The Hudson Valley’s Best Bagels: Hand-Rolled, Properly Boiled and Worth A Detour

Not many foods inspire as much loyalty as bagels do. Ask someone where to find the best one, and odds are you’ll get a passionate explanation—or, if you’re lucky, a discreet whisper and directions to a place they’d rather not share widely. Bagels are serious business.

For many years, conventional wisdom held that great bagels could only be found in New York City. But that story has begun to change, thanks in part to the Hudson Valley. The region has always had serious food cred, so it’s not surprising that a place that cares deeply about what it grows also knows how to do right by a bagel. Whether you’re in Kingston, Hudson, Rhinebeck, or points nearby, finding a truly great bagel is easier than you might think.

We’ve rounded up the best of them—the hand-rolled, properly boiled, worth-the-detour kind—so you know exactly where to go.

Bagel-ish | Beacon NY | @bagelishbeacon | In the Spotlight

Bagel-ish, on Beacon’s busy Main Street, is the handiwork of Beth George, a bagel maker and consultant with two decades in the business. Her sourdough creations are all natural and handcrafted. The result is a bagel that’s crispy on the outside and light and chewy on the inside. You’ll find all the classics (plain, sesame, everything) along with house-made flavors like za’atar, Aleppo pepper, and cheddar with house-pickled jalapeño. It’s a small shop that’s big on personality, with George herself often behind the counter, happy to talk bagels with anyone who walks in.

Moonrise Bagels | Woodstock + Kingston + Poughkeepsie NY | @moonrisebagels

Moonrise Bagels was born out of a question founders Jeremy Rhodes and Ali Chetkof asked themselves on New Year’s Eve 2020: What would happen if you put pizza inside a bagel? After months of experimentation, the stuffed bagel was born. You’ll also find traditional “unstuffed” bagels on the menu, but the stuffed versions are the main event: sausage, egg & cheese (including a vegan variety), pastrami Reuben, and eggplant parm—all made in-house and tucked inside. It’s a fun and tasty riff on the form that can now be found in multiple Hudson Valley locations (Poughkeepsie and Kingston) as well as NYC (Greenwich Village).

Broad Street Bagels | Kinderhook NY | @broadstbagelco

Opened in 2012 in the heart of historic Kinderhook, this family-run operation is built around a 150-year-old Brooklyn recipe and a commitment to the kettle-boiled method. Ingredients are natural and fresh, sourced locally whenever possible. Cream cheese is whipped in-house in a rotating selection of flavors. The space itself is also noteworthy, with the feel of an old-world café: original wood floors, exposed brick, and marble counters. A second location is in Slingerlands.

Lox of Bagels | Saugerties NY | Facebook

If Lox of Bagels feels like an institution, that’s because it is. Barbara and John Farcher moved from New Jersey to Saugerties in 1990 and have been making their bagels from scratch ever since. Nearly three decades later, the cherished shop on Route 9W remains a reliable Saugerties essential, opening daily at 6 am to feed the bagel needs of locals and tourists alike. The menu is straightforward and unpretentious: bagels made on the premises daily, hand-mixed cream cheeses, egg sandwiches, and omelets.

Fantzye Bagels | Kingston NY | @fantzyebagels

Fantzye Bagels occupies a small triangular building on Hasbrouck Avenue in Midtown Kingston, and the space suits the operation perfectly: warm, cozy, and a little unexpected. The business started as a pandemic-era pop-up on Martha’s Vineyard and opened its brick-and-mortar home in Kingston in 2024. The hand-shaped sourdough bagels are boiled and finished in a deck oven, creating a gloriously glossy, blistered crust. The menu is thoughtful, leaning on local ingredients and house-made rotating schmears.

Circles | Hudson NY | @x___circles___bagel___shop___x

Circles occupies a bagel counter inside Spark of Hudson, a coworking space on Union Street, which sounds like an unlikely setting until you walk in and find that it works perfectly. The space is bright and colorful, the bagels thoughtful and surprising. They’re made using a custom blend of whole-wheat and rye flour, which adds depth of flavor, and are shaped by hand. Toppings range from classic cream cheese to more inventive options like shiso, cucumbers, red onion, and chili oil. The menu stays tight and focused: just delicious bagels, spreads, and toppings done with real intention.

