NYC: Bagels at Barney Greengrass

I was sitting next to this really nice lady on the plane, who was traveling with her son. When we got to talk it turned out that we had a lot in common, so we exchanged Facebook details and promised to keep in touch.

On Tuesday, they were on Upper West Side to visit the Museum of Natural History, so they texted me and asked, if I wanted to meet up for lunch in the area. Upper West Side is a cozy area in which I’ve stayed on many previous occasions. Not only because it’s cozy, but just as much because this is where you’ll find some of New York’s most affordable hostels.

I suggested that we met at Barney Greengrass, because it had been quite a while since my last visit, and I’m always in the mood for lox and cream cheese bagels. The bagels were better than I remembered them to be, but the service was worse. While we were still chewing on the last bites of food, we were handed the bill along with a “whenever you’re ready,” which everybody knows really means “please hurry up and leave, so we can seat other customers at this table”.

Anyway, Barney Greengrass is still a really nice place and definitely worth a visit. They’ve been on the same location on Amsterdam Avenue since 1929, and stepping inside Barney’s feels like stepping inside a little bubble of a time long gone. That place just oozes New York City history! Besides, the bagels are among the best in the city, so they can get away with a lot. Read my old blog post about Barney Greengrass >>

Read my guide to the best bagels in New York City >>

Barney Greengrass, 541 Amsterdam Avenue (between 86th Street and 87th Street), Upper West Side, New York