).

Bagels come in “standard” varieties: plain, sesame, onion, garlic, cinnamon raisin, everything, etc., but they also offer “egg” flavored bagels for those who want to feel like they’re eating protein along with their morning carbs.

And, you ask, how do they taste? Gothamist was very pleased with our sesame bagel and scallion cream cheese. The bagel was chewy, dense, and tasted fresh. The crust was crisp in parts, but neither overcooked nor undercooked. The sesame seeds were abundant, and falling all over our morning newspaper. The cream cheese was also tasty, though not entirely uniform in texture. Gothamist wondered if Bagelsmith might be making their cream cheese out of Philadelphia brand cream cheese (gasp!) which was oddly for sale in the drink cooler.

Bagelsmith’s owners are still settling on prices and paper menus have not yet been printed. A bagel with flavored cream cheese will put you out $2.40, on par with other high quality NYC bagel shops. Bagelsmith will pose a challenge to The Bagel Store, Williamsburg's reigning bagel hotspot located at Bedford & North 3rd and help diffuse the snaking lines that pour onto the street on weekend mornings when you wonder, "is the cinnamon tofu cream cheese really worth the wait?"

Bagels, of course, aren’t just on Bedford Ave. and Gothamist often stops in at Murray’s Bagels, which has locations in Greenwich Village (500 6th Ave) and in Chelsea (242 8th Ave). True purists, Murray's refuses to toast their hand-rolled, boiled, and baked bagels. Gothamist will concede, the texture is perfect, their bagels are always fresh, and the cream cheese is flavorful and just the right consistency.

Gothamist is also a big fan of H&H Bagels, Ess-a-bagel, David Bagel (228 1st Avenue), Terrace Bagels on Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and the 5th Ave Bageltique Café in Park Slope.

Gothamist wants to remind you to vote for your favorite bagel shop and also wants to know: what’s YOUR favorite place to nosh on bagels?