Where are the best bagels on Long Island?

Some of the best bagels on Long Island can be found at A&S Bagels in Franklin Square, Wally’s Bagels in North Babylon, Bagel Boss in Hicksville, Bagel Master in Syosset, West Islip Bagels in West Islip, Country Hot Bagels in East Northport, and Long Island Bagel Café locations across the region.These shops represent different parts of Long Island’s bagel culture, from around-the-clock bakeries and old-fashioned neighborhood stores to multi-location businesses serving bagels, spreads, breakfast sandwiches, deli food, and catering.

In Short

For a longtime 24-hour bagel bakery, start with A&S Bagels in Franklin Square or Bagel Boss in Hicksville. Wally’s Bagels is a popular Suffolk County choice in North Babylon, while Bagel Master, West Islip Bagels, and Country Hot Bagels represent the neighborhood shops many residents consider local favorites. Long Island Bagel Café is a convenient multi-location option for hand-rolled bagels, breakfast sandwiches, deli selections, and catering.

Where Are the Best Bagels on Long Island?

The best bagel shop depends on what you value most. Some customers prefer a smaller, denser bagel with a crisp exterior and chewy center, while others favor larger bagels, specialty flavors, generous cream cheese portions, or elaborate breakfast sandwiches. Freshness also matters, and a bagel eaten shortly after it comes out of the oven may leave a stronger impression than the same product later in the day.

The recommendations on this page include longtime bakeries, neighborhood shops, and a regional multi-location business. They were selected for local reputation, longevity, product identity, community significance, menu variety, and geographic representation across Nassau County and Suffolk County. They are not presented as a strict ranking because Long Islanders rarely agree on a single best bagel.

A&S Bagels

A&S Bagels in Franklin Square is one of Long Island’s best-known bagel bakeries. The large bakery operates around the clock and produces bagels for both retail customers and wholesale distribution, making it a dependable option for early-morning breakfasts, daytime visits, and late-night cravings.

A&S is especially well suited to customers who want a traditional bagel shop with a large production bakery behind it. In addition to familiar varieties such as plain, sesame, poppy, onion, cinnamon raisin, and everything, the shop offers spreads, breakfast sandwiches, deli selections, and other bakery items.

Wally’s Bagels

Wally’s Bagels in North Babylon has developed a loyal following for fresh bagels, flavored spreads, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast platters, deli sandwiches, and baked goods. Its broad menu makes it a practical choice for families, offices, and groups whose members may want different breakfast or lunch items.

Wally’s is one of the stronger Suffolk County options for customers who want the familiar neighborhood bagel-store experience rather than a restaurant built around elaborate or trendy creations. It is particularly useful for takeout breakfast, larger sandwich orders, and casual meals.

Bagel Boss

Bagel Boss in Hicksville is a longtime Long Island bagel destination known for around-the-clock service, traditional bagels, spreads, appetizing selections, sandwiches, salads, and extensive catering menus. Its location and hours make it a useful choice for commuters, shift workers, late-night customers, and anyone who wants a bagel outside ordinary breakfast hours.

Bagel Boss also represents the broader New York appetizing-store tradition, with smoked fish, whitefish salad, tuna, egg salad, deli items, baked goods, and platters supplementing its bagel menu. It is a strong choice when the meal needs to extend beyond a simple bagel and cream cheese.

Bagel Master

Bagel Master in Syosset is a longtime neighborhood shop frequently associated with the old-school Long Island bagel experience. It is best suited to customers who prioritize freshly baked traditional varieties, straightforward spreads, breakfast sandwiches, and the atmosphere of an established local store.

Rather than relying on novelty alone, shops such as Bagel Master build their reputations through consistency and repeat neighborhood business. It is a worthwhile Nassau County option for visitors comparing independently operated bagel stores outside the island’s larger regional chains.

West Islip Bagels

West Islip Bagels is a neighborhood Suffolk County choice for traditional bagels, breakfast sandwiches, cream cheese spreads, coffee, and deli food. Its appeal comes from the type of everyday local service that defines Long Island bagel culture, where customers return to the same nearby shop for morning orders, weekend breakfasts, and office food.

This is a useful option for customers in western Suffolk County who want a familiar neighborhood store rather than driving a long distance for a more famous name. As with many busy bagel shops, visiting earlier in the day generally provides the widest selection and the best opportunity to receive bagels close to their baking time.

Country Hot Bagels

Country Hot Bagels in East Northport is another well-regarded neighborhood choice, particularly for customers in the Huntington and Northport area. The shop offers the classic combination of fresh bagels, breakfast sandwiches, cream cheese spreads, and takeout service expected from a Long Island bagel store.

Country Hot Bagels is a good example of why selecting one island-wide winner is difficult. Many of Long Island’s strongest bagel shops are neighborhood businesses whose reputations are built primarily through regular local customers rather than tourism, media attention, or multiple locations.

Long Island Bagel Café

Long Island Bagel Café operates multiple locations and offers hand-rolled bagels, flavored cream cheeses, breakfast sandwiches, salads, deli food, baked goods, beverages, and catering. Its regional footprint makes it one of the easiest recommendations for visitors who want a recognizable bagel shop without traveling to one specific town.

