New Yorkers are proud that their water is the oft-cited reason for their big bagel superiority. And they might even be right. But the minerals in tap water aren't the only thing to account for great bagels that just beg to be slathered in cream cheese.

Fluffy-chewy bagels like those found in bodegas and corner stores across the Northeast, so big that they can be hard to finish, take both skill and conviction to create. Which is why we so admire the Minnesotans who get it right. They hail from the East Coast, and we're grateful they're bringing their homegrown love of bagels straight to us. (Otherwise, Goldbelly hits the spot).

ElMar's

For a brick-and-mortar with a true New York/New Jersey-style bagel, head to ElMar's in Plymouth. Nicole and Michael ElMaraghy, the ex-Staten Islanders who founded this pizzeria, rigged up a machine that re-creates New York's tap water, and the Twin Cities is better for it. These kettle-boiled behemoths — baked in their pizza ovens Thursday through Sunday mornings — are airy, with a nice sink-your-teeth-in crust. And they show their work, with the twists and swirls of hand-rolling done right. You can buy them by the sack, or get a breakfast sandwich or a bagel with a schmear. Their scallion cream cheese is absolutely loaded with green-onion goodness.

$17 for a half-dozen; 15725 37th Av. N., Plymouth, elmarsnypizza.com

Jersey Girl

New Jersey native Jodi George took home-baking to the next level, going from cottage license to a commercial kitchen in Golden Valley with regular pickups. Her huge, squishy bagels with ample coatings are on the sweeter side; we, therefore, love the salt bagel. They're hand-rolled, boiled, and baked on burlap. And they can be found at farmers markets in the western suburbs and on the U of M campus.

$15 for a half-dozen; order online at hotplate.com/jerseygirlbagels and follow @jerseygirlbagelsllc for updates.

Cauldron Bagels

A native Midwesterner got her bagel start on the East Coast, in a Boston-area bakery. Now, Martha Durrett has brought what she's learned back to Minnesota. Namely: sourdough bagels. Cauldron Bagels' edges have a satisfying crackle, and the tang from the sourdough takes them into another realm entirely. She bakes from her southwest Minneapolis home, where she does porch pickups on weekends (fair warning, June is already sold out). Durrett also teaches the art of bagel-making at Honey & Rye's Bakeshop.

$12 for a half-dozen; order online at cauldronbagels.com

Bonus: Bialies from Asa's Bakery

Asa Diebolt makes sourdough bagels and terrific breads, but what you really need to get at his small south Minneapolis shop is a bialy. While both bagels and bialies originated in Poland's Ashkenazi Jewish communities, bialies are softer than bagels, with a hole that doesn't go all the way through, their centers filled with onions and poppy seeds.

$3 each; 5011 34th Av. S., Mpls., asasbakery.com

Order Up is a feature from the Taste team that answers frequently asked questions, from where to find certain dishes to the latest restaurant trends. Send ideas to taste@startribune.com.