The news that Westman’s Bagel & Coffee is opening a new location near the Seattle waterfront nudged me to finally visit their downtown spot. I figured I’d find an experience similar to the one I’ve had at their Capitol Hill and U District shops. What I wasn’t expecting was a curious spin on the history of the bagel itself.

Westman’s can probably claim the title of having the most interesting bagel shops in Seattle. The Capitol Hill hole-in-the-wall is an iconic location, and the Downtown standalone storefront also stands out on the plaza at the corner of 3rd & Spring. I arrived on a typical Wednesday morning, a little after the morning rush. But there was still a steady stream of customers, most of whom appeared to be tourists making their way between Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square.

After placing my order, I started looking around at the building and noticed a montage of posters that appeared to tell the story of the humble bagel. They started with a question: “Who Are We?” It shared the abridged history of Westman’s, which started in 2018, and explained how they make their bagels. After that, it offered an even more abridged version of the bagel's history.

“Bagels originated in Poland in the 1600s, and were brought to New York by immigrants in the late 19th century,” it read. “They quickly became a beloved cultural icon, and their influence spread far and wide.”

I was struck, not by what that brief write-up included, but what it hadn’t included. Yes, the bagel originated in Poland, but with a very specific group of Poles. And yes, immigrants brought the bagel to New York, but a very specific group of immigrants. And yes, the bagel became a beloved cultural icon, but it represented a very specific culture. One need only look at the photos included in the poster to get a sense of those specifics.

I moved on to the next section, which was a four-part series on the bready roll’s history. This time, the bagel’s origin was stripped of even more context.

“Immigrants Introduce Bagels,” reads the title of the first panel.

“Bagels were brought to the U.S. by immigrants from Eastern Europe in the late 1800s. They became popular in immigrant neighborhoods, particularly in New York City, with the first bagel bakeries opening in the early 1900s.”

Okay, but WHICH immigrants?

And WHICH immigrant neighborhoods?

I grabbed my order and set it aside so that I could do a fair review (coming soon), but I kept coming back to those posters and the linguistic hoops they jumped through.

It seemed odd to me.

Share

I did a reverse-image search of some of the photos Westman’s used and found that they had been used in similar bagel history write-ups, but all of which were specifically calling out the Jewish role in these circular rolls.

It all gave me a feeling like it was obfuscating Jews from the history of the product they were now selling. And that was being done while using Jewish iconography at a business whose name is distinctly Jewish. (Westman’s is one of several Seattle bagel businesses doing so without being owned by a Jewish person. The company’s co-founder, Molly Westman, sold it to Monica Dimas, who recently sold it to Ankit and Sanya Sirmorya.)

Ed. Note - Dimas shared some insight and context from her time as owner of Westman’s and confirmed that the current window posters were not something she was a part of.

The whole thing kept nagging at me all day, and a fiery thinkpiece began to take shape in my mind. I realized, however, that I was struggling to make sense of these perceived choices because of the many similar ones that came before them. Part of my angst over what felt like a removal of the Jewishness from bagels is that Jews have already been doing that for decades.

The very next portion of Westman’s bagel history rundown explains that Murray Lender, the son of a Polish-Jewish immigrant, “revolutionized” bagels by freezing and shipping them to stores around the country. It’s true that Lender’s Bagels took them national, in part by de-Jewishing them. And in the years since, we’ve seen many other bagel businesspeople with big dreams making sure bagels were “not ethnic food anymore.” Bagel Ambassador Sam Silverman just so happened to make a video about this the other day.

“The bagel is a symbol of assimilation at any cost,” wrote Josh Ozersky in TIME in 2011.

In fact, stripping away one’s Jewishness in order to assimilate and succeed in America goes well beyond bagels. For decades, if you wanted to make it in showbiz, Kaminsky needed to become Brooks and Leibowitz needed to become Stewart. Jewish comic book writers turned their personal histories and experiences into iconic superheroes which, in turn, represented everything good and decent about mainstream (Christian-coded) American society.

I’d wrapped myself in a logic pretzel. How can I be mad at a bagel shop for erasing its connection to Jewish culture when so many Jews had already been doing that for years?

Share

Ultimately, I landed on two thoughts.

One is what I call the Uncle Bob Corollary, which states that everyone in your family can make fun of Uncle Bob (or whoever that person is for you), but if anyone outside the family has a bad word to say about him, you look at them sideways. It’s just different when we do it.

Two, and probably more salient here, is the idea that there is a difference between Jews omitting their Jewishness in an attempt to thrive in a society that kept them at arm’s length, and what feels like purposeful omission of Jewishness from someone else in service of selling a product that is, by definition, Jewish.

That’s not to say that all bagel places need to wear the food’s Jewish origins on their sleeves. In fact, most modern bagel businesses don’t. It’s not a requirement. Most bagel shops remain centered on the present or look to the future. But if one is going to look to the past to inform its story, removing the specificity of its Jewish origins feels like a provocation, even if that was never the intention.

I reached out to Westman’s last week to see if they would shed light on their decision-making, but I haven’t received a response yet.

I don’t wish them ill, and I don’t want to assign reasoning or thought processes that I can’t know. Maybe there’s a good intention in there. An attempt to ride the good vibes of American immigrant ingenuity by Hamilton-izing the bagel.

Whatever the reason, I’m still left feeling uneasy. The story of a culture’s evolution isn’t linear. It’s jagged and jarring, based on the whims of history, oppressors, societal norms, and migrations. I’ve watched so many videos and read so many essays about how food connects people to their past and their culture. There’s a pride and love that goes into how they make the foods that their forebears made, even if they’re putting a modern spin on it. Evolution doesn’t remove connection.

When the Polish Jews fled Europe to escape systematic antisemitism and violent pogroms, they settled in New York City because that’s where the boats took them. They crowded into the tenements of the Lower East Side, filling it with pushcarts, storefronts, synagogues, and Yiddish theatres, making it feel like home. And they brought their food with them: pastrami, knishes, smoked fish, babka… and bagels. The rest is history.

Without all of that happening the way it did, no one is eating bagels in Seattle in 2026.

You don’t have to tell that whole story every time, but if you do tell the story, you can’t take those people, or their culture, out of it.

Even if they’re the ones who tried to assimilate it first.

Subscribe now

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

It’s been a while since the last mailbag, and I need to empty this thing out. Let’s get to it!

What do you think makes a good bagel breakfast sandwich? What are the best offerings in the area (as opposed to the bagels themselves)? -Emma

Admittedly, Emma, I’m not the best person to answer this question because I am a creature of habit and almost always order an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese no matter where I am and what time it is. But let’s start with the first part of your question and see if we can drill down.

We live in the age of the overstuffed sandwich. Everything has to look good when you do the “open bagel reveal” on social media, so there’s an incentive to stuff as many ingredients in between two bagel halves as possible.

That’s all well and good, and I’m sure there are good-tasting versions of that. In my experience, those kinds of bagel sandwiches mostly end up on the plate after a few bites, especially if the bagel lacks the structural integrity to hold everything together.

All of which is my long-winded way of saying I personally think the best bagel sandwich is still a simple one. Two, maybe three ingredients. A sauce of some kind, or a buttered bagel to help grease the wheels. Boom, easy, done.

That’s why when I do order a bagel breakfast sandwich, it’s usually an egg and cheese on a bagel (I often go sesame, but I can’t tell you exactly why), with salt and pepper, and the insides of the bagel lightly buttered. Classic, traditional, and hits (almost) every time.

Again, I won’t claim to be the expert on bagel sandwiches in general, and I don’t eat meat so my options are limited. However, when I do get one, my default is Bagel Oasis. They know how to do simple very well. I really like Toasted’s open-faced sandwiches, too. They know how to pack in a lot of flavor.

Of course, you can also find them at Rachel’s, Bloom Bistro, Rubinstein, Backyard Bagel, and other spots. And now, you’ve got me thinking about doing a “Best egg & cheese on a bagel in Seattle” ranking…

Share

This is something that’s been bugging both my wife and me for over a decade now, and you may or may not know the answer. It’s kind of a twofer: why are there NO egg bagels at all in this city, and in a similar vein, why are pumpernickel bagels so rare? - Craig H.

I think there are two reasons you don’t see egg bagels very often.

One, they’re just not that popular. Those of us who grew up with egg bagels love them, and everyone else either has no idea what you’re talking about or isn’t interested in the flavor. Before they closed, that was one of the flavors Blazing Bagels stopped making after streamlining the menu.

Two, here’s what Bagel Oasis owner Peter Ryan said about why he doesn’t offer egg bagels.

“You know, the thing about egg bagels, if you turn dough that yellow with real eggs, you’d be giving the world a heart attack. I use all-natural ingredients in my bagels. The thing with egg bagels is it’s a powder that you buy, and it’s yellow. It has eggs in it. It has a flavor in it. It’s as artificial as it gets. And I get it. It’s a New York thing. And I’m a New York thing. But no, not my thing. That’s one thing I don’t do.”

If there is any unifying aspect of Seattle and PNW bagels, it’s that pretty much everyone uses fresh, authentic ingredients. So that’s a decent deterrent, especially when they’re not big sellers to begin with.

All of that said, if you want a truly outstanding egg bagel, head to 6th Borough Bagels in Olympia. Check to make sure they’re making them, as I think it’s a special, but they might just make the best egg bagel I’ve ever had.

As for pumpernickel bagels, they’re more common than you might think. I did a Seattle pumpernickel bagel review a while back, but it’s a little outdated. Dingfelder’s now does one, and Hey Bagel makes one on Wednesdays.

It’s funny, in spite of that recent Grub Street piece about how pumpernickel bagels are disappearing, I actually think they’re kinda trendy and fairly common on bagel shop menus, at least here in Western Washington.

Now, the real question you’re asking me is where you can find a good pumpernickel bagel. I probably need to do another round of reconnaissance, but the ones I feel confident recommending right now are Bagel Oasis, Hey Bagel, and 6th Borough Bagels.

Share

I want a caraway rye bagel (not pumpernickel). Do they produce those here? - Dee

Dee, have you been to Oxbow? They’re the only shop in town I’m aware of that specifically makes rye bagels. And they also include caraway seeds in their everything seasoning mix.

Over time, I've found the rye flavor has become less prominent in their bagels, and it’s a bit hit-and-miss with the amount of seasoning you get on an everything bagel. But if that’s the flavor profile you’re looking for, Oxbow is your best bet.

Subscribe now

Have any burning questions, concerns, queries, or dilemmas involving Seattle, bagels, Seattle bagels, or anything tangentially related to all of them? Drop them in the comments below, and I’ll add them to the pile!

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

As bagels have been having their moment, it seems that every major city has been making its case for a place in the national conversation. Thinkpieces about the finances behind bagels and the rise of quality bagel shops across the country have often name-checked places far beyond New York City and New Jersey.

Bagels in Los Angeles and the Bay Area have long been noted. Chicago is starting to make noise. The best bagels at the most recent BagelFests hail from Dallas and Seattle. Meanwhile, bagel businesses from Atlanta to Virginia to Phoenix to Knoxville have been elevating their profiles in recent months. And it seems like every major city has at least one bagel place it can point to as a worthy addition to the discussion.

One city conspicuously absent from the national conversation is Portland.

Portland did have a distinct “boiled bagel” promotional genre (which has always felt to me a bit like Camel’s “It’s Toasted” campaign), and Bernstein’s Bagels has received some national props in the past. But when people have been talking about the nation’s burgeoning bagel scenes recently, you never hear about the City of Roses.

Pipsqueak Bagels has arrived to change that.

Share

Madilyn Gibbons’ passion for bagels started in much the same way it has for so many other bagelmakers. She simply couldn’t find a good one, so she set out to make one. And after much tinkering, she opened a pop-up in 2024 at the Milwaukie Farmers Market and Puff Coffee.

The restaurant industry vet kept things not-so-simple with a two-day process. It paid off, however, as sell-outs became the norm, and it was only a matter of time before a brick-and-mortar opportunity came calling.

