Photo:
Kathryn Mueller
Just in time for National Bagel Day (Jan. 15), we scoured the Seattle area (and beyond) for the best bagel shops a-round. Schmeared, buttered, wood-fired, topped with a smorgasbord of delicious fixings, or plain — no matter how you prefer your bagel prepared, we have a round-up you won’t want to miss. If you are a bagel enthusiast — or even if you’re not — read on for a list of our top 10 places to score delicious doughy delicacies.
Bagel Oasis
Located in the Seattle neighborhood of Ravenna is a bagel shop with a long-standing reputation for producing some of the best bagels in town. Open daily from 7 a.m.–4 p.m., Bagel Oasis uses old-fashioned baking methods to create New York-style bagels worthy of the praise it has received since opening in 1988. It makes bagels fresh every day, so you know they are good. The shop also has ample seating and a welcoming staff.
Recommendation: Try the sourdough bagel with scallion spread.
Location: 2112 N.E. 65th St., Seattle
Hours: Open daily from 7 a.m.–4 p.m.
Grateful Bread
Grateful Bread is a quaint bakery located in the Wedgewood neighborhood that is well-known for its bagels. It uses local, organic ingredients, and all its bagels are made in-house every day. The attention to detail is evident in the bagels it makes. Get there early when it opens at 7 a.m., and you can get a hot, fresh bagel.
Recommendation: The everything bagel with salmon cream cheese, capers and red onions is a crowd favorite. It’s a scrumptious combination!
Location: 7001 35th Ave. N.E., Seattle
Hours: Open daily from 7 a.m.–6 p.m.
Little Market on Portage Bay
A stone’s throw from Portage Bay is a hidden gem locals in the neighborhood probably won’t want to share — a small market known for its handmade bagels. The reviews are nearly perfect, and we can attest to its popularity. When we got there on a gloomy Saturday, we had just missed out on the last bagel. Someone came in and ordered more than a dozen to go! That’s when you know the bagels are good. Don’t feel too bad for us though, its stone fire pizzas were unparalleled. The smell alone made the trek to the shop worthwhile.
We chatted with one of the owners, and they told us all the recipes are original. They pride themselves on their meticulous attention to detail and make everything in-house, fresh, every day.
Recommendation: If you like garlic, you must order a salt and pepper bagel with garlic herb cream cheese. It will not disappoint.
Location: 2919 Fuhrman Ave. E., Seattle
Hours: Open daily from 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
Oxbow
Oxbow is more than a bagel shop, it’s a bright, airy gathering place for the community. It’s inviting and open with a welcoming and warm staff. The line out the door when we went was a testament to its popularity. The spreads it offers also are unique.
Oxbow is located in Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood close to the Washington Park Arboretum. Swing by, grab some bagels or a sandwich and head to the park for a picnic.
Recommendation: Try the salt bagel with Calabrian chili spread topped with sprouts.
Location: 2307 24th Ave. E., Seattle
Hours: Open daily from 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Eltana
Eltana has two locations in Seattle, which makes getting your hands on its signature wood-fired bagels pretty convenient. Honestly, we probably don’t even need to give you directions to its shops, the incredible aromas that emanate out of the doors will draw you in. You can smell the wood-fired bagels baking in the floor-to-ceiling fireplace from blocks away. What’s unique about the bagels? It’s all about the process. They hand roll the bagels and boil them in honey water before baking which gives them a unique flavor and texture.
Recommendation: Kids will love the bright colors of the rainbow bagel (mine did). For adults, try the za’atar bagel with scallion spread.
Locations: 1538 12th Ave., Seattle (Capitol Hill) and 3920 Stone Way N., Seattle (Wallingford)
Hours: Open daily from 7 a.m.–4 p.m.
Zylberschtein’s
If you have been searching for authentic East Coast bagels, Zylberschtein’s Delicatessen & Bakery is calling. The Jewish-style deli is located near Northgate in the unassuming Pinehurst neighborhood. It claims to have the best hand-rolled bagels in North Seattle, and (according to this bagel lover) the claims are true.
Zylberschtein’s boil and then bake the bagels fresh daily, and everything is created by hand. Owner and baker, Josh Grunig, realized his dream when he opened the bakery in 2019. He says you can’t cut corners when crafting the perfect bagel. And that’s what he prides himself on — making bagels the right way, slowly and with great care.
The bagels are delicious and packed full of flavor. It sells out of its bagels every day and has a strong community following. Walk up to the small window at the shop and leave with a bagel you won’t soon forget.
Recommendation: Josh said his favorite bagel and shmear selections vary from day to day, but ultimately you can’t pick wrong. Flavors for bagels include sesame, everything, onion, jalapeno, garlic and more. Shmears range from plain to chive, caramelized onion, lox and more, including seasonal offerings.
Location: 11752 15th Ave. N.E., Seattle
Hours: Open daily from 8 a.m.–3 p.m.
Old Salt Fish and Bagels
Don’t let the name throw you off, the bagels are more appetizing than the name might suggest. If your kids like bagels and fresh fish, then you have found the right place. Old Salt Fish and Bagels has two small shops located in the Ballard and Fremont neighborhoods. It offers an assortment of bagels, bagel sandwiches and spreads. All its fish comes from the Northwest and is smoked in-house, and the bagels are made fresh daily.
Recommendation: Try the lox sandwich which includes house-cured gravlax, veggie cream cheese, salmon roe and pea shoots on an everything bagel.
Locations: 3621 Stone Way N., Seattle (Fremont) and 6309 24th Ave. N.W., Seattle (Ballard)
Hours: Wednesday–Friday, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
Howdy Bagel
Before you get mad and say, “But I thought this round-up was about Seattle bagels,” we know, and we are making an exception. Ask any bagel aficionado about their favorite bagel places and we almost guarantee Howdy Bagel will be on their list.
The bagels are technically not New York style or Montreal, but a cross of the two. They are hand-rolled, long-fermented, boiled and baked. The outside is crispy while the inside is soft and chewy. Ultimately, isn’t that what you want in a bagel, exceptional texture and flavor?
Recommendation: Try the pastrami, egg and cheese sandwich to feel like you’re being teleported to heaven.
Location: 5421 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma
Hours: Tuesday–Friday, 7 a.m.–3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m.
Rubinstein Bagels
Rubinstein Bagels boasts three locations around Seattle to enjoy its delicious bagels. Its bagel-making process creates flavorful bagels with moist chewy centers. It uses organic flour made in the Pacific Northwest, and its bagels are hand-rolled, boiled and made fresh daily. We love local!
It offers unique and distinct bagel flavors including not-so-plain, garlic, sesame, poppy seed, caraway salt, salted rosemary, shallot, chocolate cherry and more.
Recommendation: If you go, you need to try the black truffle schmear.
Locations: 2121 6th Ave., Seattle (South Lake Union), 403 15th Ave. E., Seattle (Capitol Hill) and 16050 Cleveland St. Suite 130, Redmond
Hours: Open daily from 7 a.m.–3 p.m.
Mt. Bagel
If Yelp reviews are to be trusted, and in this case, they are, then Mt. Bagel tops this list. For New York-style bagel purists, it’s a winner. From the bagel’s impeccable chew to the pillowy center, the perfection peaks in the crispy and crackly first bite.
With hordes of people raving about these bagels, the proof is in the wait time. To snag a coveted Mt. Bagel bagel, you’ll have to get in line, literally. Insider tip: Preorder on Friday to skip the lines or get delivery to your home.
Recommendation: We highly recommend the spicy scallion cream cheese.
Location: 801 26th Ave. E., Seattle
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
More great eats |
