Apollo Bagels in the East Village

The recently opened Apollo Bagels has been attracting plenty of attention on social media, and lines out the door. Their tangy, fluffy, crunchy-shelled sourdough bagels merit the hype.

Apollo began as a pop-up offshoot of Leo, a pizzeria in Williamsburg. After pop-ups in Dimes Square, Paris, Montreal, and other locations they settled in the East Village. Apollo offers just three styles of bagels (plain, sesame, and everything) and two flavors of cream cheese (plain, scallion) in vegan and non-vegan versions. There are a couple of sandwich options too, like smoked salmon and whitefish salad. That's it.

We ordered everything bagels with scallion cream cheese and sliced tomatoes. Expecting the usual softball-sized bagel and cream cheese wrapped tightly in white paper, we received the meticulously composed open-faced sandwich above. Still warm from the oven, the bagel had a great chew, a heavy coating of "everything" seasoning, and was less dense than typical bagels. A surprisingly ripe and flavorful tomato with a slick of olive oil, a grind of pepper, and a sprinkle of salt leavened the richness. Perfect.

Apollo Bagels, 242 E. 10th St., East Village. Click here for their website.