Gerritsen Beach Bagels

Just good. Everything’s so fresh and for a great price, get a good breakfast. I know the owner and he takes his job seriously, providing Gerritsen Beach with the best food made out of the best ingredients. The bagels are crispy, but soft on the inside. The also are light and don’t feel heavy in your stomach.

I wanted to try a rainbow bagel for ages now.
However, everywhere else ran out fast, loaded with tourists, and had super long lines. They were way out of reach of course. Well farther out than I feel is necessary to trek for a bagel to be honest.
Luckily, this place is not far, its easy to park, not expensive, and zero tourists. Seriously, I am grateful that gentrifiers and tourists do not swarm to these parts of Brooklyn. They Betta NOT!
Anyway they had a ton of rainbow bagels and different color cream cheese that taste freakin good.

This place brings much joy to me. They have a clean well kept on main road location that offers the essentials in an inviting way. Their bagels are spot on with a deli selection to compliment the business in a magical way.

I read a few comments on this store’s Facebook page about how some patrons liked the bagels better than «that other Rainbow bagel shop» so I had to try them. In truth, since I live in Bergen Beach, all I was asking for from the shop in Gerritsen were that they be as good or at least «almost as good,» so I could save the trip down to Williamsburg whenever I had a jones for a bagel that looked like it should be named «The Jerry Garcia» and sold in the parking lot of Grateful Dead shows.
So skeptical or not, I wanted to give this place a try, and my standard, to be perfectly frank, was «Just be at least almost as good and you will have the virtue of saving me a long trek down to the Williamsburg Bridge on bicycle or car.»
Oddly enough the 18+ mile round trip through Brooklyn traffic on my bicycle is actually quicker than by car, but that is very much beside the point lol.
Anyway, sorry for the buildup. Now to the actual review!
The short and sweet of it is that this place didn’t just meet my expectations (okay, my skeptical hope would be more accurate) it blew them to kingdom come. It so far exceeded ANYTHING I was expecting that I am so impressed I can’t even tell you (even though clearly I am, right?)
Here is the nitty-​gritty:
1. The flavor is fantastic, but then so is the other shop, so that is a dead heat.
2. However, the consistency of the bagels in Gerritsen is really where this bagel shines! There is simply not even a comparison between the two bagels on this count. I have been eating Brooklyn bagels my whole life, and I know what these bagels are supposed to be and know when they fall short. Before eating the bagels in Gerritsen, I was actually prepared to «give the other shop a pass» on the consistency because, since my undergraduate major was chemistry, I am well aware that adding a sh*t-ton of dyes and other flavors into a batter can irrevocably (and not usually favorably) alter the consistency of the final, baked product. So my assumption before today was that the «Play-​dough» consistency of the other bagels was an unavoidable consequence of all the pretty colors. Clearly I was very wrong.
I have to put my pompous, Brooklyn-​snob hat on for a second and say this: If you have NOT had a fresh bagel in Brooklyn, hand rolled, made with NYC water from the reservoir, and cooked to perfection then what I am going to say will sound like another language or maybe even a little weird:
A classic Brooklyn bagel has a sort of «hard, chewy» crunch to its crust and is doughy, moist, and less chewy on the meaty or inside part. If this sounds disgusting to you, I understand, but it isn’t. It’s magic, I can assure you. Anyone who has lived in Brooklyn for more than thirty seconds knows exactly what I am talking about.
3. The Rainbow bagels at the other place are $ 4.00 a piece, plain, with nothing on them. They are HALF that price here!
4. Service — This is tough to call, because the service in both places are excellent. Although you should be aware that while you will have a normal wait for a «busy bagel shop» if you go to Gerritsen Bagels on peak hours, you will NOT be waiting over an hour like you will in the other place. I went on an off peak time to Gerritsen and I was in and out in less than five minutes! I waited on line for AN HOUR before even giving my order in Williamsburg.
5. Aesthetics: Okay, this is the one area that I would say the other shop wins. The pure «visual beauty» of the rainbow and other colored bagels is absolutely stunning in «The Bagel Shop.» It doesn’t blow the doors off of Gerritsen’s colored bagels, but they are prettier.
Look, let me be clear: if I was a 16 year old, bulimic, starved-​for-​attention Instagram junkie, and tired of posting scantily clad selfies, but still on a jihad for «likes» and wanted to post shots of pretty rainbow bagels, I would probably want to snap pictures of the ones in Williamsburg for pure aesthetics. Likewise, if I was looking to take these bagels, cover them with shellac, nail them to an ornate stand, and create some coffee table ornament, I would probably snag a few from Williamsburg. But for taste, consistency, flavor, and a more old-​school, authentic bagel, there is simply no comparison! The shop in Gerritsen is not just trying to make a name for itself as «another rainbow bagel store… yawn» They are putting out bagels and other culinary delicacies that are both trendy AND delicious, as well as being a far superior product. And by the way, speaking of visuals, this is not to say that the Rainbow bagels from Gerritsen aren’t gorgeous in their own right, because they are very beautiful. But, and this is the important part, I will take the bagels in Gerritsen hand down and without hesitation.
This is NOT to say the bagels at the «more famous place» are bad. They aren’t. They put out an excellent product, too. So in no way am I trying to disparage another shop, because I wouldn’t turn my nose up at ANY bagels at this level of quality!

