I was so happy this place was right around the corner from our hotel! They even have vegan breakfast options. I loved my chai tea latte, the tuna melt and the smoothies I tried. But the best thing? That sourdough bread! Omg! Best I’ve ever had! I asked if they could make my avocado toast with it and they did. Awesome customer service too! Loved the atmosphere.

The best customer service at any coffee shop in NYC. Jackie and Phoebe are rockstars. And the coffee was delicious too!

Jackie, Phoebe, and the rest of the crew on at this location are routinely great faces to see when needing caffeine and respite from the cold. Their matcha is currently bar none for its class in my wide experience of area cafes. These two are especially friendly, communicative, and prompt getting the order out. The space is bright, capacious, and comfortable enough for a short work session. I also deeply value the offering of a mug and saucer for dine-in, and their offer to wash one and serve it over replacing with a disposable option is admirable.

It’s a cold, rainy day but Sofia just brought me a Love Affair Latte taster and we had a nice conversation. The atmosphere is great in here and the people watching is fantastic, the almond croissant is delicious and someone just said, Happy Wednesday. ♥️♥️♥️🙏🎼

Sean Fee

As a tourist, this was an amazing bagel. Got the Signature Favorite and was not disappointed. First time have fish on a bagel but it was delicious. Very pricey for a single bagel sandwich but was worth it for at least this time. Building was clean with lots of seating. Line was long but staff kept it moving. Bathroom was accessible and clean.

Sara Carrillo

Delicious, I tried a novacato eggel with salmon, avocado and eggs. The attention was very quickly and polite. Unforgettable.

+2

Laurie

Hands down, THE BEST bagel I have ever eaten! Soft, chubby bagel with NO hole (making it incredible!!) and everyone I talked to around me agreed: 10/10, including a couple waiting in the long line who come to NYC from Atlanta and never miss an Ess-a-bagels experience! Very friendly and efficient staff! Line wrapped down the block but once you get in it moves quickly. Worth the wait!! Will be back for a to-go dozen to take home to Oregon with me. Thank you!! 🩷

TM

Be best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had. The line was quite long, we waited about 15 minutes to order, and we got our order in five minutes. They have a great system functioning, but it’s definitely a lot of people inside the café. We got two morning classics with bacon, egg, and cheese, and a poppyseed bagel with apple cinnamon cream cheese, which was incredible. Definitely be prepared to wait in line, we were lucky that there was no line outside the door, but it got busy very very fast. There’s very limited seating, but I’m sure if you wait around and ask people when they’re leaving, you’ll find some seating. We also got a cappuccino and it was really good.

+2

Alexandra KIM

No wonder it’s named SIGNATURE FAVORITE. The nova was fresh and paired very well with their scallion cream cheese. 📅 Visited on 27 Dec 2025 w/o reservation 🍽️ Ordered SIGNATURE FAVORITE $17.85 💸 $19.43

+2

M M

Busy morning have quite long line but definitely worth the wait! Everything bagel was solid, right crispy, smell good! One of my favorite bagels in nyc

Justin Hill

This is one of New York's BEST bagels! Hot tip: if you want to try the bagels & cream cheese only, you can skip the line and do express bagel! Go to Russ & Daughters beforehand, grab the best Scottish lox and make your own!

Andra Leeke

A great bagel! They don't skimp on toppings either. Their veggie cream cheese is delicious but pretty much all their flavors are awesome. I love the texture of their bagel, not too hard not too soft. Perfect! Cute storefronts too.

Courtney Lamb

We LOVED this shop! The bagels were always fresh, and they have a huge variety of Cream Cheeses to choose from. I loved the amount of Cream Cheese on the bagels (more is always better in my opinion.) Our Favorite Cheese was the blueberry, but my husband also liked their pumpkin and peach. We also got their New York Style Cheesecake with strawberries. It was divine, super silky smooth.

curtis little

Ess-a-Bagel is a New York classic! 🥯 The bagels are huge, chewy, and flavorful, with generous cream cheese spreads. The wait can be a bit long, but totally worth it for one of the best bagels in the city.

Francisco Simón Verger

Ess-A-Bagel is one of those must-visit spots if you’re looking for a true New York bagel experience. It really feels like a classic NYC bagel shop—bustling, lively, and filled with locals and visitors alike. The variety of options is impressive; whether you want something simple with cream cheese or a fully loaded creation, they have it all. What I particularly liked is how all the toppings are displayed right in front of you—they look incredibly fresh and make it hard to choose because everything is so tempting. The bagel itself was outstanding: perfectly chewy on the outside with that distinctive texture that sets a New York bagel apart, while still soft and flavorful inside. I ordered one with eggs, avocado, and salmon, and it was absolutely loaded, generously filled to the point that every bite was packed with flavor. It’s hearty, satisfying, and exactly what you’d want when you think of a proper bagel. Beyond the food, there’s just something about the atmosphere that makes it feel authentic—like a piece of New York tradition. Service is quick despite the lines, which shows how well they handle the constant flow of customers. If you’re visiting the city or even if you’re local and haven’t been in a while, I’d highly recommend going. It’s a delicious, filling, and iconic NYC experience that definitely lives up to the hype.

+13

Rebecca Lauriers

I ordered the garlic bagel with garlic & herb cream cheese and it was absolutely delicious—highly recommend for any garlic lovers! The shop was very busy when I arrived, which just shows how popular it is. By the time I sat down to eat, the crowd thinned out a bit, but there was always a steady stream of people coming in. Great food, great vibe, and definitely worth a visit!

