The bacon, egg and cheese adjacent

You can’t ever go wrong with the classic bacon, egg and cheese, regardless of the store or bagel type. For me, a whole wheat everything bagel perfectly complements the savory filling and gives just enough of the illusion that I’m making a healthy choice, so I keep going back to it every time. While I’ve tested practically every bagel store near and far from my Broome Street dorm, this $11.95 order has never failed me at the East Village Tompkins Square Bagels. I’ve admittedly waited over an hour in line for my perfected order, and I’ll keep doing it for the satisfaction of the first warm, textured bite, which is worth every cent of the overpriced New York bagel economy.

                          — Amelia Knust, Music Editor

The best thing about living in an apartment above a bagel shop is being able to get the exact same order and knowing it’ll taste good every time I go. My first-year staple used to be a cinnamon raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese, but I’ve recently evolved to the simple yet iconic egg and cheese.

   — Kiran Komanduri, Deputy Sports Editor

As a central New Jerseyan, my go-to order is always a pork roll, egg and cheese — not Taylor ham, which is the term northern New Jersey has clung to since 1906. It’s a versatile order for anyone who likes the convenience of having a go-to order but needs variety. When I feel like life needs a little something extra, I add ketchup or hot sauce, or I swap out the traditional American cheese for a punchier option like pepper jack. When I’m on campus, I prefer the filling-to-bagel ratio of the Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company on Eighth Street, where the pork roll, egg and cheese is called the “Trenton,” after New Jersey’s capital city. I truly enjoy many bagel spots around New York City, but this recommendation is incomplete without the obligatory gripe about how no other state can make a bagel like New Jersey.

                                               — Allina Xiao, Editor-at-Large

Bagel, and? 

When I just so happen to be on Avenue A and want to treat myself before a grueling homework session, I’ll be brave and show face in the Tompkins Square Bagel line — because this everything egg bagel with bacon scallion cream cheese is seriously worth it. If you’re a ride-or-die for the classic everything bagel with scallion cream cheese but looking for a quirked-up variation, this order will become a staple in your rotation. There’s nothing comparable to the heartiness of an egg bagel dressed with all your favorite seasonings, and you really can’t go wrong with bacon in the morning. One bite will have you convinced you can take over the world — or at least embolden you to join a Brightspace conversation thread and submit that overdue reading reflection.

                  — Dani Biondi, Arts Editor

I welcome the umami flavor of an everything bagel at any time of day, whether it be a filling bite at the crack of dawn or a late-night study snack. I like my bagels savory because they perfectly balance out a slightly sweeter coffee. When it comes to preparation, I like my bagels toasted, very crunchy and loaded with so much cream cheese it’s oozing out with every bite. While I usually get bagels from Trader Joe’s and make them at home, on the off chance that my at-home bagel supply is out, I run over to the deli across the street five minutes before my 9:30 a.m. recitation. The only caveat I have to an everything bagel is that it’s a messy one — eat away from the keyboard!

                — Serin Lee, Deputy Opinion Editor

If a bagel with lox was a deity, I’d be its most fervent disciple. Spare me the greasy egg and cheese, please. There’s nothing better than the doughiness of a never-toasted bagel complete with the best savory complement there is: smoked salmon. To contrast the fish, fresh tomatoes — especially in the summertime — offer the perfect acidic bite. And if you want it at its best, make your way across Houston Street to Russ & Daughters, which has been slicing lox since 1914.

                                                                                                             — Maggie Turner, Opinion Editor

The classic Utopia Bagels is, of course, one of the greats for good reason. While this chain’s lox spread is not to be joked with, the bagels’ perfect blend of crisp and chewy is what has kept lactose-intolerant me coming back for years. The slightly sweet flavor of an egg bagel, combined with the all-time favorite everything seasoning and a classic plain cream cheese is really all a girl could ask for.

              — Annika Wilewicz, Deputy Opinion Editor

What kind of bagel? 

I have two things in common with Elvis Presley: We both lived most of our lives in Memphis, Tennessee, and our favorite sandwiches include peanut butter, banana and bacon. We do differ on our bread of choice, however — he famously preferred toasted white bread, while I opt for the cinnamon raisin bagel from Bagel Belly. I toast my bagel to slightly melt the peanut butter and reduce the overall chew factor. Then I walk outside, grab a banana from a vendor and begin to mash it into the sando. 

          — John Bush, Deputy Magazine Editor

I’m a novelty seeker when it comes to food. As far as bagel orders go, that means I don’t have a go-to — other than getting cream cheese on a toasted bagel, I always vary the flavors of both. While Manhattan has hundreds of shops dedicated to the city staple, I often find myself at Tompkins Square Bagels, where I can take advantage of the sheer variety of bagel and cream cheese combinations — some of my greatest hits include the adventurous wasabi cream cheese spread on an onion bagel, a sweet french toast bagel with strawberry chocolate cream cheese and of course, the classic everything bagel with scallion cream cheese. The seemingly endless possibilities are what keep me coming back — it’s a reliable, sub-$6 way to scratch my itch to try something new every time.

              — Krish Dev, Digital Director 

Freak alert! I have to live my truth, and the truth is that I love a blueberry bagel. Rarely am I struck by the insatiable craving for a bagel, but when it strikes — normally once every seven weeks — it hits hard. I could force myself into the conventions of a savory everything bagel loaded with cream cheese, but why would I ask for a mouthful of brown seeds when I can eat my sweet, lilac-colored bagel? With its soft inside, hints of cooked blueberry and a nicely baked outer shell, no bagel has ever done it for me like a blueberry one. Sure, it’s not the most conventional bagel order, but maybe my own fruitiness extends to my love for a cute, fruity bagel.

                      — Dylan Henschen, Food Editor 

Contact Dani Biondi, John Bush, Krish Dev, Dylan Henschen, Amelia Knust, Kiran Komanduri, Serin Lee, Maggie Turner, Annika Wilewicz and Allina Xiao at [email protected].