Where are the bagels in Tampa Bay!

[ocaladevil]

Looking for good bagels. Einstien's doesn't count.

[gfr1111]

Try St. Pete Bagel on Sheldon maybe three blocks south of Hillsborough Avenue. In my opinion, they don't put enough cream cheese on the bagel, so I usually order several two ounce tubs extra on the side. But otherwise, it's a fine bagel.

[Mild Bill]

Sheldon Road, south of Hillsborough Ave. becomes Memorial...

So the Bagel shop is on Memorial--- and yeah, they're pretty good...

Another decent Bagel place is on Dale Mabry just north of the Busch Boulevard hump... Bagels Plus (?) (Using my pornographic memory)

In the big shopping center on the east side of the road...

[jill20]

There is a bagels plus on Flecher and B.B. Downs. The bagels are excellent but if you get there after lunch, they have sold out of most of the varieties.

[Oscar Demolski]

"Another decent Bagel place is on Dale Mabry just north of the Busch Boulevard hump... Bagels Plus (?) (Using my pornographic memory)"

Tampa Bay Bagelry.
Closed about a year ago.
I shed a tear as I could (& did) walk there for a Saturday morning treat.
They had great water bagels.

And another, Einstein sucks vote!

I used to go to the St Pete's Bagel shop on 4th St when I worked over that way, nice to hear there's one on this side of the water.

[rebecca.kukla]

I started an earlier thread about Clearwater Bagels, right near Clearwater High School on the main road. Very, very excellent - worth the trip from Tampa to get a dozen or two, eat two fresh in the car on the way home, have several semi-fresh for breakfast the next morning, and freeze the rest as carefully as possible for later... :-)

Being a Nice Jewish Girl who has had lots of access over the years to New York bagels and Montreal bagels, among others, I am willing to claim some bagel cred.

Einstein's SUCKS!!!!!

Enjoy - by the way the lox at the Wild Oats is very good.

[scubadoo97]

Agreed, the bagels at Clw bagels are very good and possibly the best in Tampa Bay> Also agree "Einstein's SUCKS!!!!!"

[andy huse]

having grown up in clearwater and attended CHS, I can vouch for Clearwater bagels as well. I especially loved the bagel like things that had a depression in the center (instead of a hole) filled with minced onions. Those things rock!

[rhnault]

bialy?

[scubadoo97]

I can assume you graduated from CHS much later than I did since there was no Clearwater bagels there in the early 70s

[chrismurphy92]

Another CHS graduate here (class of '87). The mention of clearwater bagels brings back many great memories...

[ramblinwrek92]

Yup, the real deal is very hard to find. Add to Einstein's that Panera is a joke too. It didnt hit me about being dumb downed to Einstein Bros/Panera until I was in a real Jewish deli in of all places, Palm Springs California. The bagel was fresh and you could tell by the right texture and the right color.

True story about my first ever bagel. I am 12 years old visiting cousins in Montreal. We go down to the Jewish section of town and hit this old world style bagel shop. There is a line out the door. I watched the baker form the bagels by hand and then the other guy was placing them in a wood burning oven. We picked up 2 dozen and also grabbed some pate' on the way home from another store. Pate + fresh bagel = awesome. Apparently there is even some rivalry about which is better: Montreal vs. New York bagels. If it's the real deal I don't mind either way.

[rebecca.kukla]

Yes, I assure you that there's a huge Montreal vs New York Bagel rivalry. Sadly, despite my Canadian patriotism, I think the New Yorkers pretty much win this one hands down.

[gfr1111]

Try Lennie's on U.S. 19 a few blocks north of Gulf to Bay (U.S. 60). My east coast Jewish friend tells me its authentic. Lenny's food is delicious, including the chopped liver that you can't find many places. It certainly has an extensive menu of breakfast and lunch/deli items. I have not tried them, but I can't imagine that their bagels would be anything but authentic and delicious.

[hildrelt]

CC's bagels in downtown tampa.... have been told they are FedEx'ed from Manhattan and boiled here.

[cheddarcheese32]

Clearwater Bagels is the absoulute best! Their cream cheeses are excellent and come in many flavors and the bagels are unsurpassed. They have limited hours (I( think they close somewhere between noon and 2), so call before making a trek there.

[rebecca.kukla]

And please, whatever you do, do not support the evil Einstein's Bagels that opened up right across the street from Clearwater Bagels, in a transparent attempt to put them out of business. Stand up for real bagels and independent stores!

Clearwater Bagels often runs low on selection by noon so go early.