Store: Very large interior with tin ceiling and B&W floor tiling that mirrors the Sunset Park location. Light Reggae music plays. Nearly everything you could want in a bagel location amenities-wise, including juice bar and gluten free options. This said, a little too high polish to reach the upper echelon of store rating. I believe this to be due in part to the ordering system, which prioritizes task management over organic customer/staff and staff/staff interaction. The system makes total sense when scaling across a small chain of stores but sands down the character of most interactions. 4.25

Bagel: Large bagel. Standard toppings plus oat on both sides. Exemplary density. Salt crystals present at an ideal ratio. A tougher chew but not negatively so. Some hints of toasty/crunchiness to the shell but quite not as much as I'd like for a bagel angling towards a hearty chew. The consistency across stores is impressive and ranks it high on NYC's list of bagel chains. 4.25

Cream Cheese: Served deli case cool. Even application and a fair amount. Scallion taste present but not vocal in texture. Fresh with no imposition of dairy notes. A good supporting spread. 4