The Mufgel Is New York City’s Latest Food Craze

New Yorkers sure love their novelty foods. First there was the cronut craze, then the bone broth fad (including a broth-infused popsicle), and of course, the rainbow bagel that had New Yorkers lining up around the block. And now, there’s the mufgel: a hybrid pastry that combines a muffin and a bagel.

Gothamist reports that the mufgel was created by self-proclaimed “Bagel Artist” Scot Rossillo, who also invented the rainbow bagel. Like its colorful predecessor, the mufgel can only be found at The Bagel Store in Brooklyn, which currently bakes only 42 mufgels a day. The strange breakfast pastries feature a crumbly muffin on top and chewy bagel on the bottom, and come in a range of flavors. They’re usually served on their own or with flavored cream cheese in the middle, though The Bagel Shop has also experimented with a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich iteration. So far, Mashable reports, flavors have included mozzarella pizza with sun-dried tomato cream cheese, Fruity Pebbles with Funfetti Cream Cheese, and chocolate chip crumb with apple pie cream cheese.

If all of this sounds more like a joke than a meal, that’s partly by design: Rossillo was inspired to make the mufgel after hearing a New York lottery radio ad parodying New York City’s food crazes.

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