The business is best considered a multi-location Long Island option rather than a single destination store. It can be especially convenient for families, offices, catered gatherings, and customers who want a larger menu that extends into lunch and prepared foods.

Best Bagels for Early Morning or Late Night

A&S Bagels and Bagel Boss stand out for customers who need more flexible hours. Their around-the-clock operations make them practical for airport trips, long commutes, early work shifts, late-night meals, and weekend mornings when smaller shops may not yet be open.

Best Bagels for Breakfast Sandwiches

Nearly every recommended shop offers egg sandwiches, but the experience can vary substantially. Some customers prefer a simple egg and cheese on a plain or everything bagel, while others want bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, avocado, specialty sauces, or oversized combinations. Wally’s Bagels, Bagel Boss, and Long Island Bagel Café are particularly useful when menu variety is important.

Best Traditional Neighborhood Bagel Shops

Bagel Master, West Islip Bagels, and Country Hot Bagels represent the type of independent neighborhood shop that many Long Islanders consider essential to the local bagel experience. These businesses may not have the regional name recognition of a large bakery or multi-location company, but they often earn strong loyalty through consistency, personal service, and freshly prepared morning food.

What Makes a Good Long Island Bagel?

A traditional New York-style bagel should generally have a lightly crisp or firm exterior, a chewy interior, and enough structure to hold cream cheese, smoked fish, eggs, or sandwich fillings without becoming soft or falling apart. Many bakeries hand-roll their bagels and boil them before baking, although recipes, fermentation times, equipment, and production methods differ from one shop to another.

Freshness is often as important as the recipe. Bagels are usually at their best while still warm or soon after baking, which is one reason morning lines can form outside popular shops. Customers planning to buy a dozen may also prefer asking which varieties were baked most recently rather than choosing entirely by flavor.

Popular Bagel Orders

Classic orders include plain, sesame, poppy, onion, garlic, salt, egg, pumpernickel, cinnamon raisin, and everything bagels. Common toppings include butter, plain or flavored cream cheese, lox, whitefish salad, egg salad, tuna, and deli meats. Breakfast sandwiches commonly combine eggs with cheese, bacon, sausage, or ham.

Modern bagel stores may also offer rainbow bagels, French toast bagels, jalapeño varieties, specialty sandwiches, vegan spreads, protein-focused breakfasts, and seasonal flavors. Customers seeking a traditional experience may prefer familiar varieties, while families and children may enjoy the larger specialty selections available at some shops.

How These Bagel Shops Were Selected

The businesses featured on this page were selected independently based on local reputation, longevity, freshness, product identity, community significance, menu variety, and geographic balance. The list includes large bakeries, neighborhood stores, a longtime appetizing business, and a regional multi-location option so readers can compare different versions of the Long Island bagel experience.

Because taste is subjective and many residents strongly favor the shop closest to home, this guide should be viewed as a starting point rather than a definitive ranking. Long Island contains many additional bagel stores that may be considered the best within their immediate communities.

Continue Exploring

Visitors planning a broader food outing can explore Long Island Points of Interest, visit downtown communities across Nassau County and Suffolk County, or check the Long Island Events Calendar when combining breakfast with a festival, fair, market, performance, or community event.

Recommended Long Island Bagel Shops

Bagel Shop	Location	Best For	Style
A&S Bagels	Franklin Square, Nassau County	24-hour service, fresh production, large orders, and traditional varieties	Large retail and wholesale bagel bakery
Wally’s Bagels	North Babylon, Suffolk County	Breakfast sandwiches, spreads, deli food, and neighborhood service	Independent neighborhood bagel shop
Bagel Boss	Hicksville, Nassau County	24-hour service, bagels, appetizing selections, sandwiches, and catering	Longtime bagel and appetizing store
Bagel Master	Syosset, Nassau County	Traditional bagels, spreads, and old-school neighborhood character	Independent local shop
West Islip Bagels	West Islip, Suffolk County	Fresh bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and convenient neighborhood service	Independent neighborhood bagel shop
Country Hot Bagels	East Northport, Suffolk County	Hot bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and local North Shore convenience	Independent neighborhood bagel shop
Long Island Bagel Café	Multiple Long Island locations	Hand-rolled bagels, broad menus, catering, and regional convenience	Multi-location Long Island bagel business

Editorial Note: Recommendations on this page are selected independently by the LongIslandGuide.com editorial team based on local reputation, longevity, freshness, distinctive character, menu identity, community significance, and geographic variety. Featured businesses do not pay for placement, and inclusion should not be interpreted as a definitive ranking of every bagel shop on Long Island. Hours, menus, ownership, and operating status can change, so readers should verify current information before visiting.

Long Island’s best bagel experiences range from 24-hour bakeries in Franklin Square and Hicksville to neighborhood stores serving communities throughout Nassau County and Suffolk County. Whether you prefer a warm everything bagel with cream cheese, a bacon-and-egg sandwich, smoked fish and appetizing selections, or a dozen bagels for the family, the island offers enough respected shops to make finding a favorite part of the experience.