By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Two years ago I wrote a piece extolling the bagel artistry at Wegmans in Ocean. I went there most mornings where they had a custom bagel ready for me.
In the comments, some Grovers chimed in with their favorite bagel bakery in Monmouth County—the Hot Bagel Bakery in Oakhurst.
Paul Goldfinger, bagel maven–a revised review for 2021.
I did review the Hot Bagel Bakery back in 2014 but I didn’t think it was as good as Wegmans. There are three comments below from that article on September 4, 2014.
In the years since the 2014 article was written, I have come to know the Hot Bagel Bakery in Oakhurst (65-67 Monmouth Road) a lot better. I now believe that I under-appreciated that bagel place. It deserves its reputation as the best in the area.
You really should visit it one morning just to see the excitement as the hand rolled bagels are made in front of you. It brings back the sense of another era—-the time when kosher deli’s were all over New York City providing the equivalent of soul food in Harlem.
The HBB attracts a crowd each summer morning, but the line moves quickly. The attraction is called “authenticity.”
The Hot Bagel Shop is a hot bed of an old-country eating tradition: the smells, the enthusiasm of workers and customers, the multiple conversations all at once, the hurry-up of the counter help…and even an old oven. They have been in business for about 40 years.
I also discovered their onion bagel, scooped, toasted twice and then with a shmeer of cream cheese. The heat of the toasting provides additional crunch, taste, and aroma. The cream cheese begins to melt immediately, so you have to be careful to eat it without dripping cheese all over yourself. They hand over your bagel in a white bag, and inside the bag are napkins.
In 2021 that is my go-to morning place even though it takes about 10 minutes longer to reach than Wegmans. And yes, their coffee is very good (although Rook is across the street.) And take your snack outside and eat it in your car—it’s that good. (Rook coffee shops do not have seating either)
I now give it 4 /4 Blogfingers. And, is it better than Wegmans? Yes because Wegmans has made COVID-compromises including changing the authenticity of their bagels—they are now just OK
HBB bagels are oversized, but they are hand rolled, and you can watch the process. Their crust, texture and flavor are superior, so I like to order it “scooped” to reduce the volume and increase the crunch. After that I have given up toasting and cream cheese, and just get it with butter, and that is a unique treat.
They also have great muffins and challahs.
The Hot Bagel Bakery is in Oakhurst, but it only takes 15 minutes from OG. Just go up 35 and turn right onto West Park. Go to the end and turn right and a quick left into the parking lot. An alternate route is to take Monmouth Road via Asbury Park and Interlaken.
THE PARROTHEAD ALL STARS with CLINT BLACK and FRIENDS perform this Jimmy Buffett song. These country all stars may have somethin’ cookin’, but I bet none of them could tell a good bagel if they actually saw one.
Most bagel bakeries are run by non-Jews these days, but many of those don’t know what they are doing, and their customers often don’t know from great.
But the excellent bagel bakers at Hot Bagel are Irish Catholic brothers, and they have rabbis come in regularly to insure Kosher adherence.
And, from the look of their lines, most of their customers are Orthodox Jews from that neighborhood, and they do know from great. If I want to review bagel shops around here, and I have done that, I ask Jewish customers about their opinion.
Most Jews I know don’t prefer the giant bagels which are as big as your head. But at the Hot Bagel Bakery it’s clear that their popular large size bagels are at least as good as their slimmer brothers. Have them scooped, and the carb. count drops significantly.
And speaking of men who frequent bagel shops, it’s the same as other coffee/snack joints like 7-11’s or WaWa’s where most of the morning clientele are men often driving pickup trucks.
As for the HBB, their demographic is somewhat different. The customers are also mostly men, but they often are driving fine cars. I was there one morning when a long black limo pulled into the lot. The driver got out, opened the back door, and out stepped a young man in a sharp black suit. He went into the store, and when he emerged with his white bag, the driver got out and opened the door for him. So this guy, who might have sought out a croissant, longs for an authentic taste of the hood. So much for stereotypes.
My local bagel place here in Flushing, NYC, is operated by Koreans. There are lots of cross cultural things here.
The Hot Bagel on Monmouth road across from rook was one of THE Worst bagels I’ve ever had. Couldn’t even eat half of it. Like raw dough and that was after being toasted. I don’t understand all the positive comments, never mind voted the best bagel in Monmouth county! Geeze
Love your foodie reviews. Gives us an opportunity to try some of the recommended places. You are right in that some larger bagels are more like bread and lack a crunchy crust.
