Brownsteins Bagels — Restaurant in Town of Brighton

Rochesterians have a variety of opinions on who has the best bagels in town. I've visited all the bakeries countless times, and stand firmly and proudly in the Brownstein's camp. They focus on the standard lineup of classic bagel flavors—you won't find any jalapeño cheddar or french toast meshugas here—and boil and bake them to absolute perfection. Their salt bagels, egg bagels, and rye bagels are particular highlights. Wherever they get their lox from, it's to die for, and they make sure to pat it dry so that it doesn't slip out of your sandwich—a subtle but much appreciated technique. Overall, this is an unfussy and authentic spot well worth your business. The one downside, (but not, in my opinion, a dealbreaker) is that they only...

When I discovered that my favorite Rochester deli had been replaced with a Subway (years ago) I found Brownstein's on Google. Nice little shop that reminded me of deli's in Queens. Great people and the sandwich, on homemade Jewish seeded rye bread, was awesome! Very generous with the meat and unique in that they are kosher and won't put cheese on the meat... but they will give you cheese and you can put in on yourself if you're a gentile. Definitely try one of the fantastic oatmeal raisin cookies too... And the bagels... OMG! They are my favorite deli... Like a NYC deli but cleaner. Forget about the big chains and support the little guy... You will be...

I'm from Long Island so I know what a good bagel tastes like - they easily make the best bagels in Rochester here. They also carry tofutti - if you are vegan or keep kosher this is a great option for your bagel. While I wish they had more flavor options (perhaps a veggie tofutti), what really blows away the competition is the taste of the bagel itself, which is the closest to the Long Island/NYC bagel I've had in Western New York. I will be returning (this time with cash so I don't have to...