“Bagels chose me,” Gibbons told the Portland Mercury. “They’re one of my favorite foods, and when I shared them with people, they really loved what I was doing.”

Along with her co-owner and husband, Cam Gibbons, Pipsqueak opened its doors at 3844 SE Gladstone in Southeast Portland this past April. Gibbons continued making the same classic New York-style bagels, boiled and baked fresh throughout the day, and the hype (and long lines) haven’t abated.

The shop kept things simple to start with classic flavors as well as specials like asiago, black pepper, and rosemary salt. Schmears and toppings range from the classics (scallion, smoked salmon) to bold concoctions such as the Sunday’s Best (PNW smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, fresh dill, lemon, olive oil, and cornichons).

“I’ve had New Yorkers be like, ‘This is better than bagels I’ve had in New York,’” Gibbons told the Portland Mercury in March.

I had been keeping tabs on Pipsqueak amid the hype, which had reached me in Seattle and piqued others' curiosity in the industry. Returning home from my recent Bend trip, I wanted to stop by and sample the bagels I’d been hearing so much about. But I’d also heard that if you didn’t get there by 11:00 a.m., you might miss out, especially on the weekend.

While I don’t usually like to announce my arrival, I reached out to see if they’d keep some bagels handy for me in case I don’t make it before they sell out. Gibbons gladly did so, and thank goodness, because by the time I arrived around 11:30 a.m., they were already done for the day.

The good news was that I got a chance to meet Madilyn, Cam, and their team and hang out in their still-new space. There’s a palpable excitement you can feel in a new bagel business when things are clicking, and that was absolutely the case here. While it sounds like Pipsqueak has big plans and high hopes, the goal right now is to increase production to meet the incredibly high demand (they were making around 2,000/day when I visited). But in the meantime, they seem thrilled with the reception and appreciation from Portlanders.

The conditions weren’t quite right for a traditional review, but I did stop to enjoy my go-to bagel order. These bagels are some big mothers, way more in the Hey Bagel/Mt. Bagel mold, for Seattle comparison’s sake. The schmear was generously appointed, with the scallion schmear loaded up with scallion bits and a punch of flavor. You certainly get your money’s worth (mine was free in this instance, but you know what I mean).

I look forward to heading back for a review in the near future, but I’m not sure the hype will be dying down anytime soon. And that goes beyond Portland’s borders. The city now has a trendy contender in the nationwide conversation about which city’s bagels reign supreme. I’ll be very interested to see not only how Pipsqueak stays in that conversation, but how the rest of Portland’s bagel scene steps up to meet them there.

Subscribe now

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

Last month, Backyard Bagel completed its second straight march to the Mensch Madness Chompionship and came away hoisting, well, nothing.

I needed to change that.

So, I had some trophies made to honor the 2025 and 2026 Mensch Madness Chompion. And this Sunday, May 24, I’ll be delivering them to their rightful owners.

If you’re interested in being a part of Seattle bagel history*, come on out to Backyard Bagel’s Fremont location (4310 Fremont Ave N) on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and join me as I present the Golden Bagels to owner Aaron Emas. Let’s celebrate, grab a bagel, and kibitz.

WESTMAN’S TO THE WATERFRONT

It wasn’t too long ago that Downtown Seattle was something of a bagel desert. Westman’s Bagel & Coffee appears intent not just on filling that space but on dominating it. According to Egan Ward of the Puget Sound Business Journal, Westman’s is expanding to a fourth location, this one near Seattle’s waterfront. The company has signed a lease for a 1,202-square-foot space in Waterfront Place on the corner of Madison and Western, situated just blocks from both Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square.

It’s the bagel shop’s second expansion into downtown in as many years for owners Ankit and Sanya Sirmorya. Last year, they opened a third location at 1111 3rd Avenue. The company still has shops on Capitol Hill and U District as well.

The plan for the waterfront shop is to open “as soon as they can,” and they are exploring adding wine and beer to their menu for this location.

Share

ROYAL BAGEL COMING TO WEST SEATTLE

Speaking of places that have been seriously lacking in bagel shops, West Seattle is getting a full-time one.

According to the West Seattle Blog, Royal Bagel is preparing to take over the space at 6045 California Ave SW, near Graham St. The owner, Eric Brougham, told the blog that the name is a tribute to Royal Brougham, a longtime Seattle Post-Intelligencer sportswriter and editor. The shop “will offer New York-style bagels and schmear to-go with plans to eventually extend its menu.” No word yet on when the shop is aiming to open.

West Seattle hasn’t had a dedicated bagel shop since Zatz A Better Bagel closed in 2015. Loxsmith, which recently sold its Beacon Hill shop, still has a space in Delridge, but is only open on weekends.

Subscribe now

FRESHBORN TAKING A BREAK

Freshborn Bagels, an online-only bagel business that has been near the top of my personal rankings for a while now, thanks to their flavorful toppings and fresh ingredients, is taking some time away from the bagel game.

“We're appreciative of everyone's support over the years, but we will be taking some time away to recalibrate into the next iteration of Freshborn,” owner Brandon wrote on Instagram.

I’ve reached out to find out if that means Freshborn is going on hiatus or if there are plans for pop-ups or something else. One of the rules for my rankings is that you have to be actively selling bagels to be on it, so I may end up moving Freshborn off if that’s not the case, at least until they return.

BAGEL BITES

• Anh Ơi Bake Shop is now open at 314 6th Ave S, Seattle, in Japantown. I don’t know how often they’ll make those amazing Vietnamese-inspired butter-core bagels, but it’s worth stopping by no matter what.

• Bread Baby has been kicking things up a notch with their butter bagel pop-ups. Their most recent one featured a gochujang-glazed bacon bagel sandwich, and they’ve introduced new flavors, including the banh mi bagel and banana bagel.

• When Blazing Bagels abruptly closed all its locations in March, the information vacuum left many questions unanswered and created space for some people to make odd claims about why things went downhill so fast. According to Andrew Villeneuve of The Cascadia Advocate, the real answers were the most obvious: They simply ran out of money.

• You’ve probably seen the Wall Street Journal story “The World Has Officially Reached Peak Bagel” by now. That’s a stupid claim. No, we haven’t. The fact that we finally have good bagel places around the country is actually proof of the beginning of a course correction, not an endpoint. That said, the piece itself is good.

• The Infatuation Seattle released its updated ranking of the best bagels in Seattle. Most of it checks out pretty well and is fairly aligned with my own rankings. I will admit, I had not even heard of Little Cup until seeing this, so I guess I’m slipping. Also, I guess I’m taking a trip to Vashon soon…

Share

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

On the day I was initially supposed to write my review of Dingfelder’s new housemade bagels, I had to scrap the entire thing.

I sat down with Vance Dingfelder a few weeks back for a wide-ranging discussion prompted by the news that his longtime Capitol Hill deli was now making its own bagels. I left with a bag full of them and my usual everything bagel with scallion schmear and headed home to do my usual review. A few days later, I was compiling all my notes and was preparing to write my review when a text from Dingfelder stopped me in my tracks.

Due to some staffing changes, Dingfelder himself was now baking the bagels, and he had tweaked them once more to align even further with his vision. The bagels I’d reviewed were already obsolete. And so, I returned to Dingfelder’s this week to try the new-new bagels.

While there, I also snagged a trio of potato latkes, a handful of half-sour pickles, and a Dr. Brown’s black cherry, which is quite possibly the perfect meal.

I found a comfy spot nearby, did my usual review once more, and definitely noticed some differences between the previous bagels and these ones.

A few days later, I compiled my notes and photos and had planned to write my review when Dingfelder pinged me once more, saying he was still fine-tuning and that this day’s bake was much more the way he wanted it. Historically, I work with the bagels I get, no matter what. But I was going to be in the area anyway and figured I could get a few more half-sour pickles out of it, so I made a stop later that day.

And so, that's how I sit here, weeks after sampling Dingfelder’s housemade bagels for the first time, finally writing a review. Even now, as I mull over how to handle it, I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to break it down. However, I do think it’s created an interesting case study for seeing how a bagel evolves in real-time, and where it’s at right now.

Let’s get to it before Vance texts me again…

If you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find it here.

Share

WHAT I ORDERED

• Plain bagel

• Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese

THE EXPERIENCE

For the purpose of the review, we’re gonna focus on the 2nd and 3rd bagels I ate. What I will say about the initial bagels is that they were big, very chewy, not crispy, flavor bombs, and featured some of the best scallion cream cheese I’ve had in Seattle. What I would have said, if that had been the review, is that they are miles ahead of Dingfelder’s previous version (parbaked Blazing Bagels) but still need to find their footing. So I’m glad that they continued tinkering.

Both times I returned to get my bagel orders, I really appreciated the East Coast deli vibes. It’s not the full NY/NJ deli experience where you walk in, and there are 20 people behind the counter in perpetual motion, but there is always action behind the counter here. Someone is always prepping something, and several people are constantly moving around, doing whatever needs to be done next. That, plus the giant television that always seems to be on sports, creates a very nostalgic atmosphere.

UPON FIRST GLANCE

Since we’re doing things a little differently, I’d say my first impressions of the plain bagels were very different on both the 2nd and 3rd trips. The 2nd plain bagel had a very unique look, while the 3rd one appeared more traditional. While the seasoning was similar on the everything bagels, there were some significant differences as well. The word running through my head throughout the entire process was consistency, and whether or not we would find it.

TOP

You can see the biggest difference was between the 2nd plain bagel and the 3rd one.

The 2nd one was large with a light brown, medium center, and a ton of blisters on top. So blistery was this one that they were already crackling off in places, and the bagel itself was very crackly and crispy to the touch. The top was soft but firm.

The 3rd bagel was slightly large, with a medium center and a golden-brown color. It too was blistery and felt like Braille when I ran my hand across it. The top was very firm, knockable, and crunchy when pressed.

The 2nd everything bagel was absolutely massive, with a medium-to-large center and brown-to-golden-brown coloring. The top was soft but firm, and there was an extremely heavy seed hand at work with a good seasoning mix.

The 3rd everything bagel was also a big honker, but not quite as big. It was slightly oblong with a small, thin center, and light-brown to golden-brown coloring across the top. Blistering was present, but the bagel was soft to the touch. There was again a strong seed hand with a solid mix.

BOTTOM

The bottom of the 2nd plain bagel drove home the curiousness of the bake. It had a slight ridge, which created an imbalance in the bake. Golden brown on one side and oatmeal brown on the other, both sides were flat. The less-baked area was soft but firm, while the baked area was very firm and knockable. There was no Cormeal Ring of Doom (CRoD).

The bottom of the 3rd bagel was similarly flat. The coloring was a mixture of pale brown and reddish brown. It was firm to the touch but less so than the top. There was no CRoD present.

The 2nd everything bagel featured a bottom that was brown to golden brown and was absolutely festooned with seasoning. It was firm to the touch with some give. I couldn’t tell you one or the other about the CRoD because it was impossible to see under all the seeds.

The 3rd everything bagel had a firm bottom that was light brown to oatmeal brown. There was a strong seed hand here, even if it doesn’t look like as much comparatively. There was no CRoD.

INSIDE/BITE

The 2nd plain bagel offered a tough, crinkly rip. The bite was very crinkly and flaky and gave way to a dense chew that was tough in a good way. The exterior texture was tough and crackly, not quite pizza crust-like but heading in that direction. The doughy interior, which gave off a slight sourdough aroma, was also slightly darker than usual. The overall flavor was a little flat.

The 3rd plain bagel also offered a tough, crispy rip. The bite was very crisp, and I got so much texture from the bagel without the flakiness from the previous version. The bagel rebounded well after each bite, showcasing a soft but not airy interior. A very slight sourdough aroma and flavor were present. The bagel was very eatable.

