Philly has great hoagies, cheesesteaks, pizza and soft pretzels.  Know what else?

Bagels.  

You couldn’t always find great bagels in Philadelphia, writes Jillian Wilson, Michael Klein and Craig LaBan.  

Only in recent years have bagel shops started to appear on the regional landscape.

Now there are curated menus of freshly baked bagels, flavorful schmears, and breakfast or more sandwiches.

There’s a debate surrounding what is the best kind of bagel and it tends to surround two main types: New York and Montreal. New York bagels are boiled, then baked in an oven. Montreal bagels are boiled in honey and water, then baked in a wood-fired oven.

In Philly, one place even boils their bagels in beer. The varieties available here rival anything made in New York or Montreal.

One stand-out in Delaware County is The Original Bagel at 2914 West Chester Pike in Broomall.

Michael Leibowitz is a fifth-generation bagel master who learned from his father, Melvin.

Melvin is credited with launching Philadelphia’s first traditional bagel bakery, New York Bagels, in 1965.

At Leibowitz’s Broomall shop you will find a classic New York-style bagel that is doughy and delicious.

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer about The Original Bagel in Broomall.

Learn about the origin of the New York bagel.

Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in May 2022.