LIC Bagel

Long Island City, Queens

LIC Bagel
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Total Score

Ranks & Awards

3.08 / 5
#44 in Queens #181 in NYC

Store: Basically a Mexican restaurant with a bagel hamper. Long store with tables for dining, a buffet-style set of heating trays set up with saucy entrees and whole cooked fish. No drink fridges, no pastries. No spreads on display. The store's intention seemed so different from a bagel shop that I was surprised they even had scallion cream cheese. 'Heaven' by Byran Adams plays on the radio. Staff was friendly. I actually wanted to give the space a higher score for how absurd it is to get a bagel from such a location, but I realized this was not in the spirit of this exercise and a subpar score does just as much to call out its uniqueness. 2.25

Bagel: Medium-large sized bagel. One-sided toppings, standard. Good density. The staff seemed almost surprised I declined to have the bagel toasted. A soft chew, not fresh but not old. Closer to a well-appointed roll than a bagel. Would likely be improved by toasting. 3.25

Cream Cheese: Served at a warmer temperature for a smooth softness. A good, tame flavor with no overcheese. Good texture contribution from the scallion. A little less than I would like quantity-wise but even coverage. The expectation bar was low from the bagel and the store but the result more than cleared the standard. 3.75

LIC Bagel

Long Island City, Queens

LIC Bagel

Total Score

Ranks & Awards

3.08 / 5
#44 in Queens #181 in NYC

Store: Basically a Mexican restaurant with a bagel hamper. Long store with tables for dining, a buffet-style set of heating trays set up with saucy entrees and whole cooked fish. No drink fridges, no pastries. No spreads on display. The store's intention seemed so different from a bagel shop that I was surprised they even had scallion cream cheese. 'Heaven' by Byran Adams plays on the radio. Staff was friendly. I actually wanted to give the space a higher score for how absurd it is to get a bagel from such a location, but I realized this was not in the spirit of this exercise and a subpar score does just as much to call out its uniqueness. 2.25

Bagel: Medium-large sized bagel. One-sided toppings, standard. Good density. The staff seemed almost surprised I declined to have the bagel toasted. A soft chew, not fresh but not old. Closer to a well-appointed roll than a bagel. Would likely be improved by toasting. 3.25

Cream Cheese: Served at a warmer temperature for a smooth softness. A good, tame flavor with no overcheese. Good texture contribution from the scallion. A little less than I would like quantity-wise but even coverage. The expectation bar was low from the bagel and the store but the result more than cleared the standard. 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