The 2nd everything bagel offered a chewy, dense bite in a good way. As one might expect, it was an absolute flavor bomb. Thanks to the inclusion of salt (AS GOD INTENDED), the seasoning really came through, and held its own against an intense, flavorful scallion schmear. Tinged green with large scallion bits, the cream cheese remained a revelation. It mostly held its own but oozed out the side slightly. Ideally, I would have wanted it slightly colder. While the bagel itself didn’t offer much crispness, the scallion bits incorporated the texture.

I will say, even for me, this was a lot of bagel. I enjoyed eating it, but I definitely hit a wall.

The 3rd everything bagel offered a chewy bite and didn’t get mushy on the initial chew, maintaining its structural integrity. The flavor was on point once again, thanks to an abundance of seasoning and the intense scallion schmear. The crunchy scallion bits added texture, and the coldness mostly held it in place with each successive bite. The bagel wasn’t as crispy as the plain one, but it was sturdy and held its own. Like the previous version, it was a meal unto itself, though this one was more enjoyable for longer.

Subscribe now

FINAL THOUGHTS

Vance Dingfelder told me that he’s trying to emulate the bagels he loves from New York, specifically by flying in ones from Ess-a-Bagel and Utopia Bagels as a starting point. You can see it in his versions. The emphasis here is on providing you with a substantial bagel that can hold its own, topped with generous schmear or stacks of sandwich meat. It’s a bagel that also wants to be served warm, chewy, and edible entirely on its own.

I come back to that word consistency. It’s the key for every bagel, but especially here at Dingfelder’s. Each successive batch of bagels I tasted was more finely tuned and better than the one before. The question is, have they cracked the code on being consistent with it? I think it’ll take a few more visits before I can say that definitively, but it’s obvious they’re on the road to having a strong Seattle bagel.

Is It Good Enough For The Goys?

Pacific Northwest goyim looking for an authentic Jewish deli experience will find it at Dingfelder’s, and the good news is that they can count on a solid bagel now as well. While people probably know them best for their sandwiches and deli meats, it’s an opportunity to expand horizons and sample some very flavorful schmears.

Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?

“Is a Jewish deli allowed to have a bagel this bad?” was the question I asked when I first reviewed Dingfelder’s back in 2022. The great news is that the bagel is now worthy of inclusion and consideration by Seattle’s ex-pat Northeastern Jews. Don’t sleep on the potato latkes and half-sour pickles, though.

As for my rankings, I’m bringing them all the way up to No. 17, a whopping 18-point jump. That has to be the biggest gain any Seattle bagel shop has seen since I started doing this. And something tells me Dingfelder’s ascension isn’t done yet.

Share

MY CURRENT SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS (5/17/26)

1. Hey Bagel (University Village) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

2. Backyard Bagel (Fremont) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

3. Bagel Oasis (Ravenna) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

4. Mt. Bagel (Madison Valley) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

5. Backyard Bagel (Ravenna) - 1st visit

6. Bloom Bistro (Georgetown) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

7. Sully Eats - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

8. Freshborn Bagels (Ballard) - 1st visit

9. Jaded Bagels (Lake City) - 1st visit

10. Little Rachel’s (Lake City) - 1st visit

11. Oxbow (Montlake) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

12. Salmonberry Goods (Ballard) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

13. Old Salt (Fremont) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

14. Old Salt (Ballard) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

15. Toasted Bagels & Coffee (South Lake Union) - 1st visit

16. Toasted Bagels & Coffee (U District) - 1st visit

17. Dingfelder’s Delicatessen (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit

18. Loxsmith Bagels (West Seattle) - 1st visit

19. Rubinstein Bagels (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

20. Midnight Bagels (U District) - 1st visit

21. Golden Wheat Bakery (Central District) - 1st visit

22. Zylberschtein’s (Pinehurst) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

23. Rubinstein Bagels (South Lake Union) - 1st visit

24. Rubinstein Bagels (Eastlake) - 1st visit

25. Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos (Ballard) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

26. Macrina Bakery (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit

27. Westman’s (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit, 4th visit

28. Cafe Argento (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit

29. Eltana (Wallingford) - 1st visit

30. Grateful Bread (Ravenna) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

31. Eltana (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

32. Westman’s (U District) - 1st visit

33. Yuu Tea Cafe (Columbia City) - 1st visit

34. Einstein Bros. Bagels (U Village) - 1st visit

35. Cafe Solstice (U District) - 1st visit

36. Bagelbop (Pike Place Market) - 1st visit

37. Tous les Jours (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

Josh Grunig didn’t mince words when I met with him at Zylberschtein’s several weeks back.

“Honestly, it's been pretty shitty this year,” he told me. While there was a decent number of people showing up that day to order bagels or pick up sandwiches to go, that hasn’t been the case for most days so far in 2026.

“I think people just are not spending a lot of money right now,” he added.

Grunig opened Zylberschtein's Delicatessen & Bakery in North Seattle’s Pinehurst neighborhood in 2019, the culmination of a dream he’d long had to run a small neighborhood bakery and deli. It quickly gained a following around town and seemed to cement itself as a cornerstone of the community.

Recent days haven’t been as kind, however. And when we met, Grunig was still tweaking his strategy for handling the economic downturn. Under consideration were fewer days of operation, reduced hours, and a streamlined menu.

“Jewish delis are not known for doing less things. We're known for doing 200 things, right? Every year, we're like, okay, what are people buying? What's popular? Let's focus on doing those things really well,” he said. “We were doing three different meat sandwich sizes to hit these different price points. Let's just do one size and not make it complicated that way. That streamlined our ability to get food out of the kitchen quickly.”

During our chat, Grunig resisted the possibility that he might have to close the shop during the week, as he wanted to find a solution that wouldn’t mean cutting jobs. Unfortunately, he announced this week that, for now, Zylberschtein’s will be open only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

“As Zylberschtein’s celebrates our 7th anniversary serving the wonderful community of Pinehurst and Seattle, the reality of the restaurant landscape is difficult to navigate,” wrote Grunig in a statement. “Our sales are down 40% so far this year. We don’t know if we are gonna make it to [the] end of the summer, let alone the end of 2026. So, we have made the difficult decision to close weekdays. We are reducing our labor and our production. This was not easy to come to, but we are on the brink of closing. By focusing the business on our busiest days, we are hoping to get through this trying period.”

Grunig added that they are still offering catering services seven days a week.

“This is hard to write,” he continued. “We aren’t trained as restaurant folks to talk about our failings. We are trained to peacock, oversuccesserize, glamorize, and generally hyperbolize how great things are. But they are not. We are barely holding on. On this anniversary, I should be writing about all the ways we have survived since 2019 and celebrating this achievement. No small feat. Zylberschtein’s has lived through COVID, two garbage-fire presidencies, protests, inflation, distribution shortages, wildfires, ice storms, power outages, break-ins, street construction, broken equipment, and aggressive crows. We have pivoted so many times, we should have broken our ankles.”

Grunig told me that he hopes people come out and support Zylberschtein’s and continue to give him the opportunity to do what he loves and support his community.

“I just really enjoy feeding people, making food, being a part of that, and helping people create memories by enjoying and eating food.”

Share

Loxsmith announced that it had sold its Beacon Hill shop, and the final day of operations will be Friday, May 8.

The new owner, a sushi vendor, will begin moving in shortly thereafter.

Owner Matthew Segal says he’ll still operate the West Seattle outpost at 5600 Delridge Way SW, which is open Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., or sell out.

PCC shoppers are already aware that Loxsmith is shifting its focus to wholesale for the time being. Their bagels are currently available in four-packs in 8 PCC stores. Segal says he’s looking for a production facility to help him further expand his wholesale operations and expects to be in all PCC stores soon.

After years of bouncing around Seattle as a pop-up, Loxsmith settled into the Beacon Hill spot in April 2023. Segal had listed the Beacon Hill location for sale late last year, citing a desire to focus on West Seattle and wholesale.

Subscribe now

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

The first time I hiked Misery Ridge, it absolutely humbled me.

It’s only .68 miles to the summit and an approximate 1,000-foot elevation gain. To seasoned hikers, neither of those numbers sounds like much. But if you’ve ever stood at the start of this trail in Central Oregon’s Smith Rock State Park and looked up, you know they don’t tell the whole story.

During my first visit to the Bend area last year, I circled Misery Ridge on my list of must-do hikes. I’m no pro, but I’ve done my fair share of high-elevation hikes. While I figured the rapidly ascending trail would be a challenge, I didn’t think it was out of my grasp.

I attacked the hike like a bull out of the gate, as is unfortunately my nature. That strategy backfired immediately, considering that you ascend 600 feet almost immediately. There were also a lot of other people around, which is not my ideal, and I admittedly felt some peer pressure to keep pushing myself, which only made things worse. I hadn’t even reached the Red Wall, where the climb truly kicks in, and I was already gassed. Presumably because they knew numbskulls like me would do this, the trail designers had built in several pockets to step aside and catch my breath while more seasoned (or steady) hikers passed me.

On several occasions, I looked at where I’d gotten to, looked at the steep steps ahead, and considered turning around and calling it a day. I had perhaps bitten off more than I could chew. For better or worse, I caught my breath for the fifth time and stubbornly kept climbing. It was grueling and felt like the toughest climb I’d ever done, but I eventually made it to the summit.

Since then, I’ve been investing much more of my time and energy in strength training and stamina building. Most of the reasons for that were unrelated, but I would be lying if Misery Ridge didn’t stick in the corners of my brain. Every time I ascended a trail at Tiger Mountain in Issaquah or Snoqualmie Pass, I would think about how much I’d love another crack at that rock.

I returned to Bend last week, a little less than a year later. I had Misery Ridge penciled in for the final day and mulled it over all week. I felt like I was ready, but kept coming back to the sense memories of feeling overwhelmed last time. I wondered, would it humble me just the same? And if so, what does that mean?

I promised myself I’d move at a natural pace and let my body decide how fast or slow I needed to go. It helped that the trail was nearly empty, much to my surprise, which made it easier to remain present. I could tell on the early ascent that I was doing better. I stopped at spots where I remembered being hunched over, huffing and puffing, and realized that wasn’t the case this time.

I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, stopping to catch my breath and bring down my heart rate whenever it felt right. I just kept climbing, and I noticed how much I was enjoying it. So much so that I was shocked by how fast I reached the summit. The app told me it took 18 minutes, but I swear it felt like 8.

Atop the rock, I stood there alone, looking out at the park’s Monument Area and the Crooked River below, not to mention the vast open space between here and the Cascades. I felt incredibly accomplished, and not because I saw this as some Herculean task. I was proud because I hadn’t hiked to defeat the rock; I hiked to prove I could do it on my own terms.

Also, Monkey Face is pretty cool.

I also ate some bagels while I was in Bend. Let’s find out how good they were!

If you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find it here.

Share

WHAT I ORDERED

• Salt bagel as-is

• Everything bagel with plain cream cheese

THE EXPERIENCE

Bend is at an interesting inflection point. Its days as a sleepy town for outdoor enthusiasts and hippies are over. Amid massive expansion, it finds itself in a tug-of-war between efficiency and character. So much of the new construction appears eco-friendly but lacks the warmth that emanates from traditional parts of town. Inside these buildings, there’s community and camaraderie. Outside, it looks like you’re in a giant suburban office complex.

NorthWest Crossing is an attempt to bridge that gap. A massive planned community full of mindfully constructed homes in a forested setting where everything is 15 minutes or less from everything they need. The center of the neighborhood is a giant traffic circle with a park and trails throughout. Along its retail corridor, the sidewalks are well-worn with the tread of baby strollers. And one place everyone heads to with regularity is The Sparrow Bakery.

Started in 2006, the bakery business has a location in Portland and two in Bend. They’ve built up a strong following thanks to their varied menu of from-scratch baked goods, sandwiches, kids’ options, and fresh breads. That includes bagels.

Sure enough, when I rolled up around one early morning, the place was packed, and a steady flow of families kept it busy the entire time. An upright spindle with four bagels presented my options (salt, cheese, poppy, and everything).

