The Bagel Hole

Truth: Best bagel I’ve ever had.
Second Truth: Grew up outside Chicago; we admittedly (and sorrowfully) don’t know much about bagels. NY is teaching me.
For the holiday, we were in town & headed over to Park Slope relatively early on a Sunday. Between its cafes, architecture, & Olmsted park (hey Buffalo, heyyy), the neighborhood was super nice to walk around, bagels-​in-​hand. This shop’s small, was full, but move quickly. We ordered two everything bagels, one with butter & the other with «a little cream cheese.» Both were warm out of the kitchen with a nice snap, balanced flavor, and chewy inside. \\ This. Is. A. Bagel. /​/​
Facts:
— Don’t toast fresh bagels. (Visit ASAP if you believe otherwise, because you’ve never had *a bagel* & you’re mornings are about to get better. Science says so.)
— Butter goes on fresh, warm bagels. Mmm, melty.
— Cream cheese goes on room temp bagels. Especially when it’s sliming unappealingly off a warm bagel, even ‘a little’ is ‘a lot’ for us Midwesterners.
If I lived in town, I’d try the lox spread that everyone was ordering by the tub — for my cooled-​off bagels, of course. ;-) And next time I’m passing through for one on the go, butter all the way.

This was my first time going to the Bagel Hole. The bagels are fresh and warm. A little smaller than their competitors’s bagels. The price is really good.

The city’s best bagels come from the city’s worst bagel shop. But that just means they’re keeping it real, and that you’re supposed to eat your bagels at home. They’re worth it.
Get a baker’s dozen, and when you get home, slice any you’re not going to eat that day in half, wrap them tightly in plastic, and freeze them. You can just pop them in the toaster straight from the freezer. The fresh ones you should eat without toasting, to experience their unique texture: THIS is what a bagel is supposed to taste like, and feel like.
They also make the best lox spread (which they’re sometimes out of). Get your beverages elsewhere.
Going to the Bagel Hole is an experience akin to what I imagine it must have been like buying bagels from a market or stall back in the old country, or on the Lower East Side a century ago. Customer service gets the job done without being particularly nice about it. It’s cash only (there is an ATM in the store, but of course there’s a fee involved with that.) The bagels are high-​quality without being any sort of fetish object; you buy them, you eat them, done. They’re artisanal without making an issue of it. They’re a buck apiece. Those are what I call real «New York Values,» and they’re one of the last places in New York that still has them.

The place is dirty and had an electrical burning smell in the air when I visited, but I stuck around, thinking the bagels must be good to warrant the small crowd. But when the girl behind the counter took off her glove and kept it in her MOUTH for a full minute so she could use the register for the customer in front of me, then returned the glove to her hand, and returned her hands to slicing my bagels, I had to walk out mid-​order. As a rule, I don’t eat strangers’ spit, especially untoasted, and I can only assume that basic food-​handling training is not a high priority at this place, or gloves are in short supply. Not returning any time soon.

Ate here a while ago, got a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. It tasted great and the bagel was really fresh. I wish they had capers! I’d go back again if I was walking around in the neighborhood for breakfast.

This would now be zero stars if that were an option. I will never go back to Bagel Hole even for a bagel emergency. My kitchen is currently ripped out for a renovation. Husband went in to get one buttered bagel and another plain that I just wanted cut in half. They refused to cut the plain bagel, even after he explained we have no kitchen, because «they only cut bagels if you get something on them.» Give me a break! What a lousy way to run a business.

Such a HOLE. I’ve lived in Park Slope for 18 years, and today was the 2^nd time I figured I’d try Bagel Hole once again.
I walked in to a cloud of smoke and the smell of burned bagels (or something), and a dirty feeling place. I jokingly said, «what did you burn?», and the two front counter staff and one in the kitchen looked up at me with deer in the headlight eyes and didn’t talk. Just stared at me like I came from another planet.
I turned around and walked out.
Yup, still a hole but now with rude attitude.
How is this place still in business after all these years? The best part is the awning that stated «best bagels in the world or NYC». That’s comical!
A true hole in the wall.

Best bagels, hands down! I would put them up against any bagel anywhere! I recommend the tuna salad also!

Every time I asked for a dozen whole wheat bagels the «Help» gave me a nasty attitude. The last time I went and asked for a dozen and one half whole wheat bagels they told me I could not buy that many. It seems The Bagel Hole doesn’t want to sell bagels. When I left there I realized that the word ass was omitted from their sign.

