This story appears in our Spring Art + Performance 2025 Issue, published on March 5, 2025.
Photos by Billie Winter
No fewer than four brick-and-mortar bagel shops opened in Seattle in the past year. Bloom Bistro & Grocery moved into Georgetown in April, Toasted Bagels & Coffee landed in the University District and Backyard Bagel hit Fremont in July, and Hey Bagel has been drawing a crowd at University Village since January. And they join an already-crowded industry—I can name 15 bagel shops off the top of my head, and many of them have multiple locations around town. (Today’s newer generation of Seattleites seem to prefer their cream cheese on bagels over street dogs, but that’s a tragic tale for another time.)
Because we’re serious journalists, and we do serious journalism, we knew it was time to get our hands dirty and see how all these offerings stacked up.
Here’s how it worked: We bought both plain and everything bagels from 10 different bagel bakeries. All bagels were purchased on the day of the taste test and stored in their appropriate bags at room temperature. Then, we cut them into bite-sized wedges just minutes before unleashing the hungry mob in an effort to ensure ultimate freshness and fairness.
There was a toaster oven for anyone who wanted to heat up or toast their bites, as well as plain cream cheese from a few different locations for those who prefer to sample their bagels with schmear. Each specimen was labeled with only a number—no one knew which bagel came from which shop until the scores were tallied.
Things got a little heated! One bagel that received a lot of praise from several West Coasters in the group was called “bland” and “bready” by a native New Yorker. There were gasps. Then, an argument broke out over whether or not fennel seed should be included in everything bagel season. And one bagel got spit into the trash by multiple tasters. Things got messy. But when all was said and done, we had done it. We found the best bagel in Seattle. Or, at least, the best bagel in the taste test. Because despite all the scientific research, this list isn’t comprehensive. There’s Bagel Oasis, who’ve been doing something right since the 1980s, and Mt. Bagel, who have good bagels but only had garlic and onion flavors left when I stopped in ahead of the taste test. There’s Loxsmith Bagels in West Seattle and Beacon Hill, Westman’s Bagel and Coffee on Capitol Hill, and several bakeries that make good bagels among their other pastries and breads (Salmonberry, Oxbow, Macrina, etc.).
Really, the best bagel in Seattle is the bagel you like most. This isn’t a be-all, and end-all declaration of good vs. evil. Our tastes may not align with yours. At the very least, we hope this list and our carb-loading is a helpful guide as you head out in search of your own favorite.
Bloom Bistro & Grocery, $3
After operating as a bagel pop-up for the better part of a year, Bean’s Bagels moved into a brick-and-mortar shop called Bloom Bistro & Grocery in April 2024. It’s in the cute green house in Georgetown that used to be home to Deep Sea Sugar and Salt, who, of course, make some of the best cakes in town. And now Bloom makes our favorite bagels, too? What kind of sorcery lurks within those walls?
Plain: 17.4/20
Everything: 16.7/20
“Nice blisters! Toothsome texture and great flavor. I like the anisey flavor of the fennel seeds in the everything seasoning.”
“Exterior not tacky enough, but love the fennel seed.”
“The everything bagel was bitter.”
Old Salt, $3
Old Salt opened in November 2020 in the same space and by the same team behind Ballard’s beloved Manolin after Manolin—an upscale sit-down restaurant appreciated for its fresh seafood dishes—was forced to pivot to something more takeout-friendly during the pandemic. Old Salt has since added a second location in Fremont, and they smoke their own fish, including kippered salmon; lox with dill, pepper, lemon, and gin; and black cod seasoned with chili.
Plain: 16.75/20
Everything: 16.25/20
“Black sesame!”
“I really liked this! Nice blisters, chewy but not tough. Tangy flavor.”
“So chewwy! I like the fennel forwardness.”
Hey Bagel, $3.25
Hey Bagel is the newest bagel on the block… kind of. While the University Village shop just opened in January, owner Andrew Rubinstein has been making bagels for Seattle for years. He founded Rubinstein Bagels in 2019 and started HB after selling his portion of RB to partner Ethan Stowell in 2023. Hey Bagel’s lines are long, they sell out of flavors throughout the day, they will neither cut not toast your bagel, and the only toppings they offer is a variety of schmears. What’s more, they recommend customers eat the bagels warm, fresh out of the oven if possible, and they’re right. I housed a sesame on the spot when picking up bagels for the taste test. We ate them at room temperature for the test, but if you’re enjoying them fresh off the line, add a couple of points to the score.
Plain: 15/20
Everything: 15.7/20
“Good! Not amazing.”
