Pictures by Billie Winter
No fewer than 4 brick-and-mortar bagel retailers opened in Seattle up to now yr. Bloom Bistro & Grocery moved into Georgetown in April, Toasted Bagels & Espresso landed within the College District and Yard Bagel hit Fremont in July, and Hey Bagel has been drawing a crowd at College Village since January. They usually be a part of an already-crowded business—I can title 15 bagel retailers off the highest of my head, and plenty of of them have a number of places round city. (Immediately’s newer era of Seattleites appear to want their cream cheese on bagels over road canine, however that’s a tragic story for an additional time.)
As a result of we’re severe journalists, and we do severe journalism, we knew it was time to get our arms soiled and see how all these choices stacked up.
Right here’s the way it labored: We purchased each plain and every thing bagels from 10 completely different bagel bakeries. All bagels had been bought on the day of the style check and saved of their applicable luggage at room temperature. Then, we lower them into bite-sized wedges simply minutes earlier than unleashing the hungry mob in an effort to make sure final freshness and equity.
There was a toaster oven for anybody who wished to warmth up or toast their bites, in addition to plain cream cheese from a couple of completely different places for many who want to pattern their bagels with schmear. Every specimen was labeled with solely a quantity—nobody knew which bagel got here from which store till the scores had been tallied.
Issues bought just a little heated! One bagel that obtained a whole lot of reward from a number of West Coasters within the group was known as “bland” and “bready” by a local New Yorker. There have been gasps. Then, an argument broke out over whether or not or not fennel seed needs to be included in every thing bagel season. And one bagel bought spit into the trash by a number of tasters. Issues bought messy. However when all was mentioned and accomplished, we had accomplished it. We discovered one of the best bagel in Seattle. Or, at the very least, one of the best bagel within the style check. As a result of regardless of all of the scientific analysis, this record isn’t complete. There’s Bagel Oasis, who’ve been doing one thing proper because the Nineteen Eighties, and Mt. Bagel, who’ve good bagels however solely had garlic and onion flavors left once I stopped in forward of the style check. There’s Loxsmith Bagels in West Seattle and Beacon Hill, Westman’s Bagel and Espresso on Capitol Hill, and a number of other bakeries that make good bagels amongst their different pastries and breads (Salmonberry, Oxbow, Macrina, and so on.).
Actually, one of the best bagel in Seattle is the bagel you like most. This isn’t a be-all, and end-all declaration of excellent vs. evil. Our tastes might not align with yours. On the very least, we hope this record and our carb-loading is a useful information as you head out searching for your individual favourite.
Bloom Bistro & Grocery, $3
After working as a bagel pop-up for the higher a part of a yr, Bean’s Bagels moved right into a brick-and-mortar store known as Bloom Bistro & Grocery in April 2024. It’s within the cute inexperienced home in Georgetown that was once house to Deep Sea Sugar and Salt, who, after all, make a number of the greatest desserts on the town. And now Bloom makes our favourite bagels, too? What sort of sorcery lurks inside these partitions?
Plain: 17.4/20
The whole lot: 16.7/20
“Good blisters! Toothsome texture and nice taste. I just like the anisey taste of the fennel seeds within the every thing seasoning.”
“Exterior not cheesy sufficient, however love the fennel seed.”
“The every thing bagel was bitter.”
Outdated Salt, $3
Outdated Salt opened in November 2020 in the identical house and by the identical group behind Ballard’s beloved Manolin after Manolin—an upscale sit-down restaurant appreciated for its recent seafood dishes—was pressured to pivot to one thing extra takeout-friendly in the course of the pandemic. Outdated Salt has since added a second location in Fremont, they usually smoke their very own fish, together with kippered salmon; lox with dill, pepper, lemon, and gin; and black cod seasoned with chili.
Plain: 16.75/20
The whole lot: 16.25/20
“Black sesame!”
“I actually preferred this! Good blisters, chewy however not powerful. Tangy taste.”
“So chewwy! I just like the fennel forwardness.”
Hey Bagel, $3.25
Hey Bagel is the latest bagel on the block… sort of. Whereas the College Village store simply opened in January, proprietor Andrew Rubinstein has been making bagels for Seattle for years. He based Rubinstein Bagels in 2019 and began HB after promoting his portion of RB to companion Ethan Stowell in 2023. Hey Bagel’s traces are lengthy, they promote out of flavors all through the day, they are going to neither lower not toast your bagel, and the one toppings they provide is quite a lot of schmears. What’s extra, they suggest prospects eat the bagels heat, recent out of the oven if potential, they usually’re proper. I housed a sesame on the spot when selecting up bagels for the style check. We ate them at room temperature for the check, however should you’re having fun with them recent off the road, add a few factors to the rating.
Plain: 15/20
The whole lot: 15.7/20
“Good! Not wonderful.”
