Hot Bagels Aborad in BloomfieldA bagel is nothing more than a dense ring of flour, water, yeast and salt - simple. But in my opinion, there is no better compliment to a cup of coffee and the Sunday paper than a good, hot bagel.   Judging by the long lines outside bagel shops on weekend mornings, I’m not alone in this conviction. 

At the request of a reader, I endeavored to find the best bagel in Montclair – only to determine it’s actually in Bloomfield.  I purchased one everything style bagel from nine different bagel shops and delis across Montclair, and at the insistence of several Montclair residents, one shop in Bloomfield. I tasted each everything style bagel without butter or spreads, and evaluated each bagel based on texture, flavor, how well each bagel was cooked, and to a lesser consideration, price.

Here are my findings: