I tried 3 Florida bagel shops where customers expect a New York-style experience. As a native New Yo

• On a recent trip to Florida, I ate at three different shops each touting New York-style bagels.
• I thought each had something different to offer customers in terms of the New York experience. 
• Brooklyn Water Bagel had the best flavor, but Bagels With Deli and Bagel Twins took me back to New York.

While visiting my grandma in Palm Beach County, Florida, I wanted to check out the bagel scene.

My grandma is from the New York-New Jersey area and now spends part of the year in southern Palm Beach County. She's far from the only transplant in her area; the New York Post reported in 2021 that there's been a surge in people making that move since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

With so many New Yorkers living in the area, I wondered where — if anywhere — they get their bagel fix.

To find out, I checked out three bagel places where I thought people might go for a true New York bagel experience.

With many New Yorkers moving to Florida, I wanted to find spots where one might expect a New York-style bagel experience.

To decide on which bagel spots I'd hit (there are many), I did some research using published lists, personal blogs from locals, and, of course, surveying my own grandmother. I landed on Bagel Twins, Brooklyn Water Bagel, and Bagels With Deli all in Delray Beach, where my grandma lives.

While each is touted as having some of the best bagels in the area, I chose these three because their names suggested they would offer a New York-style experience.

To keep things consistent, I ordered one everything and one cinnamon-raisin bagel from each shop — except for one place, which was out of cinnamon-raisin — plus a small side of plain cream cheese. 

I judged each component based on my hyper-specific criteria for what makes a New York bagel place (I'll explain that later).  

The first stop on my tour was Bagel Twins.

Bagel Twins was listed on a local blog and had mostly "very good" and "excellent" reviews on TripAdvisor. This was also one of the top places my grandma and her friends suggested.

So I went in with an open mind ready to dive into some bagels. 

The inside looked more like a deli than a bagel place, but a case of fish and spreads signaled that these restaurateurs did their research.

The bagel places I'm used to in the New York area have a few key components: visible baskets of fresh bagels, a drinks refrigerator (not required but it's what I'm personally used to), and a case displaying the topping options like mounds of various schmears and piles of smoked or cured fish — we like to see everything before we order it. 

Bagel Twins checked these boxes. 

It also offers sit-down service and a full menu. If you're looking for a restaurant experience, then Bagel Twins would be a great option. Though, when I think of the bagel places in and around New York, that's not a feature I've seen. But I wouldn't say it's a bad thing!

While the bagels were missing a crunchy outer layer, in my opinion, they were tasty and soft.

The bagels weren't warm when I got them, but that was OK — unless you catch the store at the right time as a new batch is made, your bagels may not be warm in New York either. 

I thought the cinnamon-raisin bagel looked less like a classic New York bagel than the everything bagel because it didn't have a smooth, shiny finish outside.

Inside, the cinnamon-raisin and everything flavors came through. They were both soft and pillowy, but for me they were missing the extra, thin layer of crunch from the outer crust that I know and love. 

The cream cheese was top-notch, and I consider that an extremely important component.

My single side of cream cheese from Bagel Twins came in the familiar plastic condiment container and was what I would consider to be perfect in texture. 

It was soft but not runny, creamy, and slightly tart. The texture was just right for ripping and dipping — I didn't lose any bagel bits to the container when I dunked a torn piece in. (And yes, in case you're wondering, I eat my fresh bagels untoasted.)

Next, I stopped at Brooklyn Water Bagel.

The name of this place alone suggests that the bagels will be just like the ones in NYC, but it was also listed on the local news site New Times as having some of the best bagels in the area. 

I was curious to see if the manipulated water they use — which is supposed to mimic the compounds in water that comes from the Catskill Mountains in New York, according to the company's website — actually made it taste like a New York bagel.

Inside, it looked like more of a fast-food chain restaurant than a bagel place.

The only toppings I saw were containers of cream cheese in a refrigerated case that also featured drinks. 

Peering over the counter towards the kitchen I saw the baskets of bagels, but they were less visible here than in the other two stores. 