UPON FIRST GLANCE

The full-service bakery that makes its own bagels is always a tricky wicket. The question is always whether they’re making them because it's a passion or a necessity. The flavor options were interesting. Salt but no plain. Poppy but no sesame (though the everything had sesame seeds). As for cream cheese, plain was the only option.

I asked for the salt bagel as-is and untoasted, and the reaction I got told me that no one’s ordered it that way here in years. The everything bagel with cream cheese, meanwhile, arrived fully toasted and I realized that wasn’t really a choice.

TOP

The salted bagel was a good size, featuring a medium center that you could poke a finger through and a dark brown color. The top had a wrinkled look, with textural crevices and caverns running across it. The bagel was salted, though somewhat unevenly. The top was soft but firm, pushing inward before inflating right back up.

The everything bagel with plain cream cheese was presented open-faced (I combined for the photo) and strongly toasted. The bagel was a good size with the same medium center. It was hard to tell the bagel's color, but it appeared to be between brown and dark brown. The top was soft to the touch. There was a strong seed hand at work featuring a mix of black and white sesame seeds. A garlic and onion aroma eminated off it. I didn’t detect salt in the mix.

BOTTOM

The bottom of the plain bagel was flat and slightly oily, like focaccia. There was a slight Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD), along with specks of salt and another seasoning here and there. It was very soft and pushed inward easily before reverting.

The bottom of the everything bagel was firm to the touch and absolutely covered in seasoning. I was unable to tell about any CRoD.

INSIDE/BITE

The salt bagel offered a very tough rip and immediately felt pretzel-y to me. There was intense chew but no crispness or rebound after the bite. I detected a faint sourdough aroma on the interior, but the overall flavor and mouthfeel were undeniably pretzel-esque. Enjoyable to eat, it felt more like a pretzel bun than a bagel. Instead of cream cheese, I wanted to put some brown mustard on it.

The everything bagel with cream cheese was still warm and offered a very easy bite. The interior was extremely soft. It initially chewed well but quickly faded, becoming mushy, which is often the peril of a toasted bagel. While the bagel is festooned in seasoning, the lack of salt keeps it from popping. The cream cheese was a little tangy and soft, not detracting much from the meal but not elevating it either.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I posed the question at the top on whether this bakery’s bagels were a passion or a necessity. I think it’s the latter. The salt bagel seems to be an offshoot from their soft pretzels, while the everything bagel’s apparant auto-toasting gives the game away. They seem to check a box on the menu, but many other breads and baked goods appear to be the focus here.

Subscribe now

Is It Good Enough For The Goys?

If you’re looking for a bagel to feed your kids or provide you with some carb fuel for that day’s hike, you could do a lot worse. The sell here is the community vibe and the extensive, interesting bakery and sandwich options.

Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?

I imagine bagel traditionalists looked at everything above and saw little to get excited about. For now, Bo’s remains my top pick for a bagel while in town.

Share

You can find my full bagel rankings from Seattle and beyond here.

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

“This is going to be good,” Vance Dingfelder tells me after ordering a duo of breakfast sandwiches, one on a sesame bagel and the other on a bialy.

I’m sitting at a table inside Dingfelder’s Delicatessen for my second conversation with its owner in the last month. In full, our chats will last roughly three and a half hours, with Dingfelder doing most of the talking. Obstensibly, we’re here to talk bagels, but our sprawling discussions run the topical gamut, from Long Island geography, to Wall Street, to Sicilian pizza, to the history of pastrami, to New Jersey diners, to 1970s America, to the proper way to filet whitefish, to the video game SimCity, to the bialy mecca Kossar’s, to the “phenomenal” Billy Bob Thornton show, Landman.

Nestled in between these offshoots and diversions, our conversation always comes back to breakfast. And when it does, Dingfelder does not mince words.

“I want to say I got the best fucking breakfast sandwich in Seattle,” he says, staring me down with a knowing grin backed by absolute conviction.

The sandwiches arrive, and they are, indeed, very good. On a slightly buttered bagel topped with toasted sesame seeds, the egg and cheese hit the right notes, while the freshly grilled onions atop the bialy pack a punch. The eggs are cooked over medium and slightly runny, which is how I prefer them.

As we eat, Dingfelder regales me with a history lesson, not just of the restaurant that bears his name but of himself. When he offers me a slice of cheesecake, it comes with an introduction so quintessentially New York that I couldn’t make it up if I tried.

“The recipe came from Cindy Collantoni’s aunt,” said Dingfelder. “And Cindy Collantoni was my upstairs neighbor. I lived in the basement. I had a basement apartment in Canarsie. And we were friends.”

So many of the items Dingfelder offers have origin stories like that. And, to a greater extent, his Seattle deli, which he opened in 2018, is a distillation of his vision of what a Jewish delicatessen and an appetizing store should be.

“Everything in this place is what I like,” he said. “What I remember as a young kid. The memories of going to the deli with my old man, going to the bagel shop to visit my grandmother on Sunday. I can’t even count how many Sundays I would go to Ess-a-Bagel, get hot bagels and schmear, and then I’d go to Russ & Daughters and get fish.”

Share

I should say at this point that the initial reason I came to Dingfelder’s was to try their new house-made bagel. Previously, they received par-baked bagels from Blazing Bagels, which I was not a fan of. With Blazing’s closure earlier this year, they have since started making their own.

As I sit with Dingfelder, I’m also looking back at the deli counter, which is overflowing with schmears, fish salads, deli meats, knishes, and other staples. The register area is festooned with rugelach, cookies, and cakes. Next to me, a drink fridge includes an entire row dedicated to Dr. Brown’s flavors, including the elusive Cel-Ray.

Internally, I’m kicking myself. I’ve walked past Dingfelder’s a hundred times since my initial review. Unfortunately, I allowed that bagel to keep me from appreciating everything else this place had to offer. Including, it seems, the man behind it all.

A native Long Islander who previously drove a taxi across New York City and New Jersey before moving to Seattle in the early 90s, Dingfelder is the kind of person who can only be described as “a character.” A real New York/New Jersey Guy™. Gregarious and boastful, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. To me, his presence scratches a nostalgic itch. Guys like him populated the tri-state area of my youth. He reminds me of so many of my friends’ dads, or a second cousin from Queens, or a Little League baseball coach, or the guy behind the counter at the sandwich shop offering me unsolicited life advice while making my Italian sub.

Vance Dingfelder does not talk in ‘I think.’ If he believes something, it is so.

His Reuben sandwich? “Hands down, best Reuben you can get.”

The salt he uses? “The most expensive salt that you can buy.”

The aforementioned breakfast sandwich? “I'll put my bagel sandwich up against anybody else.”

His salmon and whitefish? “Same fish as Russ & Daughter’s… We could open in New York, and we’d kill it.”

And of his latest creation, “I want to say I have the best New York bagel.”

He put his money where his mouth was, flying in bagels from iconic New York shops like Utopia Bagels and Ess-a-Bagel to match the sense memories he clung to from his youth while fine-tuning his recipe.

As for the results, Dingfelder’s bagels are a night-and-day improvement over the old Blazing Bagels version. My full review is forthcoming, but I will say they are chewy, dense, flavorful, and come paired with what might be the best schmears in Seattle. The scallion cream cheese overflows with scallion bits, the pickle schmear is delightful, and the serrano lime punches you in the face in the best way.

As we talk, Dingfelder places an order for his personal favorite: an everything bagel, toasted and open-faced with scallion schmear, one side whitefish salad, and the other smoked salmon.

“That’s the best within 3,000 miles,” he says. I’m not sure if he’s referring to the whitefish, the salmon, or the meal as a whole. I suppose it wouldn’t make a difference.

It hasn’t been easy for Dingfelder’s. Like so many Seattle food businesses, the deli has been battling to survive since it started. Against critics of its pricey sandwiches. Against the pandemic. Against rising costs and shrinking markets. Against bagel complainers like myself.

Dingfelder is still working to perfect his initial vision for the business (“Eataly for Jews”), but in 2026, he’s getting closer. Dingfelder’s is a deli, but it’s also a bakery, a coffee shop, a caterer, a dessert shop, and now, officially, a bagel maker.

“I’d like people to know that we really care about our customers and our guests, and we want them to have an incredible experience and feel nurtured from the food that we create and the service that we provide,” Dingfelder said. "Everything that we try to preserve is like your grandmother made it, or how you might remember that.”

My hope would be that if you do visit the deli, Vance is there. Don’t worry, you can’t miss him. If you get the chance to get him going, and you’ve got an hour or two to spare, let him regale you and, most importantly, hype up what he’s got to offer. See it as a challenge worth taking. Are his pastrami, whitefish salad, and breakfast sandwich truly the best in Seattle (nay, the world)?

Only one way to find out.

Share

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

While it’s been a while since they were near the top of my rankings, I’ve long been fascinated by Oxbow’s bagels.

The Sea Wolf offshoot in Montlake quickly established itself as a neighborhood staple. May the gods be with you if you stop in there on a weekend morning and just need to grab-and-go. A rare place that finds the balance between quantity and quality, it’s a haunt you can visit often for your go-to favorite and also constantly see something you want to try next time.

Their bagels have long pulled at my attention as well. My first visit came early in the review process, and they briefly found themselves all the way up at No. 2. By the time I visited again, they’d made substantial changes to the bagel, and the rye flavor really threw me for a loop. And the tinkering seemed to continue when I visited for a third time, improving in some areas but falling back in others.

I live close enough to Oxbow that I’ve made a few civilian stops since then, and the last few times I’ve come away feeling as though the recipe had been tweaked once more and for the better. And so, I found myself back there recently to put Oxbow in the four-timers club.

Let’s find out how the bagel’s holding up in 2026.

If you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find it here.

Share

WHAT I ORDERED

• Plain bagel

• Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese

THE EXPERIENCE

Oxbow tends to exist in a calm-before-the-storm sensibility most of the time. Depending on the time of day you arrive, you are always mere minutes from a mad rush, or you’ve just missed the last one. I showed up mid-morning on a Wednesday, after the early blitz, but about 15 minutes before the early lunch crowd started trickling in.

I ordered my bagels and coffee and took a seat in the ample dining area. With the bakery counter on one side and the coffee bar on the other, I sat staring out at both, wondering which one would “win” and complete my order first. I have a lot of free mental space.

UPON FIRST GLANCE

I thought the bagels in the baskets looked solid as always. Oxbow has always had a great presentation. I saw some nice coloring and seasoning across the options. I wouldn’t have expected otherwise, but there’s always something comforting about seeing the bagels beforehand and thinking, “Okay, those look good.” It rarely works out when it’s the opposite.

TOP

The plain bagel was a good size with a small to medium center and a brown to oatmeal coloring. There was a textural swirl on top and a slight nub on one end from the hand roll. The top was firm and very crinkly to the touch, and the bagel was blistered all over.

The everything bagel was also a good size, with a small to medium center and a brown to oatmeal color. Whoever’s rolling bagels back there is consistent, as this one had the same textural swirl and nub as the plain. The top of the bagel was very firm (due in part to the toasting/warming).

The bagel had a very weak seed hand, which continues a strange trend for Oxbow. Back in the day, their everything bagels used to be absolutely loaded with seasoning, while my previous visit saw a solid-but-less-significant seed hand. When I look back at my photos of everythings in the basket, it seems like they’re more loaded, so I think this might be a handling issue during bagel preparation. It’s a bummer because Oxbow is the rare Seattle shop that puts caraway seeds in its mix, so it has an interesting flavor profile.

BOTTOM

The plain bagel bottom featured a dark ring around the center with light brown on both sides. It was very firm and crackly with some textural ridges. There was no Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD) present.

The bottom of the everything bagel was dark brown to light brown in several places. It was very firm to the point of being knockable. There was no CRoD present. Like the top, it featured a smattering of seasoning, which included caraway seeds and salt (AS GOD INTENDED).

INSIDE/BITE

The plain bagel offered a tough, crinkly rip, with pieces of crust flying off in all directions. The bite had a nice balance of crispy and chewy. The bagel rebounded well afterward.

