Bagel Boss Roslyn competes in New York Bagelfest at Citi Field

Who makes the best bagels: Long Island, New York City, Montreal or Dallas? The public will soon have a chance to decide at the annual New York Bagelfest, which returns to Citi Field Nov. 15. A new lineup of 25 competitors features bagel makers from across the United States as well as four other countries: Spain, The United Kingdom, Canada and India.

The event sold out quickly, but patrons who were able to snag a ticket will have the opportunity to sample unlimited bagels and schmears, sandwiches and other nibbles. In addition to the main festival, there are also some spots left for other events like bagel tours and bagel making classes starting that Thursday.

The selection process for the bagel shops was fierce, with an acceptance rate of just under 9%, organizers said. That's why it's so special that a Long Island bagel store is competing this year. Bagel Boss Roslyn is one of the oldest in the Bagel Boss family, which originated in Hicksville in 1975. The Roslyn store opened in 2001 and is independently owned by Cindy and Scott Matte, who have maintained its kosher certification.

The store was thrust into the spotlight in 2025 when it went viral with a series of videos poking fun at over-the-top Long Island moms. Mollie Stein, who does social media and catering for the store, said she reached out to influencer and comedian Max Cohen, aka @murrayhillboy, a few years back after she saw a funny video he did. 

"I said to him, we've got the best material for you. and he came in, and we had millions and millions of views. I gave him lots of bullet points; he wrote something hysterical," she said. "He's hilarious, we had the best time, basically poking fun at our customers in a loving way. Because without our customers, we'd be nobody, but we're a special bunch here in Roslyn, that's for sure." 

Once they were in the spotlight, that attracted professional bagel influencer critics like Justin Shukat, of @bageltawk, and Bagelfest founder Sam Silverman, who has his own bagel rating page, @bagelambassador. The two did a collaboration video at Bagel Boss Roslyn in 2025, where Silverman is impressed by the homey decor and the "great cream cheese to bagel ratio." Shukat goes on to call it the Mount Rushmore of bagels, and gives it a 9.1 out of 10 on his rating scale. 

Stein says that Bagel Boss Roslyn still has an "old-school" process to making the bagels, calling them traditional Long Island bagels. They're kettle boiled, and many of the bagels, like the cinnamon raisin and the rainbow, are hand rolled. At the competition, they plan to serve a few varieties like the cinnamon raisin and sunflower flagels. They plan to bring 300 to 350 bagels to the contest and compete in categories like best plain bagel and best bialy. 

They'll be up against some of the best bagels in the world. Last year's winner, returning to the contest again, was Starship Bagel of Dallas. The brand was also nominated for a James Beard outstanding bakery award last year, and is known for implementing a 24-hour fermentation process before they boil and bake the bagels. Owner Oren Salomon was born in Brooklyn and raised in Dallas, according to the Dallas Morning News. 

And there's also St-Viateur Bagel, the iconic shop in Montreal that's become the symbol of Montreal-style bagels. It's been operating out of the historically Jewish Mile End neighborhood since 1957. Montreal-style bagels are wood-fired, and are typically denser and toothier than a Long Island bagel, which appeals to food lovers. Another interesting competitor is Bagel Brigade, which hails from Hyderabad, India. This shop makes its own cream cheese from scratch and has Indian toppings like paneer cheese, butter and ghee, as well as chutney cream cheese. 

But even if Bagel Boss doesn't win, Stein says she's excited to represent Long Island bagels on the world stage. 

"And if we don't win, we don't win," she said. "We just know we're awesome."

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.com

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.