It’s a stone cold fact that finding the right bagel shop can make a world of difference when it comes to your morning routine. A great bagel shop is always worth going out of the way for, and agonizing over whether to go for a BEC on an egg bagel or schmearing up a sesame with lox cream cheese, all the while standing in line with other indecisive people, is a beloved pastime every New Yorker should be forced to experience.

That’s why Leisurely sat down with Sam Silverman, Founder & Producer of NYC Bagel Tours and Bagelfest, to learn more about what to keep in mind when embarking on a dough filled detour.

What makes NYC Bagel Tours a must try experience?

First off, you’re going to get to eat a ton of the highest quality and most innovative bagels in NYC! Many of these will be flavors and spreads you’ve never tried before. Come hungry and willing to trying something new!

In addition to the mouth-watering food, each tour gets exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to these top bagel shops – meeting the owners and staff at each shop, seeing how the bagels are made from start to finish, and sometimes even getting to participate in the process!

Tell me about Brooklyn BagelFest. Where did the concept come from? What motivated you to do this?

I’ve always loved bagels. My earliest memory is of eating a bagel and cream cheese. Growing up, I ate so many bagels that my family (lovingly) referred to me as a “bagel-tarian”!

In 2017, I realized there’s a huge hole in the market: New York is the home of bagels. There is a festival for almost everything in New York. Yet somehow, New York City had never held a Bagel Festival.

With this epiphany, the vision for BagelFest was born. The first BagelFest took place in 2019. This year’s event, the 3rd Annual, is taking place Saturday, September 17th & Sunday, September 18th at City Point in Downtown Brooklyn. We’re expecting 40-50 vendors, including bagel shops, bagel-themed art, beverages, and entertainment, and around 3,000 bagel-loving attendees.

What are three tips you’d share with those about to embark on a bagel tasting experience for the first time? 

1. Go with friends! There’s nothing better than creating memories together as the group travels from one location to the next, sampling bagels, learning the history behind bagels, and witnessing the workings of each shop behind-the-scenes.

2. Approach it with an open mind! The beautiful part of a bagel tasting is that you’ll get to try flavors and spreads outside of your normal rotation. You never know, you might just discover a new combination that becomes your go-to.

3. Come hungry and pace yourself! You’re going to be eating A LOT of bagels, spreads, and other goodies. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

If you could create the perfect bagel, what kind of bagel would it be and what would be on it ?

My perfect bagel is an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, not toasted – you should never toast a fresh bagel (we’ll talk about why on the tour). That's the litmus test I get at every location.

But the best part about bagels is that every person has a perfect bagel, unique to them. Savory or sweet, toasted or not toasted, scooped, flagel, with a spread, or as a sandwich…there are dozens of flavors of bagels, spreads, and toppings to choose from – hundreds of millions of combinations – and among all those combinations, there is one that is perfect for you.

Ready to hop on the bagel bus this weekend? You can reserve your Leisurely ticket here.