Let me set the scene: it’s Sunday morning, and last night’s tequila shots and pineapple margaritas still haunt you. Your head pounds just enough to remind you of the 2 a.m. texts, which are questionable at best. The only thing that can help you out of bed and save you from the Sunday scaries is a warm, toasted bagel with cream cheese.
Since arriving in New York City, this has become my roommate and I’s nonnegotiable tradition. As exchange students for the spring 2025 semester only, we have our priorities straight: nightlife first, recovery second. We go out, live it up, meet interesting people around the city, and by Sunday, we’re nostalgic for a week that has quickly passed. The realization that a new week starts in less than 24 hours looms over us, and thus the solution that has become our tradition was born: curing our hangovers with a Sunday bagel debrief to spill the weekend’s hottest tea.
There’s something about bagels in New York that makes them more than just a regular breakfast sandwich. The first bite of a perfectly toasted bagel—crisp on the outside, soft on the inside—and slathered in just the right amount of cream cheese, hits differently when you’re in the city.
But beyond indulgence, getting a bagel forces us to get up, get dressed, and get out of the house. It’s necessary to avoid wasting a day in the best city in the world, where every second of our exchange semester counts. Even on the laziest Sundays, when staying in bed and rewatching Sex and the City seems like the only way to go, the bagel craving (followed by a solid gossip session) pulls us out. It’s our way of resetting, recharging, and reclaiming the day before Monday’s chaos begins.
And the best part? The walk to the bagel shop is just as much a part of the ritual as eating the bagel itself. The fresh, cold air, the slow but steady hum of the city, and the excitement of trying a new local bagel shop all add to the charm. It’s the city wrapped up in a perfect, doughy circle—a reminder that even during a hangover, exhaustion, and the Sunday blues, there’s something comforting about knowing that a good cream cheese bagel is always just a couple of blocks away.
So, we keep the tradition alive. We keep ordering our everything bagels with cream cheese, sipping on our iced coffees, and soaking in the slow, cozy energy of a Sunday in New York. Because no matter how wild Saturday night was, the Sunday bagel always brings us back to life.
Now, after a month of being a New Yorker (and never missing a bagel on Sunday), I’m excited to share two of my best bagel shop finds so far: Utopia Bagels on 34th Street and The Bagel Delight on Fulton Street.
So trust me when I say that bagels do cure hangovers in the city. Try it out—your Sunday self will thank you.