Liberty Bagels (Midtown)
A bouncer works the door on a weekday morning, keeping the bagel line moving. The bagels come out big and glossy. Eight Liberty counters trade in the city and this is the Midtown one.
Why go
Bryan Kim, in The Infatuation's guide to the city's best bagels, flags the flavored cream cheeses as options that might seem gimmicky, and names the birthday cake as his example.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the jalapeño everything with chipotle cream cheese, which is the savory pick on the guide.
- Order: the Oreo cream cheese when you want dessert for breakfast.
- Avoid: planning to sit. Kim tells you to take the food to go, and the room is not built for lingering.
What locals & experts say
- Bryan Kim, The Infatuation, reviewing Best Bagel & Coffee on 3 June 2026 and rating it 7.8: that shop
arguably, doesn't even make the best bagels on 35th,
and the competition he names is this one.2 - The same writer's city bagel guide carries Liberty on its list of the 22 best bagels in New York, and reports the bagels as chewy and full of flavor.1
Good to know
- Getting in: a counter, no bookings, and a managed line in the morning.
- Doors: 260 West 35th Street, the counter near Penn Station.
Verdict
could-visit — This is a volume counter and it behaves like one, so decide at the back of the line and pay at the front. That suits a commute. It does not suit a first look at what a New York bagel is.