Forest Bagels

Westerleigh, Staten Island

Forest Bagels
View On OpenSea

Total Score

Ranks & Awards

3.75 / 5
#9 in Staten Island #111 in NYC

Store: A Staten Island style bagel establishment, where the deli/grocery experience is just as apparent. Garish red vintage signage a plus, lack of spreads on display a minus. Moderate drink selection. Bagel aroma prominent, speedy staff. High marks for authentic ambience, less so for amenities. 4.25

Bagel: Extra large bagel, standard toppings (Garlic/Sesame/Poppy, GPS) on one side. Salt not visually apparent but present on the shell in a manner stronger than other everything bagels where the salt has melted off. Extremely airy bagel, to the point where it's constantly moving from decompression after each bite. Not difficult to get your mouth around because of the airiness. Bagel was not hot, not fresh but not old. A novel experience, but neutral in the taste department. 3.25

Cream Cheese: Unique scallion cream cheese. Very tangy and approaching the flavor profile of a French onion dip. Delivered too cold, making it slightly clumpy. Relative to the size of the bagel, a bounty of cream cheese would have worked better here. Main takeaway: french onion cream cheese would be a sensation. 3.75

Forest Bagels

Westerleigh, Staten Island

Forest Bagels

Total Score

Ranks & Awards

3.75 / 5
#9 in Staten Island #111 in NYC

Store: A Staten Island style bagel establishment, where the deli/grocery experience is just as apparent. Garish red vintage signage a plus, lack of spreads on display a minus. Moderate drink selection. Bagel aroma prominent, speedy staff. High marks for authentic ambience, less so for amenities. 4.25

Bagel: Extra large bagel, standard toppings (Garlic/Sesame/Poppy, GPS) on one side. Salt not visually apparent but present on the shell in a manner stronger than other everything bagels where the salt has melted off. Extremely airy bagel, to the point where it's constantly moving from decompression after each bite. Not difficult to get your mouth around because of the airiness. Bagel was not hot, not fresh but not old. A novel experience, but neutral in the taste department. 3.25

Cream Cheese: Unique scallion cream cheese. Very tangy and approaching the flavor profile of a French onion dip. Delivered too cold, making it slightly clumpy. Relative to the size of the bagel, a bounty of cream cheese would have worked better here. Main takeaway: french onion cream cheese would be a sensation. 3.75

Bagel Size and Texture

CracklyChewySmallX-Large

Seed and Salt Density

High Salt RatioLow Salt RatioTopping LightTopping Dense

Spread Ripeness and Texture

Fine ScallionCoarse ScallionDairy LatentDairy Forward

Store Style and Services

Variety of ServicesFocused ServicesClassicContemporary