Hands down the best bagel I have ever put in my mouth! I’ve tried the regular rainbow bagel with confetti cream cheese as well as the rainbow bagel bacon egg and cheese… I live in Chicago but come to Brooklyn often to see my boyfriend and this is always a must stop!

Excellent bagel place, the best. There is usally a line especially on weekends, but it is worth the wait. The bagels are crisp on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. And they are not expensive at all.
Most come schmeared with ample portions of cream cheese, but I prefer mine toasted with butter.
I like that you can watch the bagels being made, first boiled in a vat and then cooked in the large revolving oven in an open kitchen.
Be forewarned many of the regulars say they love the taste, but not the service which can be absent-​minded at times. Good idea to check your order before you leave.

Best bagels in this side of town! Made fresh everyday and always a great bite. Tuna salad is highly recommended as is the egg salad. Great foot long party heros too.

The best bagels in Marine Park. Hands down. This local spot is known for its fresh old school bagels. The way bagels should really be made. They have a great crust to them, they are chewy and delicious. Well worth a stop if you’re in the area.

Shocked by some of these rave reviews! I have gone into this place more than once and they have had NO plain or everything bagels. How can a bagel store NOT have bagels? I understand the popularity because it’s a neighborhood business but to have a line out the door is ridiculous. Also, your order will be incorrect 99% of the time. I will get a bagel there occasionally because of convenience but the bagels are subpar at best.

Not really a place to go and sit and have a coffee (since it is more of a corner store VS a café and there are no seats) but there is not doubting the quality of the bagels. HUGE and a great deal. $ 1.75 for a massive Bagel toasted with a good dollop of cream cheese. Best in the area.

God damn these are some good bagels. When I entered this shop, I came with the intention of keeping it simple. I ordered an everything bagel with cream cheese. While inside I observed an employee in there working all by himself whipping up breakfast for customers with unusual requests. If it were me, I would’ve lost patience being the only one serving and dealing with a long line of customers. He kept his cool but had the obvious look of irritation all over his face. But getting back to the bagel, you know it’s good when you say mmm after the first bite. After the last bite I said, God damn this is a good bagel. I will definitely return.

Best bagels in southern Brooklyn. Looks like a hole in the wall and the line can get long on a weekend morning but well worth it.

I love this place for breakfast. Bagels are made fresh in front of you. The three guys that are usually there definitely know what there doing. Great bacon egg and cheese fit for any man. The four stars is because of there ice coffee. It’s weak. I believe in adding cold coffee to ice cubes not hot coffee to ice cubes because the coffee becomes watered down. There hot coffee is great otherwise. But the bagels are unbelievable. Check this place out.

I come out to Gerritsen Beach pretty often for work, and almost always stop at Gerritsen Bagels for a sandwich. The guys who work there are so nice, and the bagels are fresh and cheap. Definitely worth a stop.

I live in the area and I gotta say these are the best in the neighborhood! The Bagels are made fresh everyday, multiple times a day! They also make pancakes, French toast etc. You won’t be disappointed

Bagels are ok, wait is long. Servers wearing gloves for the purpose of «food handling» should know to remove gloves while handling money, newspapers etc., put on a clean pair of gloves! There is no point in wearing «food handling gloves» if you don’t do it properly.

You have eaten a fresh baked bagel until you try this place out. They are the only place that palm rolls their bagels and that makes a big difference for me. Once you slide that butter on top… lord have mercy, praise the lord. You have been blessed.
This placed also deliver excellent customer service with style. How? Visit this place and request for a bacon, egg, and cheese. You will notice that the cook make sure your meal is perfect. I actually walked out the place to confirm I was at the right store, because I thought I was on live set for Cooking Network.
You want to confirm this place is excellent?
–I am willing to travel 20 mins to eat their bagels and you now that mean a lot when gas prices are too high in NYC.
–People have traveled from Ct and SI to purchase their bagels. Please realize the tools are over 10 dollars, so when a person is willing to pay tool for bread. You need to need to visit this place to find out why!

Gerritsen Beach Bagels is the only establishment in the area that makes its own bagels. Whenever I’m working in the area, I’ll stop in for a bagel and schmear or an egg sandwich. The hazelnut coffee is a bit watered down, but not awful.
Solid breakfast joint.

The bagels are okay. The wait is ridiculous. A coffee and bagel with cream cheese shouldn’t take nearly twenty minutes. Each employee handles one request at a time. Bagel… okay, go slowly around the case and get that. Bagel with cream cheese is just asking for too many things at once, apparently.
The staff is polite, but easily confused. Black coffee means no milk. I understand that English isn’t everyone’s first language, but seriously… if two of the main things you’re serving are coffee and bagels, you should probably understand at least enough to make them correctly.
While working this week at Gerritsen, doing Hurricane Sandy recovery work, I made the mistake of stopping in there. I learned my lesson– buy coffee at a 711 or Dunkin Donuts and bring it with me. When Dunkin Donuts employees are quicker and speak more English, you know there’s a problem…

Totally old school bagel place where you can watch them boil then bake the bagels! I have been there twice while delivering free books to the mini library that is outside the damaged and currently closed Gerritsen Beach branch of the Brooklyn Library and I would consider making a special trip over to get a dozen of their pumpernickel everything bagels and a tub of lox spread. The staff is really friendly and when I get a bagel with cream cheese, it’s a generous schmear. Love!