The Bagel Shoppe | Fishkill NY | @the.bagel.shoppe

The Bagel Shoppe on Main Street in Fishkill is the kind of place that has earned its following the old-fashioned way—by being reliably good for a long time. Open since 1998, it’s a full-service deli and scratch bakery built around authentic water bagels made fresh on the premises daily. The menu goes well beyond bagels, but that’s what people come back for. A second location in Beacon suggests the loyalty has spread.

Eastdale Avenue Bagels | Poughkeepsie NY | @eastdaleavebagels

Eastdale Avenue Bagels sits inside Eastdale Village, a small mixed-use development on the east side of Poughkeepsie. Run by Alex and George Maravegias—the brothers behind popular Athena Gyro—the shop makes traditional, incredibly chewy bagels and in-house cream cheese daily. Freshly made throughout the day, the bagel selection runs from the classics to sweet and savory options. Look for their rotating cream cheese of the month.

Rhinebeck Bagels | Rhinebeck NY | @rbkbagel

Rhinebeck Bagels has been a fixture on West Market Street in the heart of Rhinebeck since 1995. Family-owned and operated, it’s a casual, welcoming spot serving breakfast and lunch, with bagels and house-made cream cheeses that have kept locals coming back for three decades. You’ll also find sandwiches (most of which can be made with bagels), soups, and salads on the menu. The walls double as a gallery for local artwork, and the menu is broad enough to satisfy a table with very different ideas about what to eat. Amazing photos by Jeremy Monaco.

Sunrise Bagels + Deli | Kingston NY | Facebook

Sunrise Bagels and Deli is something of a Kingston institution. It’s the kind of place that inspires loyalty among locals and sends visitors home with rave reviews. For more than 30 years, they’ve been making large bagels, crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. The menu focuses squarely on breakfast and lunch, with a full run of classic bagel flavors. Pair yours with one of their house-made cream cheeses—ranging from plain to sundried tomato with pesto—and, honestly, that’s all you need (even though they have much more on offer). Cash only.

Hopewell Hot Bagels | Hopewell Junction NY | Facebook

Hopewell Hot Bagels has been doing delicious things on Route 82 in Hopewell Junction since 1986. The bagels are made fresh daily from a short list of simple ingredients, but the variety of flavors they produce is anything but simple. With about 20 bagel flavors on the menu, a healthy selection of cream cheese varieties, and bialys, breakfast sandwiches, and more, the menu is, suffice it to say, expansive. It’s a full-service operation that knows exactly what its community wants—and has been delivering it for nearly four decades.

Downtown Bagels | Newburgh NY

Downtown Bagels takes the traditional approach seriously: bagels are made daily from all-natural ingredients, kettle-boiled and then baked on burlap-covered wood boards in revolving tray ovens. The result is a classic, well-executed bagel that’s earned a following well beyond Newburgh’s city limits. House-made cream cheeses, breakfast sandwiches, and platters round out the menu. Open seven days a week, it’s the kind of dependable spot people go out of their way for.

Hudson Bagels | Hudson NY | @hudson_bagels

Hudson Bagels is built around a 150-year-old kettle-boiled, oven-baked recipe and a commitment to doing things fresh every morning. The cream cheeses are also made in-house daily and lean into some creative territory—the kind of flavor combinations that, by their own admission, sound unlikely until you try them. It’s a straightforward, unpretentious operation that’s made a name for itself in a town that takes its food seriously.

Bagels & Bites | Highland NY | @bagelsandbites

At Bagels & Bites, the bagels are fresh, and the sandwiches are a local staple. Try the Becca—their bacon, egg, and cheese with avocado and chipotle mayo—and you’ll understand why. But the menu doesn’t stop there. Indian, Italian, Greek, and vegetarian dishes share the space with the classics, suggesting a kitchen genuinely interested in flavor. It’s casual, sunny, and affordable, and open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch.

New Paltz Bagel Café | New Paltz NY | @newpaltzbagels

New Paltz Bagel Café offers bagels baked fresh on-site daily and a mom-and-pop feel that’s a cheerful complement to the college-town bustle just outside. It’s no wonder they’ve been feeding New Paltz for more than two decades: the bagels are big, fresh, and chewy, and the service is warm and friendly. Cash only, but there’s an ATM inside—and the line moves fast.

From kettle-boiled classics to new sourdough styles, the Hudson Valley’s bagel scene turns out to be as diverse as the region itself. No single bagel run will cover it all—but that’s part of the fun. Each spot has its own take, and every one is worth a visit. Trust your taste buds, and whatever you do, don’t sleep on the schmear!

Featured photo from Moonrise Bagels.

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