BagelFest Shocker: NYC Bagel Scene Faces Competition!

BagelFest 2025 witnessed an upset! A Dallas upstart won top honors, challenging NYC's bagel supremacy. Local shops must step up their game amidst evolving tastes and sourdough trends.

” I assume moving forward, it’s really fantastic for New York City, due to the fact that it’s not nearly, ‘Oh, I have this style,'” Varley proceeded. “The important things regarding New york city City is, if you can make it below, you can make it anywhere– for anything. The bagels are no exception.”.

BagelFest Upset: Dallas Startup Wins

The shock schmear on Gotham’s reputation as a leading carb resources came courtesy of a panel of judges at the 2025 BagelFest, held at Citi Field in Queens over the weekend break, where Starship Bagel, an upstart from the Dallas-Fort Worth location, took leading honors over dozens of neighborhood greats.

“I assume a lot of them consider it like they have more to shed than to acquire– in the feeling that if you’re a New York bagel store and you win the most effective Bagel award, you’re expected to,” Silverman described. “Yet if you don’t, it resembles, ‘What’s the bargain, why didn’t you win?'”.

PopUp, another store that has actually disregarded practice and brought a brand-new kind of bagel experience to the city of late, has actually given that taken place to construct a cult following and has broadened to ratings of locations across the country.

New York Bagels Must Improve

The unusual mild comes amidst a recent change in the New York scene, in which brash brand-new participants like Apollo Bagels are able to attract prolonged lines for their lighter, sourdough bagels, a design promoted in recent years in cities like Los Angeles.

A lot more humiliating still, individuals’s Choice honor at the occasion– gone to by hundreds of New Yorkers– mosted likely to Baltik’s Bagel in Richmond, Va., a five-hour drive from the closest of the 5 boroughs.

Sourdough Bagels Rising in Popularity

Mike Varley, a longtime court for the competition and designer of EverythingisEverything.NYC, a website on which he’s managed to log greater than 200 regional bagel store evaluations– Paradise is just one of his faves– shared that he feels the expanding presence of non-local bagels at BagelFest is a good idea for the New York City bagel scene.

The carby carpetbaggers took home their prize at once when New York’s very own bagel scene is going through a major shift, with brand-new areas like Beauty Bagels drawing massive lines for their social media-ready sourdough bagels. Stefano Giovannini.

Brooklynite Sam Silverman, who established the event six years back, informed The Post he stands by the impressive decision– which it’s time for rest-on-their-laurels NYC stores to increase their game and confirm the pros and fest guests incorrect.

“Bagel stores from around the city, Long Island and New Jacket require to step it up and put their product to the test. Let’s fight it out it out!”

BagelFest: More Than Just a Competition

Dishes ranging from conventional faves to new rotates on standards are exchanged at the event during live trials and tastings. Bagel-making courses, panel conversations with top market leaders and networking possibilities are included.

Additionally, Silverman claimed, the event drives the growth and financing of both well-known and promising bagel shops that are granted each year with several of BagelFest’s most substantial success.

Ever since, the meetup has ballooned right into a comprehensive trade and customer program. This year, around 2,000 guests joined to join the making, evaluating and consuming of their favored carbohydrate creation.

“[In 2021] was the first time we held a Best Bagels competitors,” the Greenpointer explained. “To everybody’s surprise, a little upstart from Westport, Conn. vanquished all these truly developed shops. It was PopUp Bagels.”.

About 300 followers of the morning meal staple obtained with each other that initial year to celebrate their love and gratitude for bagels of all kinds, thanks to the job of Silverman, his then-fiancé and pals.

5) Ess-A-Bagel– Frequently hit-or-miss, but when they’re on, there’s couple of better than this Midtown staple with multiple areas currently. Leading NYC victor at this year’s BagelFest. Order Ess-A-Bagel on Goldbelly.

“Bagel stores from around the city, Long Island and New Jacket need to step it up and put their item to the test. The carby carpetbaggers took home their prize at a time when New York’s very own bagel scene is going through a major shift, with brand-new areas like Beauty Bagels drawing substantial lines for their social media-ready sourdough bagels.” I think relocating ahead, it’s really excellent for New York City, due to the fact that it’s not simply about, ‘Oh, I have this one style,'” Varley proceeded. “The point concerning New York City is, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere– for anything. The bagels are no exemption.”.

The carby carpetbaggers took home their prize at once when New York’s own bagel scene is undergoing a significant change, with new areas like Beauty Bagels attracting enormous lines for their social media-ready sourdough bagels. Stefano Giovannini.