Zucker's Review: Bagel Clubs

Zucker's Bagels and Smoked Fish is a true New York staple, bringing classic, hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels to the city since 2006. Founded in TriBeCa, Zucker's takes pride in doing things the old-fashioned way - using high-quality, unbleached, and unbromated flours with a touch of malt syrup for a perfect golden crust and chewy bite. They don't skimp on the toppings either, making sure every bagel is generously coated on both sides. And, with its bagel club, Zucker's delivers the tradition of a great New York bagel anywhere in the US (even Alaska and Hawaii, with a $20 delivery surcharge).

You get way more than bagels with this club

Out of all of the bagel clubs on our list, Zucker's is the one you might call "bagels and more": every delivery comes not just with a dozen bagels, but also three half-pound containers of schmear in true New York fashion. Plus, you'll always get a surprise "extra": sometimes that might be a little babka dessert, another month it might be a coffee mug, and so on.

Expect the bagels and schmears to be savory

With respect to flavors, you should anticipate that all of your bagels-and-schmear will be savory: the bagels are an assortment of plain, sesame, and "everything", and the cream cheese flavors will be plain, scallion, and the flavor of the month. That doesn't sound like you would be getting any cinnamon-raisin bagels with a brown sugar cream cheese spread, but we wouldn't completely rule it out. (We recommend calling Zucker's if you absolutely need to know.)

Pay in full for at least 3 months

Knowing that you get all of that in your delivery, you probably won't be surprised to learn that this is the most expensive bagel club on our list. Regardless of whether you subscribe for 3, 6, 9, or 12 months, your cost will be $95.95 per delivery, with shipping included in that price. You do have to pay for your entire bagel club plan upfront: that's a jaw-dropping $1151.40 if you go for a full year subscription.

Dedicated to helping the local community

Zucker's isn't just about making great bagels - they also believe in giving back to the community that helped shape them. Owners Matt Pomerantz and Dan Pace are dedicated to running a business that supports its team, its customers, and the city they call home. Zucker's prioritizes sustainability by sourcing locally whenever possible, using eco-friendly packaging, and even delivering by bicycle. They also have a deep commitment to helping those in need, donating 500 bagels every day - about 180,000 meals a year - to The Bowery Mission, which provides food and services to homeless and hungry New Yorkers. From supporting local schools and sports teams to making sure no bagel goes to waste, Zucker's is about more than just breakfast - it's about being a good neighbor. And that's a bagel bakery we can get behind.

Could use more feedback from bagel club subscribers

We can't really tell you how people feel about Zucker's Bagel + Cream Cheese subscription: there were absolutely no reviews for it on the Goldbelly platform that the bakery uses for fulfillment of shipped orders (and we didn't even see a place where customers could rate it). So, yes, you are taking a bit of a chance when you sign up here, because the minimum commitment is three months. And, with Goldbelly not saying that customers can cancel subscriptions and get a refund once they've started, we're not entirely confident that there will be any kind of satisfaction guarantee. But, Goldbelly does invite customers to reach out within 14 days if there's a problem with an order; you just might not be in luck if you simply don't like the bagels and schmear on taste alone.

Reviews for in-person experiences are mid-tier

Over on Yelp, Zucker's Bagels gets a 3-star average score across more than 2,200 reviews. Of course, that feedback is almost always for the in-person experience; high ratings typically come in for the food itself, while lower ratings usually refer to poor service or wrong orders. None of the latter is likely to apply to your month-to-month bagel subscription, though.

Better than average bagel club

Final verdict? Zucker's Bagel + Cream Cheese club is one we'd be excited to get as a gift (you can specify that during checkout, and your recipient will get an email announcement) or to try for a 3-month subscription. It's a great pairing of the quintessential NYC bagel-and-schmear that people go all over the city to test out, and you won't find it with the other subscriptions on our list. On the other hand, the lack of feedback and the spendy $300-ish you'll have to pay for the shortest plan are what keep Zucker's from rating any higher.

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On the Zucker's website