• UPPER EAST SIDE

• Tal Bagels

  333 E. 86th St.; 212-427-6811

  Dense and chewy, with a strong skin for crunch and a slight sourdough tinge to the bready center. House rules: cash only, and no toasting.

• UPPER WEST SIDE

• H&H Bagels

  2239 Broadway; 212-595-8003

  Purists insist that they’re too sweet and soft, but H&H bagels are the de facto standard, in New York and far beyond. Open 24/7 too.

• MIDTOWN EAST

• Daniel’s Bagels

  569 Third Ave.; 212-972-9733

  None of that sweet-and-puffy nouveau thing here. Daniel’s does a New York bagel right: chewy, dense, slightly bitter.

• WEST VILLAGE

• Murray’s Bagels

  500 Sixth Ave.; 212-462-2830

  Catching the proper balance between chewy and doughy, they’re the choice of all the area’s discerning coffee shops.

• LOWER EAST SIDE

• Kossar’s Bialys

  367 Grand St.; 212-473-4810

  The name and the reputation lead you to its excellent bialys, but you can’t go wrong with this landmark’s satisfyingly crusty bagels either.

• FINANCIAL DISTRICT

• Pick a Bagel

  102 North End Ave.; 212-786-9200

  Here, “a dozen” means fourteen, hand-rolled in the old style. Delivers too, for those hangover Sundays.

• BOERUM HILL/COBBLE HILL/CARROLL GARDENS

• Court Street Bagels

  181 Court St.; 718-624-3972

  The weekend lines out the door pretty much say it all.

  Complete List of Local Winners

From the 2007 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine