Brooklyn Bagel has become a hot bagel store, with three locations in Astoria, Queens and one Manhattan location in Chelsea. I've sampled Brooklyn Bagels two or three times (the Broadway location in Astoria), and while it doesn't quite rival Brooklyn and the city's best - the Bagel Hole - it is a great bagel option.
The cream cheeses are wonderfully light and they have unique flavors that they rotate weekly. The bagels also have that nice crunchy exterior.
The only slight critiques I have about these bagels are that they are a little too large for my taste and the interiors are more fluffy than chewy. In addition, I don't know why I ordered a whole wheat everything bagel the last time (the bagel pictured throughout this post), which was a little too dry for my taste as well. But despite these minor concerns, Brooklyn Bagel is absolutely worth is a trip!
35-05 Broadway, 36-14 30th Avenue, and 35-9 Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, Queens
286 8th Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan
All of the Astoria locations are 4-5 blocks from stops along the N/Q line, and the Chelsea location is closest to the C/E trains at 23rd Street.