After being on The Lafayette staff for four years, I decided that a bucket list item before graduating was to write an article. When I sat down to think about what I wanted to cover, the answer quickly emerged: bagels. What else would the former president of the Lafayette College Hillel Society choose?
I grabbed two of my friends, Shana Peck ’25 and Jonathan Moya ’25 — our qualifications being two Jews and a New Yorker — and we headed out to the seven bagel places closest to Lafayette’s campus. For consistency, our control order was an everything bagel with plain cream cheese.
Bagel House (11-minute drive from campus)
I have heard so many of my friends rave about Bagel House, and I was excited to make the trek across state lines to check it out. The bagel itself was warm, and the cream cheese was oozing and, unfortunately, had minimal flavor. The bagel itself was fluffy but tasted more like toast than a bagel.
Shana: 7.2
Jon: 6.8
Naomi: 7
Bagel Shack & Food Mart (10-minute drive from campus)
The window of the shack boasts about the lottery tickets it sells instead of the bagels. Unfortunately, to put it lightly, this was the worst bagel I have ever eaten. The bagel was quite dense, and the texture of the bagel was most similar to plastic. The seasoning was also super salty.
Shana: 0
Jon: 1.2
Naomi: 1
Manhattan Bagel (Five-minute drive from campus)
Manhattan Bagel is the first bagel stop in New Jersey from campus. This was a fine bagel: the cream cheese and seasoning were both enjoyable, but we could’ve used more seasoning. The bagel was a little chewy and had no crunch, which was disappointing. It was odd to us that the exterior and interior of the bagel had the same texture.
Shana: 3.4
Jon: 4.1
Naomi: 4
Bagelsmith Restaurant & Deli (11-minute drive from campus)
The vibes inside of Bagelsmith were fantastic. People of all ages enjoyed their Friday brunch with us at this local diner. This was definitely the best bagel of the day flavor-wise: the everything seasoning was perfect, and the cream cheese was delicious, too. We were a little odded out by the strange DIY schmear situation and disappointed by the thin, unfluffy bagel, but it is safe to say that we are all still thinking about this one.
Shana: 8.6
Jon: 7.5
Naomi: 8
New York Bagel & Deli (Seven-minute drive from campus)
This is where Hillel orders bagels for Bagel Brunch, and it has a very special place in my heart. New York Bagel & Deli has, hands down, the best service and kindest people. It is always a joy to stop in and grab a bagel here. The bagel here was the only perfect bagel size and texture-wise, and it was so fluffy I almost died. The cream cheese was wonderfully fluffy and light, but could’ve had a stronger flavor. All of us could have done with more seasoning. Hands down, a good bagel.
Shana: 8
Jon: 7.4
Naomi: 8
Sam’s Bagel & Deli (Six-minute drive from campus)
Sam’s bagel was big and fluffy, and I had high hopes after a beautiful dough pull (as we were splitting the bagel) that was, truthfully, cinematic. However, this bagel was very dry and heavy. We also did not enjoy the flavor of the cream cheese, as it was extremely buttery.
Shana: 5.1
Jon: 6.2
Naomi: 6
Mojo 516 Cafe (Three-minute walk from campus)
Mojo bagels have a signature sweet flavor and are soft with no crunch, something I think many people enjoy, but not my personal favorite. There was no seasoning flavor, which was disappointing, and the cream cheese was good, but nothing amazing. This is certainly a solid choice, and obviously, one cannot beat the fantastic location.
Shana: 4.2
Jon: 5.7
Naomi: 5
