Great Bagel Tour
Porkchop & Co. heavily seeds both sides of their delectably chewy everything bagels.
Despite what any fitness enthusiast might say, Seattle is a carb town.
Flavorful sourdough, moist biscuits and crusty bánh mì baguettes are all engrained in our culture. Until recently, however, there weren’t many options for a great bagel. I moved back to Seattle in March after 7 years, only to discover a bustling scene of bagel purveyors.
I decided to try them all.
This list encompasses bakeries from Seattle icons to recent pop-ups captivating social media. The only rules? Fresh bagels within city limits. Let’s get started.
Westman’s Bagels & Coffee
If there was one shop responsible for Seattle’s modern bagel reckoning, this is it. A walk up which occupies what feels like almost 9 square feet of space on busy Madison and is most distinguished by the swarm of anguished Hill residents nursing mean hangovers from a night at Dino’s waiting patiently on the busy street. These bagels have crunch, a medium size and some heavy chew. They aren’t going for anything out of the ordinary here; these are New York style bagels through a Seattle lens of course.
1509 E Madison St, Capitol Hill
Eltana Bagels
Eltana has been hand-rolling and wood-firing not-quite-Montreal style bagels in Capitol Hill since 2011. Now with 3 locations in Seattle and 2 in Japan, Eltana has captivated the Seattle Bagel scene with their small and irregularly shaped morsels. Pair with pomegranate berry cream cheese or add lox to experience a bagel shop that isn’t quite New York isnt quite Montreal but pure Seattle.
1538 12th Ave, Capitol Hill
Dingfelder’s Delicatessen
Dingfelder’s acts as a beacon for the Jewish community in capitol Hill. Serving everything from pastrami and corned beef to matzo ball soup, you know we went to try the bagels. The deli presents diners with a selection of bagels before they choose between whitefish salad or lox to top their bagel. The bagels are light and airy with an incredible amount of flavor. I imagine one could simply order a bagel with schmear as the whitefish salad was quite the salt overload paired with an everything bagel.
1318 E Pine St, Capitol Hill
Rubinstein’s
These are NOT sourdough bagels. But the sourdough culture leavening agent used by chef Andrew Rubinstein lends a moist texture and slight tang to a heavily browned bagel. Rubinstein Bagels is currently in the build out phase of a Denny Regrade space though their fares are currently available through delivery. Grab the salted rosemary bagel with fried onion chive cream cheese to pair.
2121 6th Ave, Denny Triangle
Seattle Bagel Bakery
This counter establishment has been spreading sun-ripened tomato cream cheese on moist everything bagels across from delaurenti to market goers for just over 9 years. While the bagels here hardly compare to the modern wave of Seattle Jewish Delis, it is still the best place to grab a bagel in Pike Place.
93 Pike St #4, Pike Place Market
Three Girls Bakery
Pike Place Market
Three Girls might be the bakery with the longest history but it is also the bakery with the breadiest bagels. Stop by if grabbing an assortment of pastries in the oldest stall in Pike Place appeals to you. Otherwise, your everything bagel and cream cheese will be much more delicious at the Seattle Bagel Bakery. A solid 1 minute walk away.
1514 Pike Pl, Pike Place Market
Macrina Bakery
Macrina’s bagel are quite evidently a sourdough bagel, a class all their own almost particular to Seattle.
2408 1st Ave, Belltown
Blazing Bagels
Blazing Bagels operates as a standard bagel bakery for the Seattle area. Beginning in Redmond in the 1990s, the bakery now has 2 locations in Seattle proper and offers their fares at many stores and other locations throughout the city. Bagels here are large, with an impressive crumb structure and even more impressive consistency considering their production levels.
1911 1st Ave S, SoDo
Bagel Oasis
This institution is a North Seattle legend.
2112 NE 65th St, Ravenna
Porkchop & Co.
This Ballard brunch destination from Chef Josh Osher also happens to bake one of the best bagels in the city. The bagels are a intensely chewy, in an impressive way. The flavor from the everything seasoning was the best i’ve had in Seattle. Stay simple with the tarragon cream cheese or grab a bagel sando with lox (I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone) to sample the sandwiches Osher is known for.
5451 Leary Ave NW, Ballard
Schmaltzy’s
Much like Dingfelder’s in Capitol Hill or Zylberschtein’s in Lake City, Schmaltzy’s has cropped up to serve the Jewish deli needs of the neighboring communities. Schmaltzy’s takes a more unconventional approach, known for latke sandwiches and food truck upbringings. Once upon a time, Beep Boop Bagels supplied them with baked rounds but that operation is no more and owner Jonny Silverberg has undertaken bagel production. The result is impressive considering the wealth of options at Schmaltzy’s. If you are looking for bagels arrive early, grab a dozen, and a tub of whitefish salad.
928 NW Leary Way Suite #102, Ballard
Mt. Bagel
Debuting in March, Mt. Bagel recently expanded into a new Ballard commissary kitchen. Ordering isn’t any less competitive though and goes live each Monday at noon. Pro tips: set up an account in advance, enter your payment, know your full order and select the last available date as people tend to fight over earlier delivery days first. Once you receive these fresh bagels you will understand why they are such a hot ticket item: Fluffy with a strong crust and accompanied by a healthy spread of spicy scallion schmear.
1417 NW 54th St, Ballard