Bagels in San Diego

[Josh]

Does anyone know where to get decent, New York-style bagels in San Diego? It seems most bagel makers think that it's just a piece of bread shaped like a doughnut.

Any help would be appreciated.

[davivid]

i have given up on san diego. the closest i've come to the kind i used to get growing up in chicago are from Brooklyn Bagel in Los Angeles. I hear that The Bagel Broker is good, too, but I haven't tried it yet.

[kivarita]

I'll put in a second for Big City Bagels. It actually originated on Long Island (Hicksville). Fair disclosure (I worked at the Hillcrest store in college - almost 10 yrs ago) and have actually had real NY bagels (H&H). Big City clobbers Garden State by a long shot. (Meanwhile, I'm having to make do with Noah's here in the Bay Area -- and that ain't no NYC bagel).

[Divamac]

i hate to admit it (since I just posted elsewhere here about my love af a great bagel...found in New Jersey, btw...) but here in SD I get bagels at Einstein. Toasted to pretend that it's actually crusty by design.

I will be in NY this weekend and probably won't get a good bagel there, either. Dumkling is right, they are hard to come by anywhere.

[imsofull]

Hey Divamac

As a fellow Jersey transplant, I agree that there is a major shortage of decent bagel shops here in San Diego. In fact the best bagels I have found out west are in Las Vegas and in AZ. Not exactly convenient, but when ever I get over there I grab a dozen or two.

It is ironic that the desert environment has produced good bagels since I would expect it to dry them out, but the two places I go to have crusty outsides and are soft inside.

In case you are interested the place in Vegas is Bagelmania and the one in AZ, I cant remember the name (the guy is from NY) but it is at the corner of Bell RD and Grand Ave. It is the better of the two, as the bagels are more flavorful. It is near Sun City and found it while visiting my parents.

If anyone finds anything closer, puhlease let me know!!

[Dumkling]

There are no dense crusty bagels in SD, and precious few in NY anymore, either! I've found Big City to be on the dry and bready side. I think I actually prefer Bruegger's (bacon cream cheese on a bagel is so wrong... but so good). Garden State in Encinitas is okay, too, but probably not worth a special trip. The upside is, it makes a trip to NY that much more special.

[mimilulu]

The closest I've found are at Big City Bagels in Hillcrest.