Whereas the rye in the bagel had previously overpowered the flavor, this one was much more subtle, almost smelling and tasting more like straightforward sourdough than rye. It even had a subtle bagel-y smell that had been missing in previous versions.

The tough exterior was a good counterbalance to the soft interior. Like last time, I definitely felt like I needed some schmear to elevate the bite.

The everything bagel offered a crispy, crunchy bite with a chewy interior. I noted that subtle rye flavor, though it wasn’t distracting. I didn’t get much flavor from the scant everything seasoning either.

The scallion schmear provided some solid flavor and much-needed moisture to the meal. Not too soft and not too hard, the cream cheese mostly stayed in place after each bite, thanks to its slight coldness. The ample scallion bits provided a nice pop of flavor. Ultimately, a very enjoyable bagel-eating experience, and when I was done, I went back to the plain bagel and scooped up some fallen scallion schmear to amp that up.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Oxbow’s bagels seem to evolve in a way rarely seen in other Seattle bagel shops. While it has some characteristics that have always been there (crispiness, solid bite and chew), it’s also changed in noticeable ways over the years (rye flavor, seasoning mix, schmear profile). I don’t know if this is a desire for constant tweaking or just a case of natural evolution, but it certainly keeps me on my toes every time I visit. I enjoyed some of the changes I noticed on this visit compared to the previous one, though I still have things I brush up against.

Ultimately, I think Oxbow is moving in the right direction. The problem is that I currently have them behind Toasted, which has entirely new bagels I need to review, and Old Salt, which has been moving in the other direction. I’m going to tentatively move them up in the rankings with the knowledge that Toasted might just leapfrog right back very soon.

Subscribe now

Is It Good Enough For The Goys?

I’m just gonna repeat what I said last time. The modern Pacific Northwest vibes, coupled with copious amounts of pastries, pizza, and coffee, make this a great neighborhood spot that’s more than just a bagel joint. You can just tell the community has embraced it and made it a cornerstone of daily life, which, I imagine, is what you hope for when you open a place like this.

Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?

The rye flavor and a few other quibbles are likely to rankle bagel traditionalists, but I feel confident saying that grabbing a bagel with cream cheese here will leave you mostly satisfied. To put it in the parlance of Northeastern Jews, “you could do a lot worse!”

Share

MY CURRENT SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS (4/22/26)

1. Hey Bagel (University Village) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

2. Backyard Bagel (Fremont) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

3. Bagel Oasis (Ravenna) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

4. Mt. Bagel (Madison Valley) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

5. Backyard Bagel (Ravenna) - 1st visit

6. Bloom Bistro (Georgetown) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

7. Sully Eats - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

8. Freshborn Bagels (Ballard) - 1st visit

9. Jaded Bagels (Lake City) - 1st visit

10. Little Rachel’s (Lake City) - 1st visit

11. Oxbow (Montlake) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

12. Salmonberry Goods (Ballard) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

13. Old Salt (Fremont) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

14. Old Salt (Ballard) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

15. Toasted Bagels & Coffee (South Lake Union) - 1st visit

16. Toasted Bagels & Coffee (U District) - 1st visit

17. Loxsmith Bagels (West Seattle) - 1st visit

18. Rubinstein Bagels (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

19. Loxsmith Bagels (Beacon Hill) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

20. Midnight Bagels (U District) - 1st visit

21. Golden Wheat Bakery (Central District) - 1st visit

22. Zylberschtein’s (Pinehurst) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

23. Rubinstein Bagels (South Lake Union) - 1st visit

24. Rubinstein Bagels (Eastlake) - 1st visit

25. Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos (Ballard) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

26. Macrina Bakery (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit

27. Westman’s (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit, 4th visit

28. Cafe Argento (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit

29. Eltana (Wallingford) - 1st visit

30. Grateful Bread (Ravenna) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

31. Eltana (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

32. Westman’s (U District) - 1st visit

33. Yuu Tea Cafe (Columbia City) - 1st visit

34. Einstein Bros. Bagels (U Village) - 1st visit

35. Dingfelder’s (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit

36. Cafe Solstice (U District) - 1st visit

37. Bagelbop (Pike Place Market) - 1st visit

38. Tous les Jours (Capitol Hill) - 1st visit

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

Last year, I considered writing about how the Seattle-area bagel scene might just be one of the very best in the country. Then I attended BagelFest and felt like I’d gotten a cold splash of reality.

I tasted great bagels from all over the country, including Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Knoxville, Richmond, Delaware, and suburban Michigan, and was reminded that what we’re witnessing locally is also happening nationally.

The rise of artisan bagelmaking. The pandemic baking boom. Bagels' inclusion in emoji food trends. I’m not a dummy; I knew this was happening everywhere. I just got caught up in feeling like the Seattle area’s seismic strides in schmear development were something bigger than what other cities were seeing.

Last week, Leah Koenig wrote a piece on Chicago bagels for Food & Wine Magazine that, frankly, I’m surprised it took this long to happen. When I lived in Chicago, the bagel scene was a horror show, but I know that it’s seen a renaissance similar to what we’ve witnessed here in Seattle. I also know that when it comes to trend pieces like this, only four cities or regions ever really get recognized.

New York City. Los Angeles. San Francisco. Chicago.

California got its “bagels better than NY” time in the sun a while ago; it was only a matter of time before Chicago got its. Plenty of other cities and markets are booming, but the line of demarcation for national declarations has been met and is unlikely to be crossed. Sorry, Jacksonville.

I was already thinking about that when Seattle’s Hey Bagel took home the “Best Bagel” award at BagelFest West over the weekend. This is the same award I helped select at BagelFest 2025. Incidentally, that award went to Starship Bagel in Dallas, whose owner, Oren Salomon, was a judge this time. He was joined by a group of discerning breadheads to help make the decision, and in the end, it was Hey Bagel that came away with the hardware over myriad shops from California (and one from Colorado).

Having taken part in BagelFest, I know it’s not the be-all-end-all and comes with plenty of caveats. But in the days since, I’ve circled back to my initial thought and wondered if, all biases aside, I was actually on to something. The more I think about it, and the more I think about what I know of other major cities and their bagel scenes, it’s hard for me not to come to an obvious conclusion.

The Seattle area is one of the best bagel scenes in America.

Share

Now… that’s a claim that requires a more specific measurement.

Do I think Seattle has one of the five-best bagel scenes in the country? I am fully convinced that it does.

Do I think Seattle has one of the three best bagel scenes? I don’t know if I can commit to that yet, but I’m not willing to close the door either.

I think New York City remains unimpeachable at No. 1. Locals would demand that I separate out NYC, Long Island, and New Jersey, and I probably should, but for the sake of keeping this argument city-centric, we’ll have to group them together (a shanda, perhaps, but a necessary one). Regardless, even now, when I consider the bagels I dream of, the ones that turn me into that meme of Wolverine gazing longingly at a picture frame, I think of ones in New York City and New Jersey.

Now, I can hear some of you saying “But Sean, I went to New York and had terrible bagels.” I believe you! NYC has approximately 31 bagel stores per 500,000 people (the national average is 7.3). It stands to reason that there’s going to be a lot of mediocre ones. But I remain resolute in the belief that the good ones are elite.

That said, I do think the days of “the only good bagels are in NY/NJ” are over. If you’re still sticking to that line, you’re either not getting out enough or you’re just parroting something you’ve always said. It’s also a nostalgia for an era that’s already gone, though none of this should be seen as an indictment of the current bagel scene there. Bagel Hole Forever.

I’ve been told how amazing the Bay Area and Los Angeles scenes are, and admittedly, I haven’t tried nearly enough bagels in both to make a personal determination. I still have to visit LA spots like Courage, Hank’s, Uncle Stevey’s, and Yeastie Boys. What I have had has been solid, and I imagine Los Angeles is the market to beat, with the Bay Area putting up a solid showing as well. If we’re talking about which scene deploys sprigs of rosemary better, it’s probably LA, but that’s not what we’re measuring.

As for Chicago, I take everyone’s word for it. Like I said, when I was there, it was a desolate bagel wasteland saved only by what Skokie had to offer, but I know Holey Dough Bagels, which Bagel Ambassador Sam Silverman dubbed the best bagels in Chicago, is leading a whole new charge there.

After that, I can’t say any other cities or scenes have stood out. Starship is obviously the cream of the crop in Dallas, but my sources tell me there isn’t too much else to get excited about. Portland’s got Bernstein’s Bagels and the much-hyped Pipsqueak Bagels, but, in my opinion, trails Seattle by a bit. After that, I know a lot of great bagel places all over the country, but they also all seem to be the one really good spot in town (until someone tells me otherwise).

All of which brings me back to Seattle. It’s ironic, then, that I started this newsletter in part because someone claimed Seattle’s bagels were as good as New York’s, which almost sent me into anaphylactic shock. In my mind, It’s a Shanda was going to be a Sisyphean quest to somehow find an okay bagel (especially after Mt. Bagel briefly left town) that would likely end in heartbreak and heartburn.

Instead, I’ve been witness to the golden age of Seattle bagels as it’s taken shape. From the OG Bagel Oasis to first-wave trendsetters like Loxsmith, Rubinstein, and Zylberschtein’s, to pandemic adopters such as Rachel’s, Old Salt, and Backyard, and the next wave of stars, such as Toasted/Jaded, Bloom Bistro, Sully Eats, and Hey. To say nothing of the unique spins and culinary twists popping up all over town. Hell, even our mayor’s household is bagel-centric.

And that’s without including the rest of the Western Washington scene. In a short span, almost every city now has at least one bagel shop of note, including Bellingham (The Bagelry), Tacoma (Howdy Bagel), Gig Harbor (B’s Bagels & Butters), Port Angeles (Atomic Bagels), Whidbey Island/Mt. Vernon (WIBF), Bainbridge Island (Briny Bagels), and Olympia, whose 6th Borough Bagels might have the best NY-style bagels in the state.

I am admittedly biased, and my knowledge base remains limited when it comes to many other cities and scenes, but in my honest, expert-adjacent opinion, I just can’t imagine there are many other spots around the country that can measure up, pound for pound and schmear for schmear. If someone wants to explain to me why I’m wrong and that their city’s bagel scene is demonstrably better, I’m all ears.

I think it comes down to this: I would put my Top 5 Seattle-area spots (Hey Bagel, Backyard Bagel, Bagel Oasis, Mt. Bagel, 6th Borough Bagels) head-to-head against the top five from any region aside from NYC, and I am reasonably sure they’d have a shot to come out on top.

I don’t know what the plan is for BagelFest 2026 in New York, and which Seattle-area shops are considering attending, but I’d love to see more of our bagel businesses get the nod in those kinds of settings. Sometimes I fear that humility (or faux-humility) gets the better of us, but if cities from the rest of the country are going to bathe in accolades and press, Seattle deserves more of that, too.

Subscribe now

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

I first visited Good Bagels Cafe in September 2023 and had high hopes. The Anacortes bagel shop had quickly ascended from food trucks and pop-ups to a standalone shop, building a strong following in the area. Unfortunately, the fennel-forward everything seasoning and soft bagels didn’t quite strike the right notes for me. But I’ve often thought about returning to see how things have evolved since then.

A recent trip to the San Juan Islands meant I’d be passing right through Anacortes. And thanks to a ferry cancellation, I ended up needing to hop on an early-morning boat to get back to the mainland, which made it ideal bagel time. After a leisurely ride through the splendor of the islands and Puget Sound, a breakfast bagel sandwich sounded perfect.

I got a very solid egg and cheese on an everything at the shop, but made sure to take some bagels home with me for review purposes. Let’s see what’s changed, or not changed, in a year and a half.

If you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find it here.

Share

WHAT I ORDERED

• Plain bagel

• Everything bagel with plain cream cheese

THE EXPERIENCE

I rolled into GBC around 11:00 a.m. I was heartened to see that it remains an extremely popular breakfast/lunch spot with a steady flow of dine-in and pick-up customers. I dug the merch they had up front, including a “Support Your Local Bagel Dealer” t-shirt. After placing my order with the super-friendly staff, I waited patiently in the cozy dining area.