“I like this everything mix! Salty.”
“Pretty good! Slightly tough, but chewy and decent flavor.”
Toasted Bagels & Coffee, $2.95
UW graduates Jaafar Altameemi and Murat Akyuz opened Toasted in the U District last summer, and they have already expanded with a second location in Bellevue in February and have two more in the works in South Lake Union and Pioneer Square. A menu highlight for indecisive eaters is the open-face flight, so you can sample four of their flavor combos—such as labneh and honey, avocado and smoked feta, lox with pickled onions, or pear and cinnamon—in one go.
Plain: 13.8/20
Everything: 12.8/20
“Good moisture in the dough and well-salted.”
“Tangy, nice chew, subtle blisters. Balanced everything seasoning.”
“More bread than bagel.”
Backyard Bagel, $3
Like Hey Bagel, Backyard Bagel will not toast your bagel. It says so right there on the sign, so don’t ask. They will cut it for you when ordered with schmear, though, and they also offer a short menu of bagel sandwiches—three fish-based recipes and one veggie-friendly option with black bean hummus and chickpeas.
Plain: 13/20
Everything: 13/20
“Dense topping, which is nice. I love a black sesame!”
“The everything was burnt and bready.”
“Pleasant chew and flavor but lacking a little depth.”
Zylberschtein’s Delicatessen & Bakery, $3
It’s worth noting that Zylberschtein’s scores were brought down a point or two by a couple of tasters who didn’t love the bagel’s tangy sourdough-esque flavor. For me, that’s a pro. As far as flavor goes, Zylberschtein’s malt-boiled bagels were in my personal top 5. I love anything and everything sourdough. When it comes to bagels, though, others prefer a cleaner taste. You do you.
Plain: 12/20
Everything: 12.75/20
“Sour, well-salted.”
“Crispy exterior. A little dry.”
“Tangy! Love that it has fennel in the everything.”
Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos, $3.25
Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos scored lower than multiple tasters expected. After tallying the results, one person even re-tasted, assuming there was some kind of mistake since they’re a fan of the shop’s bagel sandwiches. This might be a case of the bagel itself not being the most stellar option for a rip-and-dip situation or when served just with cream cheese, but being ideal for getting stacked high with sandwich fillings such as truffle cream cheese, house-made chili crisp, locally sourced lox, garlic honey, and jamón serrano.
Plain: 8.2/20
Everything: 9/20
“Toasty.”
“Texture wrong. Too sweet. Not salted.”
“Literally tastes like bread bread BREAD.”
Kelly Cannoli, $4.85
Kelly Canolli is a little pink drive-up window in Lake City, and they’re so committed to bringing the East Coast to Seattle that they have their bagels flown in from New York in a variety of flavors—including French toast, rainbow, marble rye, pumpernickel, and egg—and they come with reheating instructions if you’re not going to eat them the same day. We tested them just a few hours after picking them up for ultimate freshness. Still, they landed with a thud. Especially at $4.85 a pop. (A sleeve of six is $25.) The bagels may not have gone over well, but I will vouch that their cannolis are spot-on.
Plain: 6/20
Everything: 6/20
“TURNED BACK TO DOUGH IN MY MOUTH.”
“Weirdly NOT chewy!”
“Least favorite. Squishy, no chew, no flavor—visceral reaction of disgust.”
Eltana, $2.50
Eltana serves Montreal-style bagels, which are purposefully denser than an East Coast or American bagel. But with that, they’re also supposed to be a thinner ring with a wider hole in the center. I should be able to spin it around my finger like a glutenous Hula-Hoop. Eltana’s bagels were heavy, thick, and so bready. They were hardly the bagel I remember loving when the bakery first opened in 2010; another confused staff member remembers loving an Eltana bagel, but did concede that they had never tried one without a topping, the fava bean basil spread being a favorite. What happened?
Plain: 1.6/20
Everything: 3/20
“No.”
“Barely any garlic on the everything bagel.”
“Tried a taste, had to tap out.”
Blazing Bagels, $2.75
Oof. Sorry, Blazing Bagels. The texture was all wrong on both the plain and the sesame (they were out of everything bagels the day of our taste test). After revealing the results, I attempted to do some damage control by admitting I have enjoyed their Beecher’s cheese bagel slathered with cream cheese, but of course I do. Everything is made better when covered with Beecher’s cheese.
Plain: 0.45/20
Sesame: 2.5/20
“Incorrect.”
“Too sweet, wrong texture.”
“Cardboard-y texture with tough exterior. Suspiciously uniform and glossy.”
