Bagel Review: Crown Kosher Bagels

Crown Kosher Bagels
333A Kingston Ave
Brooklyn, NY
/ 5 Bagels

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This was my first bagel experience in New York, let alone Brooklyn, and let me tell you—"I'm hooked." Now, back to the review.

Unlike other bagel shops around the world (or at least the ones that I've visited), the bagels at Crown Kosher are not on display in wire baskets at or behind the counter. Nor are they displayed in a plexiglass cubes like New York Bagel Baking Co. (West Bloomfield, Michigan). Rather, these ring-shaped delicacies remain on their trays, cooling off on their baking sheets in a portable rack behind the counter. Furthermore, the trays are not labeled and I think that's great. I don't need to be reminded that a poppy seed bagel is poppy. Plus, at a bagel joint that serves a Yiddish-, Hebrew-, and English-speaking clientele, what language would the signs be in anyway. And the other items behind the counter are not labeled either, which inlude kugels, knishes, three types of tuna fish salads, and much more.

Balanced, semi-sweet with a hint of salt; light, almost cake-like in a coffee cake manner; and Paul Vitti-esque, soft and chewy on the inside with a rougher outer layer, these bagels approach perfection. They are certainly not perfect, but for 50¢/per or $1.50 with cream cheese, these once-doughy discs certainly rank high on depth chart. Toasting the bagel enhances the overall crunchiness but does not ruin (or affect) the already-soft interior.

In addition to bagels and cream cheese, Crown Kosher offers several other options for toppings, including flavored cream cheeses, lox, and other smoked fish. Plus, for $5— a bagel, egg, and potato sandwich, a scoop of tuna, Israeli salad, and another salad bar item. Pretty good deal, eh?

Be prepared to feel rushed when going to Crown Kosher. The patrons will skip ahead of you and/or make you crowd the counter, especially during the post-minyan rush in the morning.

Grade: A
Great bagels, good toppings, practical prices, rushed atmosphere, and cash only (I think).