UPON FIRST GLANCE

The bagel selection was a solid mix of classics, with a few unique takes (Never seen a lemon blueberry poppyseed bagel before). The schmear options were also varied. Since there wasn’t a scallion, and I went with onion and herb last time, I opted for plain cream cheese this round. Sometimes you just want to keep it simple.

TOP

The plain bagel was a very good size, featuring a tight center and golden-brown coloring throughout. There was blistering present across the top and sides. A slight bulge elevated one side of the top, and there was a slight nub on one side from the roll. The top was soft to the touch and slightly depressed inward, revealing an interior density. There was also a slight crinkle on the touch.

The everything bagel was a good size, featuring a tight center and a golden-brown color that veered toward dark brown. The bagel had been sliced in half, but not all the way through (costing it half a point from the East German judge). The top was soft but firm, pressing inward slightly while maintaining overall integrity. There was no crisp or crinkle on the touch.

The seed hand was on the weaker side, with almost more salt flakes than anything. That’s a stark difference from last time, when the everything bagel was absolutely caked in seasoning. When I look at the photo of everythings in the basket, it looks like they have a lot more seasoning, so I’m wondering if a lot came off in the prep. It does mean way fewer fennel seeds, which is a win for me, at least.

BOTTOM

The plain bagel bottom featured a deep brown ring, a light interior, and golden edges. I wouldn’t say it had a Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD), more of a smattering. The bottom was soft but firm to the touch, maintaining its shape without offering any crispness.

The bottom of the everything bagel featured swirls of beige, light brown, and dark brown. The bottom was soft to the touch and pressed inward easily. The seed hand was very light on this side as well. There was a little more CRoD on this one.

INSIDE/BITE

The plain bagel offered a somewhat soft rip, revealing a lovely bagel-y smell inside. The bite was doughy and chewy, with no crispness or crunch. The bagel did have a strong rebound after each bite. The interior was very airy but still maintained a good overall integrity as I ate. I noted a slight malt in the flavor profile. Overall, a very easy bagel to eat.

The everything bagel also offered a very doughy and chewy bite with no crispness or crunch. There was an almost-floral quality to the flavor that I think came from the fennel. Otherwise, there wasn’t much flavor because of the lack of seasoning.

On the cream cheese front, it did provide some textural differences. However, it was soft, a little oozy, and had a slight tang that didn’t mesh well with the bagel. I came away experiencing a slight sweetness from the meal overall.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When I look back at my initial review, I see many similarities and differences. Like last time, I had a soft, chewy plain bagel and ate it in full. Unlike last time, the everything bagel lacked much flavor, and the cream cheese didn’t stand out.

Last time I said, “while I don’t think I’d necessarily make the trek again just to get a bagel fix, if I found myself in Anacortes again and was hungry, I wouldn’t be opposed to returning.” Some of the details have changed, but I think I remain in the exact same position (though I will move them up a few spots in the rankings…).

Subscribe now

Is It Good Enough For The Goys?

Good Bagels Cafe was bumpin’ when I was there, and it seems as though they’ve carved out a great space for themselves. As I said last time, thank goodness the people of Anacortes get a bona fide bagel shop instead of having to subsist on Bruegger’s or Panera. Take that, Burlington.

Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?

It’s not gonna remind you of the bagel you grew up with, but if you find yourself in Anacortes looking for a decent meal before or after your San Juan Islands ferry, you could do way worse.

Share

OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS (4/14/26)

1. 6th Borough Bagels (Olympia) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

2. Atomic Bagels (Port Angeles)

3. Howdy Bagel (Tacoma) - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit

4. Bakery Louise (Shoreline)

5. The Bagelry (Bellingham)

6. B’s Bagels & Butters (Gig Harbor) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

7. Miriam’s Bakeshop (Mercer Island)

8. The Cottage Bakery (Edmonds)

9. Briny Bagels (Bainbridge Island)

10. Shawn’s Cafe & Bakery (Mercer Island)

11. Good Bagels Cafe (Anacortes)

12. Coquette Bake Shop (Bainbridge Island)

13. Caffe Vino Olio (Vashon Island)

14. Rubinstein Bagels (Redmond)

15. Mustard Seed Baking Co. (Stanwood)

16. San Francisco Street Bakery (Olympia)

17. Otherside Bagel Co. (Bellingham)

18. Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Mt. Vernon)

19. Woodinville Bagel Bakery (Woodinville)

20. Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Clinton)

21. Bruchelle’s Bagel Bistro (Covington)

22. Street Coffee & Bagels (Everett)

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

We’ve been in the throes of Mensch Madness for long enough; there’s so much Seattle-area bagel news to catch up on. Let’s get to it!

Tacoma (Bagels to the) Dome

“I look at Tacoma and see a giant bagel desert begging for a savior (or two?),” I wrote in December 2024. “I’m no business and logistics expert, but I have to imagine a classic bagel shop serving up a simple menu during traditional hours would absolutely clean up in Grit City.”

Someone was listening, apparently, because a new Tacoma bagel shop is in the works, joining Howdy Bagel.

Bagel’s Bagel is coming soon to 2805 6th Ave., “hopefully later this year,” according to The News Tribune’s Kristine Sherred, who spoke with owner Chris Hetterly. In a tale as old as time, he and his family started splitting their time between Northern California and Tacoma in 2019 and yearned for good bagels. After some “scheming,” Bagel’s Bagels was born.

The name isn’t just a solid SEO play; it’s also the name of Hetterly’s younger daughter’s cat, which also explains why their logo will feature a cat in the center of a bagel.

As for Hetterly’s bagel bona fides, he grew up in the tri-state area and still remembers the sense memory of the first bagel he ever ate. It sounds like they’ll be trying to replicate that sensation as initial plans call for classic flavors and schmears, and the shop intends to sell sandwiches as well as coffee from a Tacoma roaster.

While we wait, it appears they’ve parked an Instagram profile here if you want to follow along for any updates.

Share

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

Back in my day,” I say as I pull up my trousers and push back my reading glasses, “bagel places were open on Sundays, no matter what.”

That’s a core belief that I’ve had to set aside in these modern times, as several of the region’s top bagel shops have spurned Sunday hours. There was perhaps no example more personally painful than Mt. Bagel, especially when there had been many a Sunday morning when I would have loved to have rolled out of bed, rolled myself down the El Capitan-grade hills of Madison Valley, and snagged some of their bagels.

Happy days are here again. Mt Bagel has announced it will be open on Sundays starting April 19. While the announcement was made on their IG stories, they’ve updated hours on their website to be Tuesday-Sunday, 9-2, though we all know that if you don’t get there before 11 a.m., you’re risking your bagel life.

Speaking of new bagel days and times, both Old Salt locations are now open on Tuesdays.

It’s a Shanda: Now in Video Form

Try as I might, I could no longer resist the clarion call of video content. I’ve started dipping my toe in the space, and we’ll see how it goes.

First, I accompanied Every Everything Bagel’s Jason Parker for a stop at Dingfelder’s to try out their new house-made bagels. You can get a sneak preview of my thoughts here, but a full review of my own is forthcoming.

Second, I broke down and made a TikTok video about how “You’ve Probably Never Had A Good Bagel.” Check it out below and follow me if you’re over there, as there are more videos to come (for better or worse).

@seankeeleyismeThe bagels you grew up eating probably didn’t prepare you for what a good bagel actually is. #bagel #bagels #bageltok

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

Shanda Housecleaning

While Mensch Madness was firing on all cylinders, I was also back in the lab getting ahead of the game. The reprieve gave me a rare chance to get ahead on reviews and content plans. Here’s a quick sample of everything coming up in the next few weeks (in no particular order…)

• 2026 review of Good Bagels Cafe in Anacortes.

• 2026 review of Oxbow in Montlake.

• 2026 review of Dingfelder’s in Capitol Hill to try their new housemade bagels.

• 2026 whirlwind review of all three Toasted locations in Seattle to try their housemade bagels.

• 2026 review of Fluffy Donuts in Bellevue, which makes its own bagels.

• A sit-down interview with Vance Dingfelder, owner of Dingfelder’s.

• A visit with Mensch Madness runner-up Briny Bagels on Bainbridge Island.

• Mailbag answers (I still have quite a few from the last call).

• And more!

Subscribe now

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

A defending chompion.

A Cinderealla story.

One last showdown to determine who would take the crown.

In the end…there could be only one.

Mensch Madness 2026 started with a bang. We wound our way through the Schmear 16, I’ll Eat 8, Fakakta Four. and eventually the Chompionship between defending Mensch Madness Chompion Backyard Bagel, and Bainbridge Island’s Briny Bagels.

On Day 1 of voting, Briny did what it’s been doing all tournament long, racing out to a substantial lead. However, Backyard started chipping away at that lead on Day 2, drawing things even. Briny nudged ahead again before things evened up with 24 hours to go. On Day 3, however, Backyard made its move, grabbing a slight advantage and never letting go. When the final whistle blew, with over 500 votes tallied, defending chompion Backyard Bagel had withstood an epic challenge from the Cinderella challenger and repeated as Mensch Madness Chompion.

Full credit has to be given to Briny Bagels and its passionate fanbase. At times, it seemed like the entire population of Bainbridge Island was coming out in support of this shop. Despite falling just short, I’ll have to head out there soon to get some reactions to this magical run and see what unique flavors they’ve got on the menu now.

As for Backyard Bagel, what can you say? Two Mensch Madnesses, two titles. It’s a testament to the quality of their bagels (and schmears) and the work they’ve put into building an excited, loyal, and dedicated fanbase. This year, I’ve promised to get an actual trophy made, so stay tuned for the Mensch Madness 2026 trophy presentation at a Backyard Bagel near you.

Share

As for everyone who followed along, made the case for their favorite bagel shops, subscribed, and voted, THANK YOU! This has become an incredibly fun process to put together, but that’s only because so many people take the time to participate and help make it the exciting, surprisingly stressful tournament that it’s become.

If you just signed up for It’s a Shanda because of Mensch Madness, WELCOME! I hope you stick around cause we’ve got a lot of good stuff coming up. I’ve been banking bagel shop reviews from around the region, and I’ve got a couple of spotlight interviews with local bagel makers lined up. Not to mention, we’ve got a lot of local bagel news to catch up on. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Is there a place I can go where people spend an inordinate amount of time and energy analyzing the state of Pacific Northwest bagels,” you have found it.

Subscribe now

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

It all comes down to this.

Mensch Madness 2026 began with 32 Western Washington bagel shops before shrinking to the Schmear 16, I’ll Eat 8, and the Fakakta Four. Now, two bagel shops remain for the right to be called Mensch Madness Chompion.

What a showdown we’ve got.

On one side, the defending Mensch Madness Chompion, Backyard Bagel. That victory felt like a culmination of Backyard’s meteoric rise from hobby to side hustle to farmers market mainstay to bona fide brick & mortar shop. In the months since that victory, they’ve opened a second shop and medaled at BagelFest, all while rising up the rankings among Seattle’s favorite bagels.

On the other side, Briny Bagels. Bainbridge Island’s only dedicated bagel shop opened in 2024 and has developed an extremely loyal fanbase thanks to a menu full of bold flavors (lemon cheesecake schmear! Salt-and-vinegar and coconut-curry bagels!). Thanks to the high-quality and limited hours, the demand doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon, nor does the appreciation they receive from locals.

For Backyard, it’s been a dominant run expected of a one-seed. For Briny, it’s a Cinderella story that includes wins over two one-seeds.

But in the end, only one can be CHOMPION.

Voting will be open for three days. That should give you enough time to stop by both shops (and book your ferry, if needed). As for why you should vote for Backyard or Briny, that’s up to you. Vote because you like the bagels at one better. Vote because you like the staff. Vote because you think one of them deserves the title most. It’s entirely up to you! (FYI, in the event of a tie, my vote will decide the winner, so don’t leave it to chance!).

