Kossar's Bagels & Bialys

New York is the land of the bagel, but what about the bialy? Maybe you've never even heard of a bialy, the bagel's Polish cousin. Unlike bagels, bialys are baked instead of boiled and have a depression in the middle (often sprinkled with fresh onion) instead of a hole. If you're looking for a place to try one, Kossar's Bialys in the Lower East Side is the place to go. Opened in the 1930s, Kossar's changed ownership in early 2014 and things have only improved since then. Bakers here still hand form each and every precious dough ball before baking them in a brick oven. The result is chewy, yeasty and delicious, just how Bubbe would have remembered.