Best of Boston

Toasted or untoasted? Either way has its advantages. Fresh off the shelf at baker Adam Hirsh’s long-awaited new shop, the bagels are a soft, chewy foundation for substantial sandwiches such as the Monumental, featuring a hard-boiled egg, local greens, and bacon. Warmed, the crisp exterior crackles pleasantly. Bagel lovers can’t go wrong with flavors like "everywhere" (a thoroughly seeded everything); jalapeño-cheddar; and egg—but our favorite order is sesame, toasted to bring out the nutty flavors, with a generous schmear of house-made bacon-everything cream cheese.