Enough talk. LET’S VOTE!!!

Share

REMINDER: You must be a subscriber to vote!

Subscribe now

Again, you have THREE DAYS to cast your vote. And then, we announce the winner!

And by all means, if you want to make a case for either bagel shop, the comments are open!

Share

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

And then there were four.

Mensch Madness 2026 has cruised through The Schmear 16 and completed the I’ll Eat 8. Now, we’re down to the Fakakta Four!

Just like last year, the Fakata Four comes down to three No. 1 seeds and one lower seed. In fact, in one bracket, we get a rematch from last year’s showdown in that round. In the other, we have a top seed taking on the first true Mensch Madness Cinderella.

As a reminder, every time I post a new round, voting will be open for three days. Then, the next round begins. That should give you enough time to try out any bagel places you haven’t been to before voting. Every bagel shop does things differently, so making this about just one specific thing would be impossible. So, whatever speaks to you in each matchup, vote accordingly. Whether you think one place does scallion cream cheese better, think they make the best lox sandwiches in town, like how the cashier says hello when you show up, or think one place’s bagels are simply better, let your gut guide you.

Enough talk. LET’S VOTE!!!

Share

5-seed Briny Bagels continues its Cinderella run through the tournament, as the Bainbridge Island shop knocked off 3-seed Old Salt to advance. Now they’ll take on 1-seed Bagel Oasis, which has moved much further than it did last year in a bid for redemption. It’s Bainbridge’s finest vs. Seattle’s bagel institution.

1-seed Backyard Bagel continued its Mensch Madness Chompion defense with a solid win over 2-seed Howdy Bagel. Their reward? A rematch against fellow 1-seed Mt. Bagel, which took down 3-seed Oxbow. It’s a showdown of two Seattle bagel titans, but only one can move on to the chompionship.

You have THREE DAYS to cast your votes. The winners of this round will be announced on Thursday, and then the Chompionship will begin!

And by all means, if you want to make a case about why certain bagel places should get someone’s vote, sound off in the comments!

Share

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

Last week, Mensch Madness 2026 kicked off as we set out to determine, once and for all, where to find the very best bagel in Western Washington. Thousands of votes later, we’ve whittled it down to The Schmear 16. Now, we’re on to The I’ll Eat 8!

The Schmear 16 brought us perhaps the biggest upset in Mensch Madness history so far, with Bainbridge Island’s Briny Bagels upsetting 1-seed Hey Bagel. We also saw 2-seed Toasted/Jaded go down against 3-seed Oxbow. Many of the other top seeds cruised, but it’s truly anyone’s tournament from here on out.

As a reminder, every time I post a new round, voting will be open for three days. Then, the next round begins. That should give you enough time to try out any bagel places you haven’t been to before voting. Every bagel shop does things differently, so making this about just one specific thing would be impossible. So, whatever speaks to you in each matchup, vote accordingly. Whether you think one place does scallion cream cheese better, think they make the best lox sandwiches in town, like how the cashier says hello when you show up, or think one place’s bagels are simply better, let your gut guide you.

Enough talk. LET’S VOTE!!!

Share

5-seed Briny Bagels is officially the Cinderella of the tournament, knocking off one of the biggest names in the Seattle bagel game. The Bainbridge Island bagel shop isn’t done yet. They’ll take on 3-seed Old Salt, who edged out 2-seed Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos to advance.

1-seed Bagel Oasis took down 4-seed Bakery Louise to advance, while 2-seed 6th Borough Bagels eked out a victory over 3-seed Bloom Bistro. It sets up a showdown between the Ravenna institution, which many still consider to be the best bagel in town, and Olympia’s finest bagel shop, which is making its mark on Western Washington as well.

1-seed Backyard Bagel continued its Mench Madness Chompion defense with a decisive win over 4-seed Atomic Bagels. In the next round, they’ll take on 2-seed Howdy Bagel, which also cruised to victory over 3-seed Loxsmith. It’s an epic Western Washington bagel showdown between one of Seattle’s best shops and Tacoma’s finest.

Finally, 1-seed Mt. Bagel took care of businesses against 4-seed B’s Bagels & Butters to advance. Meanwhile, 3-seed Oxbow pulled off the minor upset over 2-seed Toasted/Jaded. That makes this the Battle of 24th Avenue East as Madison Valley and Montlake go head-to-head for bagel supremacy.

You have THREE DAYS to cast your votes. The winners of this round will be announced next Thursday, and then we’ll start the Fakakta Four!

And by all means, if you want to make a case about why certain bagel places should get someone’s vote, sound off in the comments!

Share

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

Last week, Mensch Madness 2026 kicked off as we set out to determine, once and for all*, where to find the very best bagel in Western Washington.

*until we do this again next year

Thousands of votes later, we’ve whittled down the vote to The Schmear 16.

We’ve got a very chalky winners list from the Round of 32, with the Top 4 seeds in three brackets advancing and only one lower seed advancing in the fourth one.

We did have one tie between Rachel’s and Dingfelder’s. Mensch Madness rules dictate that in the case of a tie, my vote decides who advances. And my vote was for Rachel’s, so they move on (credit due to Dingfelder’s, who brought the heat, thanks in part to their recent announcement of house-made bagels).

It doesn’t get any easier from here, as some of the biggest names in Seattle and Western Washington bagelry are going head-to-head.

As a reminder, every time I post a new round, voting will be open for three days. Then, the next round begins. That should give you enough time to try out any bagel places you haven’t been to before voting. Every bagel shop does things differently, so making this about just one specific thing would be impossible. So, whatever speaks to you in each matchup, vote accordingly. Whether you think one place does scallion cream cheese better, think they make the best lox sandwiches in town, like how the cashier says hello when you show up, or think one place’s bagels are simply better, let your gut guide you.

Enough talk. LET’S VOTE!!!

Share

1-seed Hey Bagel handily took down Otherside Bagel Co. in the first round while 5-seed Briny Bagels pulled the minor upset, at least rankings-wise, over Sully Eats. On one side, you’ve got Andrew Rubinstein’s humongously hyped University Village bagel shop that still generated lines around the corner. On the other side is Bainbridge Island’s standout bagel shop has a menu full of big flavors and bold ideas.

In the first round, 3-seed Old Salt outlasted 6-seed Miriam’s Bakeshop while 2-seed Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos needed the tiebreaker to advance against 7-seed Dingfelder’s. Old Salt has solidified itself as a go-to bagel option in Fremont and Ballard. Meanwhile, Rachel’s is a staple of Seattle’s bagel scene, with popular locations in Ballard and Lake City, and a heckuva jalapeño cheddar bagel. This is an intriguing matchup as it’s a battle between bagel businesses that started out as something else entirely (Manolin and Porkchop & Co., respectively).

1-seed Bagel Oasis cruised to victory over 8-seed Macrina, while 4-seed Bakery Louise upended 5-seed Rubinstein Bagels. Bagel Oasis is the Seattle scene's old standby, serving hot and fresh bagels since 1988. The Ravenna institution is still considered by many to be the best bagel in town. Meanwhile, Bakery Louise started as a Shoreline cottage bakery but has since expanded to a farmers’ market location, growing a burgeoning bagel reputation.

In the first round, 1-seed 6th Borough Bagels took down Mercer Island’s Shawn’s Cafe Bakery, while 3-seed Bloom Bistro outlasted 6-seed Eltana. It’s a showdown between the best of Olympia and the best of Georgetown, two great places often overlooked, perhaps just like their bagel spots?

1-seed Backyard Bagel began its Mench Madness Chompion defense with a decisive win over 8-seed Good Bagels Cafe. Meanwhile, 4-seed Atomic Bagels survived a tough battle with 5-seed Salmonberry Goods.

For Backyard, what started as a side hustle has become one of the biggest names in bagels around Seattle (and beyond). They’ll go head-to-head with Port Angeles’ prime bagel spot, which has already built quite a strong reputation in a short time.

In round one, 3-seed Loxsmith survived a battle of Seattle bagel stalwarts against 6-seed Westman’s while 2-seed Howdy Bagel took care of business against U District upstart, 7-seed Midnight Bagels. Even before the Seattle bagel boom, Loxsmith, with a Beacon Hill home base and a West Seattle outpost, was considered one of the best bagels in town and garnered a strong reputation for, what else, their lox. Meanwhile, Howdy Bagel has taken Tacoma by storm, with hungry fans happily lining up for its Instagram-worthy bagel sandwiches and cool merch.

1-seed Mt. Bagel dispatched with 8-seed Whidbey Island Bagel Factory while 4-seed B’s Bagels & Butters went back-and-forth with 5-seed The Bagelry before eventually pulling away. While Mt Bagel continues to quietly ride the hype train for long lines and social media shares, B’s has become Gig Harbor’s bagel of choice, and one of Washington’s perennial BagelFest attendees.

In the first round, the 3-seed Oxbow survived a tough draw against the 6-seed Zylberschtein’s while the 2-seed, Toasted/Jaded, moved on after a tough battle with the 7-seed Grateful Bread. An offshoot of Sea Wolf Bakers, Montlake’s Oxbow showcases a bready array that includes rye-based bagels, good-looking pizzas, breads, and more. Meanwhile, the Toasted empire recently expanded with an offshoot of its own, Jaded. Now, they’re among the biggest bagel businesses in the region.

You have THREE DAYS to cast your votes. The winners of this round will be announced next Thursday, and then we’ll start the I’ll Eat Eight

And by all means, if you want to make a case about why certain bagel places should get someone’s vote, sound off in the comments!

Share

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

Last March, after thousands of votes to whittle down 32 Western Washington bagel shops, we named the inaugural Mensch Madness Chompion: Backyard Bagel.

It’s time for the chompion to defend their bready crown.

Mensch Madness 2026 is here, and it’s finally time to determine, once and for all*, where to find the very best bagel in Western Washington.

*until we do this again next year

If you’re new here, Mensch Madness is It’s a Shanda’s annual tournament to determine the best bagel shop in Western Washington, according to voters.

The field includes 32 bagel makers from Seattle, Bellingham, Tacoma, Olympia, and other towns and cities in the area. As I did last year, I eliminated any business that doesn’t sell bagels at least one retail location or farmer’s market. I also eliminated any bagel biz selling only one bagel flavor. Even then, I had to make some hard cuts at the 32 limit, so my apologies to those who didn’t make the cut. Keep grinding, and there’s always next year.

The tournament will last four weeks. It starts with the Round of 32, followed by the Schmear 16, the I’ll Eat 8, the Fakakta Four, and the Chompionship. Every time I post a new round, voting will be open for three days. Then, the next round begins. That should give you enough time to try out any bagel places you haven’t been to before voting. Every bagel shop does things differently, so making this about just one specific thing would be impossible. So, whatever speaks to you in each matchup, vote accordingly. Whether you think one place does scallion cream cheese better, think they make the best lox sandwiches in town, like how the cashier says hello when you show up, or think one place’s bagels are simply better, let your gut guide you.

Normally, I’m up on my high horse, making bold proclamations about bagel textures and cornmeal rings. But for this, I am no different than everyone else. I get one vote per round just like you. This tournament operates as a democracy and will be guided by the will of all Western Washingtonians.

Enough talk. LET’S VOTE!!!

Share

We begin with 1-seed Hey Bagel squaring off against Otherside Bagel Co. On one side, you’ve got Andrew Rubinstein’s humongously hyped University Village bagel shop that still generated lines around the corner. In the other corner, you’ve got the “other side” of Bellingham’s bagel scene, which is coming up on four years of serving its community.

Next up is 4-seed Sully Eats vs. 5-seed Briny Bagels. Sully Eats is sneakily making some of Seattle’s best bagels while also slinging solid sandos and babka. Meanwhile, Bainbridge Island’s standout bagel shop has a menu full of big flavors and bold ideas.

We move on to the showdown between 3-seed Old Salt and 6-seed Miriam’s Bakeshop. Old Salt has solidified itself as a go-to bagel option in Fremont and Ballard. Meanwhile, Miriam’s has upped Mercer Island’s bagel (and Jewish deli baked goods) game.