Tseng Simmon

I arrived at around 6:15am on a Sunday in May. It might be because it just opened, so there were few customers in the restaurant, and I could order right away. I ordered RUEBEN FUSION (USD 15). The bagel portion was about the same size as expected, and I felt that the Pastrami portion was sufficient and worth the price. The Pastrami paired with two flavors of cheese brought out the salty taste of the beef. It is worth coming to this store to buy bagels for breakfast (if there are few customers). The bagels sold in the restaurant can be customized to add the types of food you like to taste. The restaurant environment is clean & bright, and there are not many spaces/ seats inside. You can imagine that if you come to buy during peak hours, you should have to queue up and spend some time to buy it. Be prepared to avoid affecting the experience of buying bagels. Or you can consider taking it out.

+11

We fancied some hot drinks & pastries after a fantastic meze lunch at the ilili NoMad Lebanese restaurant so we stopped off at Gregory's Coffee shop on 6th Ave, on our way to do some shopping at Macy's. The shop was light, clean & airey with plenty of seating inside. My wife had her usual one shot milky latte, which she really enjoyed. I had an English breakfast tea and we shared a delicious traditional almond croissant that had a very tasty almond paste inside. We sat down at one of the tables and one of the friendly & helpful servers kindly brought the latte over to our table once it was ready. However, the cakes & pastries in the display cabinet looked a bit tired and not very appetising. There was a single toilet inside the shop and also free WiFi, neither of which we used.

Great spot for a quick coffee break! Nice variety of drinks; I tried the Protein Buzz and it was deliciously peanut buttery. Super fast service too. I recommend if you’re in the area and need a quick caffeine fix!

Really liked the coffee, they have coffee combinations with cold brew that looked very interesting. Would definitely come back. I tasted the fall oat boy latte which was has a very spiced flavor but really good. The people that take your order are really nice and it’s also pet friendly.

Gregory’s is great. Love their coffee selection. Morning staff is attentive and quick. Afternoon/night barista is nice but needs to wash his hands. Saw him take out a trash bag then make my drink.

Cameron Huggins

Amazing BEC bagel & good coffee. Confusing ordering system, and allowed so many people to skip some of our group in line. The guy got my order wrong because he wasn’t listening.

Nicole Montanini

The bagels were good! They've got a lot of toppings and options but I felt like it missed a little bit of seasoning and the experience itself ordering wasn't the easiest, it's messy and the attendants could've helped more and being more happy.. It could've been better.

Saahil Panikar

The bagel was actually incredible. I loved it and the selections of bagels and flavors were awesome. I think this was a really great take-away experience. My only complaint was that the interior was super humid and dingy and was unpleasant to wait in. It went fast though

+2

perle75nyc

This place is already well-known for its bagels, and as expected, the smoked salmon bagel sandwich was really good. The freshly made bagels were tasty too, but the ones that had been sitting out for a while were a bit dry and hard, so I wasn’t sure they were anything special. When I ordered something to eat in and also wanted to buy some bagels to go, I had to go back to the pickup area to place and collect the to-go order, which was a bit of a hassle. The flow inside the store could definitely be better. Also, there’s no clear sign showing that the line for iced coffee is different from the regular coffee, so people end up walking back and forth — kind of confusing. Hope they improve that part.

+12

Daniel Ki

It was the first time to visit here as a traveler. It was a famous bagel shop located near the hotel Waldorf Astoria where I stayed. In the morning I ordered a signature favorite bagel but forgot to order a cup of coffee. I was going to order coffee when I was about to pay, but the staff told me to go back to order line. Anyway she accepted my coffee order when I was embarrassed. Additionally after I ordered americano and my party ordered regular coffee, I made a mistake to try to get regular coffee. I didn't know which one was my coffee. The male employee was overbearing and criticized twice in a row that this was americano and this was regular coffee! He was too rude to the customer. Such an attitude to customers is unimaginable in my country. I understand staffs are busy, but I hope your attitude towards your customers will improve, especially for travelers who are not used to everything. What is more important than the taste of food is kindness and attitude.

Fawaz Alarbash

Every time I pass they have long queue, at morning it takes me to be wait until I each to my order around 30 minutes, my order everything bagel with scallion cream cheese and tomato price : ( 8.11$ ) , the bagel it’s warm & big , rich filling in cream cheese , but for me the taste of the bagel it’s nice thick and chewy , the taste of cream cheese normal.

+6

Went in to do some work. The girl taking my order was quite cold. It wasn’t too busy but there was trash, crumbs, and liquid all over the tables and floors. I asked for napkins to wipe off a table to sit down at. Probably wouldn’t visit this location again.

Sebastian C

The bagel is a solid 4.5/5, but that’s about the only good thing here. The service feels hectic and unorganized — they have about eight people taking orders but only one person on the register, which causes a long backup. I ordered a sesame bagel with vegetable cream cheese, but as you can see from the picture, I think they forgot the vegetables. The cream cheese had a couple of carrot shavings in it, and that’s about it. They should be embarrassed to call that “vegetable” cream cheese. Overall, if you’re a tourist in the area, it’s a good bagel. Just maybe get it with butter or plain cream cheese so you’re not paying extra for ingredients that don’t actually exist.

Overpriced and disappointing. The prices here are way too high for what you actually get. The coffee is average at best, and the food doesn’t justify the cost in any way. Nothing stood out in terms of quality, taste, or service to explain these inflated prices. You’re basically paying for the name or the location, not the experience. There are plenty of cafés nearby offering much better quality for a more reasonable price. Definitely not worth it, and I won’t be coming back.