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At this basic bagel mecca, the dough is prepared, boiled and baked on the premises daily, and displayed in the long counter alongside the shop's homemade pastries and savory sandwich fillers. The bagels, neither as oversized nor as overly sweet as the competitors', are classics: crisp on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside. There are a few nods to innovation—the relatively fluffy sourdough bagel and the nutty, flavorful wholegrain are nice additions to the more traditional varieties, including a rich pumpernickel and an everything packed with onion and shedding seeds everywhere. After you’ve chosen a flavor, rows of cold cuts, cheese, smoked salmon and whitefish salad allow you to design your own sandwich. The store’s desserts are almost as notable as the eponymous bagels: Fresh-baked cookies, turnovers and rugelach are flaky and loaded with luscious fillings. A few tables and chairs offer Murray Hill denizens and frazzled midtown businesspeople a chance to sit and savor their bagels, pastry or cuppa joe. — Jessica Branch

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Neighborhood Bagels: Midtown East (2007)