So what is the secret ingredient? Tradition. Years of learning the little secrets and tricks of making the perfect New York bagel passed down from bubbe to bubbe. The process is more expensive – more time spent making the bagels, better quality ingredients, and better equipment. But as an instructor of the culinary arts for more than 20 years, and someone who knows making the best damn bagel, quality is something that should never be sacrificed. Our wonderful, loyal staff at Gotham Bagels makes every bagel by hand. Our way of doing things does make our process costly, but we will never compromise one ingredient, one method, or one piece of equipment, because of cost. “Almost every day a person will approach me at our store and thank us for being there, for caring about how we produce our bagel. Some will complain about our attitude, but never about our bagel. What do they expect? This is, after all, a New York bagel shop.” -Joey Bagels