“I like this every thing combine! Salty.”
“Fairly good! Barely powerful, however chewy and first rate taste.”
Toasted Bagels & Espresso, $2.95
UW graduates Jaafar Altameemi and Murat Akyuz opened Toasted within the U District final summer time, they usually have already expanded with a second location in Bellevue in February and have two extra within the works in South Lake Union and Pioneer Sq.. A menu spotlight for indecisive eaters is the open-face flight, so you possibly can pattern 4 of their taste combos—resembling labneh and honey, avocado and smoked feta, lox with pickled onions, or pear and cinnamon—in a single go.
Plain: 13.8/20
The whole lot: 12.8/20
“Good moisture within the dough and well-salted.”
“Tangy, good chew, refined blisters. Balanced every thing seasoning.”
“Extra bread than bagel.”
Yard Bagel, $3
Like Hey Bagel, Yard Bagel is not going to toast your bagel. It says so proper there on the signal, so don’t ask. They may lower it for you when ordered with schmear, although, they usually additionally supply a brief menu of bagel sandwiches—three fish-based recipes and one veggie-friendly possibility with black bean hummus and chickpeas.
Plain: 13/20
The whole lot: 13/20
“Dense topping, which is good. I like a black sesame!”
“The every thing was burnt and bready.”
“Nice chew and taste however missing just a little depth.”
Zylberschtein’s Delicatessen & Bakery, $3
It’s value noting that Zylberschtein’s scores had been introduced down a degree or two by a few tasters who didn’t love the bagel’s tangy sourdough-esque taste. For me, that’s a professional. So far as taste goes, Zylberschtein’s malt-boiled bagels had been in my private high 5. I like something and every thing sourdough. In terms of bagels, although, others want a cleaner style. You do you.
Plain: 12/20
The whole lot: 12.75/20
“Bitter, well-salted.”
“Crispy exterior. Slightly dry.”
“Tangy! Love that it has fennel within the every thing.”
Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos, $3.25
Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos scored decrease than a number of tasters anticipated. After tallying the outcomes, one individual even re-tasted, assuming there was some sort of mistake since they’re a fan of the store’s bagel sandwiches. This may be a case of the bagel itself not being essentially the most stellar possibility for a rip-and-dip state of affairs or when served simply with cream cheese, however being best for getting stacked excessive with sandwich fillings resembling truffle cream cheese, house-made chili crisp, regionally sourced lox, garlic honey, and jamón serrano.
Plain: 8.2/20
The whole lot: 9/20
“Toasty.”
“Texture unsuitable. Too candy. Not salted.”
“Actually tastes like bread bread BREAD.”
Kelly Cannoli, $4.85
Kelly Canolli is just a little pink drive-up window in Lake Metropolis, they usually’re so dedicated to bringing the East Coast to Seattle that they’ve their bagels flown in from New York in quite a lot of flavors—together with French toast, rainbow, marble rye, pumpernickel, and egg—they usually include reheating directions should you’re not going to eat them the identical day. We examined them only a few hours after selecting them up for final freshness. Nonetheless, they landed with a thud. Particularly at $4.85 a pop. (A sleeve of six is $25.) The bagels might not have gone over properly, however I’ll vouch that their cannolis are spot-on.
Plain: 6/20
The whole lot: 6/20
“TURNED BACK TO DOUGH IN MY MOUTH.”
“Weirdly NOT chewy!”
“Least favourite. Squishy, no chew, no taste—visceral response of disgust.”
Eltana, $2.50
Eltana serves Montreal-style bagels, that are purposefully denser than an East Coast or American bagel. However with that, they’re additionally speculated to be a thinner ring with a wider gap within the heart. I ought to be capable to spin it round my finger like a glutenous Hula-Hoop. Eltana’s bagels had been heavy, thick, and so bready. They had been hardly the bagel I keep in mind loving when the bakery first opened in 2010; one other confused workers member remembers loving an Eltana bagel, however did concede that they’d by no means tried one with no topping, the fava bean basil unfold being a favourite. What occurred?
Plain: 1.6/20
The whole lot: 3/20
“No.”
“Barely any garlic on the every thing bagel.”
“Tried a style, needed to faucet out.”
Blazing Bagels, $2.75
Oof. Sorry, Blazing Bagels. The feel was all unsuitable on each the plain and the sesame (they had been out of every thing bagels the day of our style check). After revealing the outcomes, I tried to do some injury management by admitting I’ve loved their Beecher’s cheese bagel slathered with cream cheese, however after all I do. The whole lot is made higher when coated with Beecher’s cheese.
Plain: 0.45/20
Sesame: 2.5/20
“Incorrect.”
“Too candy, unsuitable texture.”
“Cardboard-y texture with powerful exterior. Suspiciously uniform and shiny.”