Suggest a review on the best corned beef in the area. Much of what passes as corned beef is taken from the deli case, warmed and slapped on rye. I am talking about properly boiled corned beef. Clancy’s has excellent melt in your mouth corned beef Rubins. What are some of the favorites in the area?
http://www.newyork.com/articles/restaurants/the-16-best-new-york-city-bagels-and-what-makes-em-so-good-18570/
Joe: New York City has the best bagels in the world, but even New Yorkers disagree vehemently as to who makes the ultimate bagel. (see link above) There are fundamental differences such as toast or no toast, slender or super-sized, crunchy or soft, etc. There is a traditional way to make bagels based upon the early Eastern European Jews from Poland who brought their craft to the Lower East Side around the time when Ocean Grove was founded, but I bet Rev. Stokes never tasted a bagel.
So it’s not surprising that Grovers disagree about which are best in Monmouth County. If you live in South Dakota, you might love the white bread bagels, the size of your head, but, as Bob Dylan of Minnesota says, “The times are a-changin'” Nevertheless, I bet Bob takes his with a cream cheese “shmear”—no butter and no toasting allowed. He spent a lot of time in Greenwich Village.
For me, I like the slender versions, brown and crunchy on the outside; chewy on the inside. Then you put cream cheese, a slice of tomato, some sliced lox (smoked salmon) and a slice of raw onion. Then “enjoy!.”
In an interview, Rob Reiner explained bagel and lox sandwiches. When asked what the tomato was for, he said “for the wet.” But that’s only funny if someone from Jewish New York says “wet” with just the right amount of tongue on palate because the humor is in the pronounciation. —Paul @Blogfinger
I guess i missed this originally, but you are all wrong
The best bagels in the county are at Bagelmasters in Shrewsbury on Rt 35.
The Hot Bagel Bakery has great bagels. Another good place is Cravings in Allenhurst. Interestingly, they get their bagels from the Hot Bagel Bakery, they have seating, and it’s closer than Wegman’s and the Hot Bagel place. I used to go there almost every morning on my way to the train when I was working in NY, and also when I worked in Eatontown. Another perk- the staff is very friendly. 🙂 I enjoy the bagels from Bagel Talk in West Grove Square, and the bagels, sandwiches, and peaceful atmosphere at Belmar Bagels in Belmar Plaza. Bagel Station in Red Bank is excellent as well. We sure have a lot of good bagels in the area! I don’t care for International Bagels, and I’ve never had the ones at Wegman’s.
Bagel Station in Red Bank across from – guess – the train station.
Mindy of Ocean Grove is referring to the Hot Bagel Bakery in a strip mall in Oakhurst, near Deal Road. The address is 65-67 Monmouth Road. This bakery has been in business since 1979 and they are strictly Kosher. They also hand roll their bagels, so it is interesting to watch from the counter.
Their bagels are quite tasty, but they are too pale and too blown up. The crust is only mildly crunchy. I ordered a sesame there which was so rotund that there was no hole in the middle. Any bagel without a hole should be penalized two Blogfingers on that alone. You need a hole to help it breathe and to give you a place to put your finger. I also asked for butter, but the schmeer was barely visible. You could probably enjoy it more by pulling out the doughy air blown interior and then toasting it.
Their coffee was just average, and there was no place to sit. We didn’t get to try the coffee place across the street.
And finally, let it be known that Caren C. of Ocean Grove also likes this place best. It really is a matter of taste and, for comparison, what your gold standard is. My opinion: Wegmans is better and closer.
The Hot Bagel Bakery is a very busy and enjoyable place to visit. It was hopping on this Friday morning at 9:00 am when we stopped there. They had about 6 kids working the counter, and the bakers were still making bagels in the back (totally visible to the public.)
You can also get there via Rt. 35 and then right onto Deal Road, and then left on Monmouth Rd. They are on the right in a strip mall. Their parking lot is hazardous, so don’t chew and drive. And the exit onto Monmouth Road is annoying, especially if you turn left as most Grovers will do.
So any business that has survived nearly 40 years deserves the benefit of the doubt. If you are a bagel maven, go there yourself and try it. They also sell challah breads. Now that Freedman’s is gone, this might be the go-to place on Fridays.
We give them 3 Blogfingers.
My next stop on the bagel tour will be International Bagels in Bradley Beach (“Hitting the Road With Paul and some Bloogers While Telling Jokes and Searching For the Perfect Bagel” is our new Blogfinger foodie segment.)
Anybody want to join me for the Bradley Beach review?
The best bagels are at the bagel store in Oakhurst on Monmouth Road across from Rook, the best coffee place ever.