The only counter experience at this location was a cash register. That feeling of being in an NYC bagel place with the counter, schmear, fish, and salads was sorely missed.

These bagels tasted and looked the most like the ones I'm used to in New York.

I was able to smell these bagels as soon as I opened up the brown paper bag they came in. Much like the others, these also weren't warm (which was to be expected, since I wasn't visiting at the time a fresh batch had been made).

This shop was out of cinnamon-raisin for the day when I arrived, so I got plain instead. 

The biggest difference I noticed with these bagels was the shine they had. There was a clear crust layer which was exciting to bite into. Inside, they were soft. Outside, they boasted a thin top crust and a more sturdy, darker-in-color bottom crust. 

These bagels had more of the tangy barley taste that I'm used to back home, which was a nice plus. Flavor-wise, I was impressed. 

A pitfall, in my opinion, was the cream cheese that came with my bagel order.

I was disappointed in the cream cheese side. 

If I bought a larger container of cream cheese, it would have been the version that was whipped in the store. But they didn't have it available for small side portions the way the other bagel places I tried did. 

This Philadelphia packet was a bit too firm to be good for dipping, in my opinion. When I'm out ordering a bagel, I want cream cheese that I don't already have at home, so that's why I felt let down.  

Finally, we stopped by Bagels With Deli.

This spot was also featured in New Times, and I thought its name promised a New York-like experience by including the word deli.

Inside, this place was everything I had been looking for.

As it turns out, Bagels With Deli is exactly what it tells you it will be: a New York bagel place meets a New York deli.

From the open kitchen station to the baskets of bagels and huge display cases of fish, salads, and schmears, I thought this was the real deal. It reminded me of the bagel places I grew up with in NYC's suburbs, though this place was slightly bigger than most I've been to. 

They had everything from a sandwich-building station to seat-yourself tables and even the typical muffins, cookies, and fruit resting on top of a case near the register. 

I thought the cinnamon-raisin tasted more New York-like than the everything bagel.

The bagels were cold when I got them, which was kind of a bummer, but as I said timing is everything and in the afternoon, when I visited, I didn't expect a fresh, warm batch.

Though they weren't shiny, the bagels had an outer layer which I found difficult to rip apart. I thought the everything bagel was chewy and didn't have much flavor outside of the seeds and salt. 

The cinnamon-raisin was also hard to break apart, but the inside was soft and the flavor was really strong in a good way — it was exactly the combination of sweet and savory that I hope for from this type of bagel.

I was able to remedy the toughness of these bagels by heating them in the oven when I got home. They then softened beautifully.

There was a dusting of semolina on the bottom of each bagel, which I know is sometimes used to help prevent dough from sticking to a surface. I thought it was interesting to see these tiny crumbs on a bagel and it kind of made me think of an English muffin. 

The cream cheese helped make up for what the bagels lacked in freshness, in my opinion.

At Bagels With Deli, I was given one side of packed-in-house cream cheese for each bagel.

Similar to the schmear from Bagel Twins, this one was a little bit tangy, mostly creamy, and super smooth. The viscosity was just right for dipping and I was able to scoop a large piece of cinnamon-raisin bagel through it with minimal effort. 

Overall, I was impressed with how close each place came to really bringing customers the experience of New York bagels.

Each of the three bagel spots had criteria that they nailed, in my opinion, and a few places where I thought they missed the mark.

Brooklyn Water's bagels were the most similar to the ones I get in New York. It was the shiny outer layer and flavor that sealed the deal for me. While the bagels were delicious, the cream cheese and restaurant space didn't make it feel like a New York-style bagel shop to me, so I'd probably get the bagels to go if I lived locally, or order a larger batch that comes with the store-made cream cheese.

However, if I lived in Florida and missed visiting a bagel shop in New York, I'd go to Bagels With Deli or Bagel Twins, with their welcoming atmosphere and display of lox, schmears, and salads. Both spots had more of that New York-bagel-place vibe I was looking for — and the bagels tasted great.

Ultimately, I was impressed to find there are good New York bagels outside of New York. And even places where you might feel like you're in New York.

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