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Warning: These are not your average bagels. Instead, they’re over-the-top in the best way possible at these Westchester eateries.
The iconic New York bagel is not only a Sunday morning staple and the crucial foundation for a bacon, egg, and cheese, but an ever-evolving craft. These rings of perfection can be humble flavor vehicles for creative schmears or inventions all on their own. These six bakeries, bagel stores, and cafes in Westchester have put unique spins on the classic bagel. If you are a purist, don’t worry; they all still ensure the crisp, chewy, and fluffy essence that’s integral to a bagel.
Bagelicious Cafe
1026 Broadway, Thornwood; 914.239.8448
Bagelicious deserves a standing ovation for the astounding amount that it can stuff inside a bagel. The indulgent bagel sandwiches defy gravity with stacks of ham, Genoa salami, pepperoni, provolone, Swiss, and pretty much everything else you can imagine. The shop offers a more traditional bagel with smoked nova or whitefish salad, but when you’re ready for a true carnivorous undertaking, try the spicy Italian sandwich, roast beef bagel, or baked mozzarella and pepperoni sandwich. This Bagelicious experience is inclusive to all with tofu cream cheese options and gluten-free lunches.
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The Bagel Emporium
391 Main St, Armonk; 914.273.9111
95 King St, Chappaqua; 914.238.9777
Other locations in Tarrytown, Port Chester, and Yorktown Heights
Is there such a thing as too much schmear on a bagel? Can a schmear be too wacky? Is it really possible to put any food item in a schmear? These are the important questions that The Bagel Emporium is answering for all of us. The adventurous cream cheeses include bacon horseradish, jalapeno cheddar, cannoli, cotton candy, and more. However, for the absolute sweet-tooth champions, it’s crucial to pay tribute to the “Yabba Dabba Doo,” an outrageous fruity pebble bagel with cotton candy schmear.
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The Good Witch Coffee Bar
134 Southside Ave, Hastings-on-Hudson; 914.920.4077
Signature kimchi bagel. Need we say more? This magical coffee shop focuses on community, outrageous bagels, and witchy events. The Good Witch Coffee Bar will easily make you a customer for life with the rotation of scrumptious baked goods and rich coffees. In addition to the most popular kimchi bagel, the other must-try specialty items are the jalapeno-cheddar cream cheese and olive and fennel cream cheese bagels.
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Related: A Foodie’s Guide to Dining in White Plains for a Day
JV Bagels
1426 East Main St, Shrub Oak; 914.526.8052
325 NY-100, Somers; 914.556.6822
JV Bagels brings a celebration to your taste buds with its Party Bagel. This revolutionized bagel experience includes a giant bagel serving at least 16 people, topped with a customizable combination of egg, cheese, and meat. What more could you want in life than a giant disk of doughy, crusty goodness that satisfies an entire gathering? In the shop’s words, “go big or go home!”
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Lenny’s
172 South Ridge St, Rye Brook; 914.939.1379
4662 Boston Post Rd, Pelham; 914.355.5445
Come lunchtime, there is nowhere you would rather be than at one of Lenny’s two Westchester locations. The one-of-a-kind, outrageous bagels include the “University” cranberry vanilla, “Bad Boy” egg with poppy and onion, “My 2 son” poppy sesame sunflower, and “My X” jalapeño cheddar. If those mysterious but delicious-sounding names aren’t convincing enough, try the enticing flavor-combination cream cheeses like fig and bacon, garlic and herb, or jalapeño cheddar.
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What a Bagel Cafe
476 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains; 914.948.1010
This small, hole-in-the-wall café is known for its innovative variety of sweet and salty combos. To start off your morning, spice up a classic bagel with a more unconventional savory spread like olive and pimiento or bacon, garlic, and herb cream cheese. Immediately after, pretend you’re not full and order dessert: a cinnamon sugar bagel, sweet honey wheat, or blueberry bagel with strawberry or cinnamon raisin walnut cream cheese. Make sure you schedule the next few hours of your day for digesting time.
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