🇺🇸｜Eating Bagels with New Yorkers at a Brooklyn Street Corner

📍 Bagel Pub . In New York, having a bagel for breakfast is as common as enjoying rice rolls in Guangdong 🥯🍜. But just like everyone has their favorite spot for rice rolls, New Yorkers have strong opinions about where to find the best bagel. When I used to live here long-term, the bodega downstairs was all I needed. But after moving away and returning as a tourist, I found myself torn between my old New Yorker identity and my new visitor status—I wasn’t satisfied with just any bagel anymore. Bagel Pub near Prospect Park in Brooklyn strikes the perfect balance between local charm and tourist appeal. Walking from the park entrance to the shop, I passed rows of brownstone buildings and lush trees 🌳. The air was chilly that day, but as I pushed the door open, a wave of warmth instantly comforted me ☕❤️. In my opinion, if English fluency had levels, ordering smoothly at a bagel shop would be the next step up from mastering subway orders. You have to decide which bagel to choose, what fillings to add, and pick a cream cheese from the dozens of options—all while standing in line! It’s a real challenge 😅. 🥯 My usual order: smoked salmon + tomato Sometimes I go rogue and pair a cinnamon raisin bagel with savory ingredients, but this time I stuck to the classic everything bagel. With salmon and tomato already in the mix, I occasionally add pickles, but this time I went for the refreshing taste of cucumber dill cream cheese. I usually prefer my bagel unheated, but the cold weather had me craving something warm. Coffee is ordered at the cashier, where the barista turns around and pours a cup from a massive coffee machine. No fancy options here—just good, strong, classic coffee aroma ☕. Everyone stands by the counter waiting for their breakfast. When I received my bagel, it felt heavy and substantial. Pre-sliced in half, the cross-section of a New York bagel is a thing of beauty—a true work of edible art 🎨. Eating a New York bagel is a messy affair—there’s no escaping it. You have to take a big bite to get all the flavors at once. Heated just right, the bagel was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, becoming more flavorful with each bite. While I can’t yet distinguish the subtle differences between every bagel shop, one thing’s for sure—they’re always satisfying and incredibly filling 😋. At 9 a.m., the crowd in the shop didn’t look like tourists who had just flown in from the other side of the world like me. Some pushed strollers, others typed away on their laptops (very Brooklyn 📖), and some clearly just rolled out of bed nearby, waiting for their bagel and coffee to kick-start the day. After finishing my meal, I—a proud tourist—walked out with my receipt bearing my "new" English name and headed to Prospect Park, a place loved by both tourists and locals alike. A perfect spot to walk off the meal before heading to the Brooklyn Museum, another favorite for visitors and New Yorkers 🏞️🏛️. Have you tried a classic New York bagel yet? What’s your favorite combination—sweet or savory? Share your go-to order in the comments below! 👇🗽 #NewYork #NYCFood #NYCBagels #BrooklynEats #BreakfastInNYC #FoodDiary #BagelLovers #ProspectPark #NYCLife #TravelFoodie