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Robyn Lane

Robyn Lane

Robyn Lane

14 Bagel Places In Monmouth County That Are Worth Visiting

By Robyn Lane

I have a few bagel places in Monmouth County that I absolutely love. I used to live in Ocean Township, and around the corner from me was a place called, What About a Bagel on West Park Ave. in Cobblestone Village. They were my favorite.

Being Jewish and having parents from Brooklyn and Queens, as well as having a close connection to real old school bagel bakers, pretty much makes me an expert on bagels.

My loving companion, Bruce, comes from a long line of bagel bakers from Brooklyn. His late father was one of the last great bagel bakers of his generation. If you’ve ever visited Grandma’s Bagels in Little Silver back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, you may have known him, his name is Max Cooperman.

Max and his wife, Phyllis were the King and Queen of their little bagel castle. Phyllis’s grandfather was actually one of the first bagel bakers in America and had a hand in forming the first ever bagel baker’s union.

Phyllis was practically the Mayor of Little Silver. Everyone knew her and absolutely loved her. Like all Jewish Grandmas, Phyllis was a nurturer with a great laugh, and was as loving as any human being can be.

She greeted every single person who walked through the door, and would often sit down with customers to chat while they ate their meals. She treated the entire community like family.

Unfortunately, I never got to meet Phyllis, she passed away 3 weeks before her son and I met. Bruce absolutely believes that his mom was responsible for our union. He says, “I know my mother had something to do with us meeting.” She knew I’d take very good care of her boy.

I have heard so many stories about Phyllis from her children, grandchildren, and other family members, it makes me sad that we never got to meet.

Before I list some of Monmouth County’s favorite bagel shops, I want you to give you my thoughts on what an honest to goodness bagel should be. A REAL bagel is rolled by hand, kettle boiled, and baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a shiny, golden crisp exterior.

  • Hot Bagel Bakery - 67 Monmouth Rd # 2, Oakhurst, NJ 07755

    I asked around and this place was suggested by Jeff, Renee, David, Jean, Susan, Katie and about 3 dozen other folks, so that’s why it’s first on the list. They’ve been around since 1979. No seating, no avocado toast, or any fancy stuff. If you want a good bagel, bialy, or a great loaf of challah bread, then this is what you’ll get with this place.

  • Terrace Bagels & Cafe - 3681 US-9, Freehold Township, NJ 07728

    Susan, Taramarie, and Christine on the Facebook page, “What’s Happening in Monmouth County, N.J.” swear by this place.  They have a location in Brooklyn too. It’s in the same shopping center  as the Route 9 Farmer’s Market.

     

     

  • Bagelmasters - 661 Broad St, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702

    Another place I loved when I lived in Monmouth County! Excellent reputation for having great bagels.

  • Bagel International & Deli - 48 Main St # 1, Bradley Beach, NJ 07720

    I lived across the street from this place about 20 years ago and gained 20lbs. Yeah, they’re good.

     

  • What About a Bagel - 885 W Park Ave, Ocean Township, NJ 07712

    My home away from home on Sunday mornings when I lived in Ocean Township. The bagel baker was a friend of the family.

  • Grandma's Bagels - 479 Prospect Ave, Little Silver, NJ 07739

    For over a decade, Phyllis Cooperman was the “Grandma” at Grandma’s Bagels. Phyllis is no longer with us, but she lives on through those who know and love her.  I’m glad the current owners kept the name and are still making the community happy. (Pictured in the photo are Max and Phyllis Cooperman, the original owners.)Max and Phyllis

     

  • Sheepshead Baygels - 2095 NJ-35, Holmdel, NJ 07733

    Lawrence from the Wednesday Warrior’s fan page was the first to suggest that I put this establishment on the list. I wanted to include Kasia’s review: “Stopped by here for the first time today and not only is the staff very friendly, but they also have truly the most amazing bagels in NJ! I’m from Brooklyn my whole life I’ve been a bagel expert and this place is GREAT!” I trust people from Brooklyn when it comes to bagels and pizza. 

  • Atlantic Bagel Co. - 74 First Ave, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716

    Another suggestion from Lawrence D’Angelo who’s from North Jersey.

     

  • Eli's Hot Bagels - Located in the Pond Road Shopping Center : 4345 US-9, Freehold, NJ 07728

    Old school bagel shop where they make them on site. Highly recommended by Sasha, Renee, and Adam, who called them the best bagels around. My husband’s Uncle was the original Eli before it was sold and relocated.

  • Grandpa's Bagels - 128 S Main St, Marlboro, NJ 07746

    No relation to Grandma’s Bagels, but they do have something in common. They’re made the old fashioned way by using the dough fermentation process with zero additives.  I can tell that these are fantastic, old school bagels without ever having been there.

  • Bagel Boyz - 694 Holmdel Rd, Hazlet, NJ 07730

    Debra S. and Robyn F. from Monmouth County are regular customers. The bagels are Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside according to Kai’s review.

  • Bagel Guys Deli - 55 Brighton Ave, Long Branch, NJ 07740

    These are my kind of bagel guys! They hand roll and kettle boil their bagels. I’m going to stop by next time I’m in Long Branch.

  • Gem's House of Bagels - 3017 NJ-35, Hazlet, NJ 07730

    They’ve been doing bagels for over 30 years. They clearly are doing something right. Thanks to Frank for the recommendation.  They have other locations in Port Monmouth, Red Bank, Keansburg and Belford.

     

  • Hot Bagels Brooklyn's Finest - 368 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ 07701

    The fact that they have “Brooklyn” in their name might be a good indication that this may be a place to get a good bagel.

    According to their website: Hot Bagels Brooklyn’s Finest provides our customers with a 40+ year old family bagel recipe. We take honor in providing a traditional, old-styled Brooklyn Bagel, which are freshly baked on the hour in order to satisfy all of our customers’ tasting needs.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Bk1cdgpkx/

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