Bagels in Vancouver

[Aspen20]

Someone was looking for good bagels in Vancouver. Here's my recs:

1) Solly's
This is my favourite bagel shop in Vancouver because not only are their bagels good, but they also make decent sandwiches with them. Their cinnamon rolls and the poppy/salt encrusted "twists" are great too, especially when they're still warm from the oven. Last time I visited the Kits location about a year ago they seemed to be going downhill, so your mileage may vary.

2) Siegel's
I've only been a couple of times, and while I thought they did a good bagel, it never quite grabbed the way Solly's did.

[Sam Salmon]

Anyone remember Real Canadian Bagels?

Now those were truly vile-but in a bland Canadian way.

[Bob Mac]

LOL, unfortunately have to agree

[tdeane]

I don't know, I like NY bagels better than Montreal style. I lived in NY for 7 years so I guess I just got used to them. I love the super fresh, heavy, dense bagels with literally an inch of cream cheese on them(anything less is a smear(pronounced shmear not smear)). One thing that really pisses me off in Vancouver, is when they toast your bagel when you don't ask them to. FRESH BAGELS SHOULD NEVER BE TOASTED!!!!! EVER!!!!! Toasting is for day olds.

[Bob Mac]

Which may be the reason they are generally toasted.....

As a former Montrealer, I am a fan of the bagels from St. Viateur...family "peace offering" when I would stop in the wee hours of Sunday morning after a night on the town and pick up a bag or two which I left on the kitchen counter for their breakfast as I slept off my "sins" ......

[fmed]

Reminds of of this article http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/200...

One that note..I have read that the last shop in the H&H chain (NY) is closing (probably a good thing?)

[brokentelephone]

Ugghh I can't believe people actually enjoy Siegels Bagels -- I assumed the owner was running money through there or something.

I like Benny's Bagels -- they're much more similar to a NY bagel than a montreal though.

[marko65]

Haven't tried Benny's Bagels. Siegels are as tasty as any bagels I've had in BC.

[kinnickinnik]

I'm not a fan of Siegel's either (nor Solly's - bready as mentioned above). Siegel's are much too dense and sweet for my liking.

[marko65]

Tried Benny's Bagels today. Not a fan. Not dense enough for my liking.
My best bagel memory is a place (gone now?) called Village Bagel (I think) in Hamilton Ontario. Chewy dense and delicious.

[LotusRapper]

Another vote for Siegel's over Solly's.

But either beats store-bought varieties by light years anyway.

[marko65]

Seigels over Solly's by a mile.
Solly's has more of a bread consistancy than an authentic Montreal style bagel feel. They both seem to be popular but my son and wife won't even eat Solly's.
Siegels oven is wood fired and they're open 24 hours a day which is kind of nice when you're coming home late.
Mount Royal in Victoria is good as well though I haven't tried the ones from North Vancouver. I think they should be the same.

[kinnickinnik]

I find Mount Royal closest a true Montreal bagel (as presented by St. Viateur bagel).

[marko65]

Yeah great bagels. I've only had the Victoria ones. Do you know if the shop in Vancouver is the same?

[kinnickinnik]

I've only had the N.Vancouver ones. Best if they're fresh from the bakery, or freshly delivered to the store. Good to know the Victoria ones are good too :-)

[islandgirl]

Has anyone tried the Mont Royal bagels that Whole Foods is "importing" from Victoria? They were my favourites when I lived on the Island but I'm wondering how they travel. The cinnamon dip was incredible...better than a donut

[Philx]

They have a store in N.Van :

Mount Royal Bagel Factory
701 Queensbury Avenue
North Vancouver, BC V7L 3V9
Tel: [phone]

Not sure if it is the same company as Victoria. I like there sesame and poppy seed; havent tried any others.

[thatwhileifound]

Separate owners. The NV people bought the naming rights, recipes and the ilk from the Victoria one.

I've never tried the ones from Victoria, but the ones from North Vancouver are good if you like a softer bagel than what I typically find at Solly's and Siegel's.

[Lori D]

Thanks so much for the post! My friend is still looking; I've forwarded the link to this thread to her.

[busterbrown]

siegels is great..........the smoked salmon bagel with dill cream cheese, capers, and red onion.....or the montreal smoked meat, you wouldnt believe the stack of meat you get on it

[raidar]

I'll second Siegel's. I have never visited Solly's, but every time I fly in to Vancouver I'll grab a few Siegel's and always find them delicious.

[grayelf]

I prefer Siegels -- better chew to the dough, and they freeze better. They also have rock salt and rosemary bagels which are the alpha and omega of bagel as far as I am concerned :-). Another plus: they are open 24-7, and they seem to bake around the clock, at least the popular ones like sesame. I have gone at the weirdest times and been presented with a bag of still warms.

[peter.v]

Whoa. Rock salt and rosemary? That's a killer combination. Might have to ride the bike over there...

I should add, I'm a big fan of Solly's, but mostly because I've had friends work there in the past so I've sampled a good amount of their offerings. Their bagels were consistently good.

[grayelf]

Hey peter, if you do go, call first because they don't seem to bake the RS'n'R all day like they do the "regular" flavours. They also have them at the GIsle Siegel's but same caveat.

[peter.v]

Ah! Thanks for the tip grayelf.