The final matchup in this bracket is 2-seed Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos and 7-seed Dingfelder’s. Rachel’s is a staple of Seattle’s bagel scene, with popular locations in Ballard and Lake City, and a heckuva jalapeño cheddar bagel. Dingfelder’s is well-known for its sizable sandwiches, Jewish fare, and a sizable selection of bagels and schmears.

In the next bracket, we have 1-seed Bagel Oasis vs. 8-seed Macrina. Bagel Oasis is the Seattle scene's old standby, serving hot and fresh bagels since 1988. The Ravenna institution is still considered by many to be the best bagel in town. Macrina might be better known for its breads and pastries, but its sourdough bagels are omnipresent in grocery stores, coffee shops, and its own stores.

Next up, 4-seed Bakery Louise takes on 5-seed Rubinstein Bagels. Bakery Louise started as a Shoreline cottage bakery but has since expanded to a farmers’ market, growing a burgeoning bagel reputation. Rubinstein Bagels has cemented its place as one of the biggest bagel names in Western Washington, with locations in Seattle and on the Eastside.

Just like the Georgetown neighborhood it calls home, 3-seed Bloom Bistro sometimes gets overlooked but deserves to be considered among the best bagels in Seattle. Meanwhile, Eltana is one of the old stalwarts of the Seattle bagel scene. Their wood-fired bagels continue to have a strong following around town.

Olympia’s 6th Borough Bagels returns as a 2-seed thanks to some classic New York-style bagels and a solid array of schmears and sandwiches well worth the drive. From Mercer Island, Shawn’s Cafe Bakery continues slinging fresh bagels, coffee, and pastries while building a loyal fanbase.

In the next bracket, we have 1-seed Backyard Bagel returning to defend its 2025 Mensch Madness crown. In a few short years, what started as a side hustle has become one of the biggest names in bagels around Seattle. They take on 8-seed Good Bagels Cafe, which is slinging schmears in Anacortes and continues to make its mark in Skagit County.

Next up, we have 4-seed Atomic Bagels vs. 5-seed Salmonberry Goods. Port Angeles’ prime bagel spot has already built quite a strong reputation in a short time. They also have a killer logo design. Meanwhile, Salmonberry’s crispy bagels are available in their Sunset Hill shop or at the Ballard Farmers Market. Their mission to use only locally sourced and seasonal ingredients makes them arguably the most PNW bagel makers.

Even before the Seattle bagel boom, 3-seed Loxsmith, with a Beacon Hill home base and a West Seattle outpost, was considered one of the best bagels in town and garnered a strong reputation for, what else, their lox. 6-seed Westman’s recently changed ownership and expanded to a third location as its bagel-based footprint continues to grow.

Finally, in this region, we have 2-seed Howdy Bagel, which has taken Tacoma by storm, and hungry fans happily continue to line up for its Instagram-worthy bagel sandwiches and cool merch. They’re taking on a newcomer to the Seattle bagel scene, 8-seed Midnight Bagels, which moved into the old Bean & Bagels spot in the U District.

The final bracket, we have mighty 1-seed Mt. Bagel, which remains one of Seattle’s hottest bagel shops. The long lines and social media shares have yet to dissipate. They’ll take on 8-seed Whidbey Island Bagel Factory, which dominates the Whidbey and Mt. Vernon bagel scenes and has a faithful following.

Next up, we have 4-seed B’s Bagels & Butters, Gig Harbor’s bagel of choice, and one of Washington’s perennial BagelFest attendees. They’re going up against the 5-seed The Bagelry, a mainstay of the Bellingham bagel scene since 1984, one that is still going strong.

3-seed Oxbow, an offshoot of Sea Wolf Bakers, has cemented itself as a Montlake mainstay. In addition to rye-based bagels, they offer some good-looking pizzas, breads, and more. 6-seed Zylberschtein's remains a go-to North Seattle spot for bagels, matzo ball soup, and other noshery.

And finally, we have the 2-seed, Toasted/Jaded, a combo offering with the same company behind both. Now that they’re making their own bagels, the sky’s the limit for this regional franchise powerhouse. They’re taking on 7-seed Grateful Bread, which specializes in many different things, but locals in Wedgewood and Duvall swear by its bagels.

You have THREE DAYS to cast your votes. The winners of this round will be announced next Thursday, and then we’ll start the Schmear Sixteen.

And by all means, if you want to make a case about why certain bagel places should get someone’s vote, sound off in the comments!

Share

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

Blazing Bagels, which opened its first store in Redmond in 2002, shuttered all locations on Thursday, closing down the region’s largest bagel franchise.

All five Blazing Bagels stores (Redmond, Bellevue, Issaquah, Ravenna/Blakeley, and SoDo) were closed on Thursday, and attempts to place online orders during business hours were met with messages stating they were not accepting orders at this time.

Word spread about the company’s closure via a Reddit post from a former employee. Another employee, claiming to be a store manager, said they were told Thursday that the company was closing effective immediately.

A separate Reddit post showed a screenshot of an email from Blazing Bagels’ ownership to staff announcing the company’s permanent closure as of Thursday and that it would declare bankruptcy.

Blazing Bagels has not acknowledged any changes on its website or social media channels as of yet. They have not responded to a request for comment.

The company’s founder and longtime CEO, Dennis Ballen, announced his retirement in March, handing the company over to his daughter, Whitney. During my visit to the Redmond store and kitchen in October, she told It’s a Shanda that the company was often flying by the seat of its pants as it grew into one of the region’s biggest bagel businesses.

Ballen said at the time that the company had big plans, including installing ovens in each store for fresher bagels, more express-type locations, and a new Bellevue location after their lease ends in June.

However, in December, the company announced it was trimming its massive menu from 30+ flavor options to just 13. They also ended their wholesale business, which had been a staple of the company for years, and laid off several employees.

The company announced a new streamlined menu just three weeks ago.

Blazing Bagel’s origins are the stuff of legal thrillers, as Dennis Ballen fought the city of Redmond over a sign ordinance that banned him from having an employee wear promotional signage on a street corner. Ballen argued it was an unconstitutional infringement on his right to commercial speech. He won in federal court and in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Dubbing itself the place with the “best bagels East of New York,” it soon became one of the most recognizable bagel shops in the Seattle area.

I’ll update the post as I learn more about Blazing Bagels’ closure.

UPDATE: In a statement released to the media, Blazing Bagels management said: “The company was able to survive the pandemic and continue to take care of its community.

“The company had plans to expand its operations across the Pacific Northwest but due to a series of unforeseen circumstances, the company has made the excruciating decision to close its doors. The family is deeply saddened and appreciates the years of support from the community and its employees.

“Blazing Bagels and Bakery, Inc. set out to establish a community-focused bagel and sandwich experience focusing on high-quality, locally produced menu items. The family-owned and operated company prided itself on its deep community relationships and dedication to its employees, customers, and vendors.”

Share

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.

Longtime readers know how much I loathe waiting in line for baked goods. And yet, I am not above the clarion call of a unique food offering and the chance to discover Seattle’s next great bagel.

That’s how I found myself in line on a recent rainy Saturday morning outside Yoka Tea in Madrona, waiting patiently to purchase a sampling of salt-bread bagels. Having learned a few hard lessons along the way, I was there early enough that my wait lasted only minutes, a fortuitous decision as the line started to snake up the block before the 11 a.m. opening time. As I stepped inside to place my order around 11:10 a.m., I could no longer see where the line ended.

You snooze, you lose (out on bagels).

The bagels in question came courtesy of bakery pop-up Bread Baby. The bagels in question were an Original (salt and butter), a Sesame Mochi (sesame seeds and mochi filling), and Garlic and Cheese (parmesan with garlic herb butter filling), with three schmear options (plain, cheese, gochujang).

I started with the Original. Soft and bulbous, it was like a delicate roll meeting a bagel. Very buttery, this was a wipe-your-hands-after-handling experience. The big salt flecks portended a pretzel-like vibe, and that was evident on the super-soft bite. There were some crispy bits from the dough and the salt as well.

I paired it with the gochujang schmear, which was a real winner. Very smooth, the heat rolling in subtly, packing the bite with flavor without overpowering the bagel. I also tried it with the plain schmear, which also offered a subtle taste and almost yogurt-like smooth feel.

The Sesami Mochi was topped with toasted sesame seeds. The mochi came through on the bite but didn’t overwhelm the rest of the bagel. It offered a delicate bite and chew. There was a massive, cheesy layer affixed to the bottom, and I wish I’d gotten to enjoy it when it was hotter, but it was still an overall fun experience.

The Garlic and Cheese was a little denser than the other two. I noted some interesting flavors from the bite. The aforementioned garlic and herb, but also perhaps seaweed? The brininess of the bite was interesting. The very chewy bagel had deep internal pockets and paired well with the gochujang schmear.

All in all, a very fun meal and one that was extremely different from the traditional New York-style bagel. That’s not surprising, given salt bread’s origins in Japanese cuisine and popularization by Korean bakeries. It’s also not surprising to see these kinds of bagels showing up now, as salt bread is just about the hottest baking trend around right now. Salt bread-centric bakeries have been popping up all over the U.S., and given its texture and proximity to both croissants and bagels, it was only a matter of time before we got here. It also doesn’t hurt that social media has fallen in love with it.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story. My visit to Bread Baby’s pop-up came shortly after I tried Anh Ơi Bake Shop’s Vietnamese-inspired butter core bagels. Inspired by his visit to Vietnam and learning that bagels had become trendy there, chef and owner Vince Vu set out to make his own versions. And while they shared quite a few similarities with Bread Baby’s offerings, there were subtle differences in the bake and the finished product as well.

I said at the time they were simultaneously a bagel, a biscuit, and a soft pretzel, yet none of them. A “third-culture bagel,” as Vu put it, fusing the traditional New York-style with Vietnamese flavors to create something new.

Similar but different is also how I would describe the bagels I ate in Kyoto, Japan, where traditional flavors were combined with classic bagels to create something entirely its own. While those bagels hewed closer to the look of a NY-style bagel, one only needed to bite into a spicy cod roe-filled bagel to understand this was a truly blended flavor experience.

I’ve seen several different versions of this idiom, but if you believe that once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern, one need only step back to look at the big picture and see how the East Asian-inspired bagel is booming.

We’re seeing Taiwanese-inspired bagels in Pasadena, Korean-inspired bagels in Orange County and Georgia, bagels made with Japanese yeast in Brooklyn, Chinese sweet bagels in Boston, and salt-bread bagels in NYC and Chicago. Even traditional shops like Utopia Bagels are experimenting.

The trend works both ways: As bagels continue to surge in places like Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea, they meet local markets on their own terms with flavors and fillings. South Korea’s popular London Bagel Museum even combines Korean, English, and New York styles.

The dialogue between the distinct cuisines of these countries and the Polish/Jewish-born bagel has never been louder.

Share

We’ve seen plenty of Seattle-area shops incorporate Japanese or Korean flavors into their bagels. Rachel’s boasts a togarashi bagel; Howdy Bagel has a kimchi-topped sandwich; Hey Bagel added chili crisp cream cheese to the menu; and Briny Bagels offers a kimchi-infused schmear.

But those are about adding flavors to an existing structure. What we’re seeing from Bread Baby, Anh Ơi Bake Shop, and others is the creation of a new structure that builds on what came before. These bagels are challenging to purists, but an intriguing and necessary evolution of what’s possible. We can even debate whether they qualify as “bagels,” and what that debate even means now, but their attempt to tell a culinary story is worth exploring.

The easy option would be to disregard salt bread bagels and butter-core bagels (and some social media influencers will make that pretty easy for you). The more interesting option is to set your preconceived notions aside and, as I said when discussing Anh Ơi’s bagels, allow yourself to dabble in the food of another culture and decide if you want to explore further.

Plus, you know, if this trend means more chili crisp and gojuchang schmears, I’m all for it.

Subscribe now

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.