As a new Brooklynite who is a HUGE bagel fan I was looking for a new joint.
I was referred here by a colleague.
The place is literally a hole in the wall lol.
When you walk in you go about 5 feet before you encounter the counter. There is a fridge to the right and some shelves to the left but that’s about it.
The selection of bagels is limited to what I consider basic bagel fare (plain, everything, egg.) No wheat or whole grain etc.
Additionally, they are about the size of a Lender’s frozen bagel that you purchase from your grocer’s freezer. (Though in all fairness they are MUCH better than a Lender’s bagel).
Unfortunately, Eh is all I can say for this bagel store.
The search continues!
Also FYI: CASH only

If you ever spend the time reading about this place on the wall, you realize why it’s different than the other NYC bagel places. They make bagels the way they’re traditionally done — smaller, chewier, and less sweet than most of the other bagel places around. I think this is better — it also feels cooler, like you’re supporting something historical. The ambiance sucks, there’s no place to sit, and the service isn’t anything exciting. However, I think the quality and uniqueness of the bagels more than makes up for this. I hope this place never never closes and never succumbs to the higher-​calorie, higher-​sugar demand the way the other bagel places have over the years.
If you’re in park slope, don’t miss it, and if you’re looking for a traditional NY bagel, it’s more than worth the journey.

You get bagel and coffee. No more. No less. Keep it moving.
They don’t toast. There’s no hummus or toffuti. You get bagel and coffee. No more. No less. Keep it moving.
No toasting. There is no bagel toasting. You get bagel and coffee. No more. No Less. Keep it moving.

Everything bagel seasoning is on the bottom? Not chewy, cream cheese is average. Ur better off going down the street or to 5^th ave if you’re looking for a bagel in south slope.

The bagel hole is a hole in the wall no pun intended. There’s a line up at the door on this Saturday morning. I got a egg bagel with LOX spread. The guys I work behind the counter were very helpful. The bagel is a bit cheaper than other places in New York City.
However there is not much lox in my lox spread it just tasted like regular cream cheese.
The bagel itself is a lot smarter than others in New York City however these things are dense. The Outside of the bagel is very crunchy. While I like the texture, the spread squeezes out when you bite into it so it makes it a bit messy.

Yup, it’s a hole in the wall. What did you want it to be, a three ring circus?
They’re the best bagels in Brooklyn according to me, the mayor, and anyone who’s had a lot of bagels, and doesn’t assume that bigger is better.
I like a fluffy bagel as much as the next guy, but these denser, smaller ones (classic brooklyn bagels according to the many older, more knowledgeable New Yorkers I have consulted!) are so flavorful and perfectly satisfying — it’s a different food. A little crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, no inexplicable varieties involving unwanted fruits and unusual seeds.
If you don’t like them, ok! But respect, please! They’re best fresh, and they’re only fresh when they come out of the oven. So yeah, if you get a not-​so-​fresh one, you might want to take it home to toast. But you can’t blame them for running their business how they do. They don’t toast: this is a classic New York bagelry.
Get a dozen when they’re fresh, take them home, slice some onion, put out the capers… you’re all set. Stop whining and enjoy!

I was introduced to the Bagel Hole, in about 95 or 96. I would go visit my cousins who lived across the street and would often make the Saturday morning bagel run. 20 years or so later, the place basically looks the same with the dim lighting and a small location that probably cannot fit more than ten customers at a time, but organized bagel joint. Not a whole lot of flash, but typically a great Everything bagel which is still a favorite of mine. Park Slope has a million places to get bagels, but this is definitely one of the good ones.

I don’t care what a REAL NEW YORK BAGEL is… this one does not taste that good. At least not good enough to warrant a pilgrimage across the park.
I don’t care if a REAL NEW YORK BAGEL is not toasted… toasted bagels taste better.
The place is narrow and dingy and not particularly friendly.
I don’t understand the hype – there a dozens of better places to get bagels – skip it.

A-​OK bagel spot on 7^th avenue. It’s kinda gross inside — an old refrigerator and kitchen equipment are collecting dust in the middle of the store.
The bagels are oddly similar in look to the grocery store frozen type, which seems suspicious. Nonetheless, they are pretty tasty when fresh.
Plus 1 star for the name «The Bagel Hole», which I think has double meaning: A reference to the actual hole in a bagel and the fact that the store is in fact a hole in the wall.

Tiny little place– probably 5 people can stand in line inside. I would call it a hole in the wall but it’s very well-​known and popular.
$ 2.55 for a plain bagel, egg and sausage — you can’t go wrong. The bagel had a nice crunchy exterior with a soft, doughy inside. The bagel is smaller than usual bagel shops (or rather. I would call this «normal sized» since most places are oversized).
Two things to know about this place (besides great bagels):
— cash only (they have an ATM, $ 0.99 fee)
— they don’t toast bagel

Mmm… I ordered an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese and lox! Delicious!