Bagels In Seattle! Who do you think makes the best? Bialys too! Your bagel memories.

[JayDK]

The bagel, it's not that big a deal except if you love them.
We all have our favorites so let's hear about yours.

Not that I'm obsessed, I could quit anytime, but I've been to bagel places around the country and Montreal and Quebec too. And the bialys at Kossars in New York.

Is there a best?

Course not. The best one is the warm one in your hand when you're hungry.

Bagel memories? Middle of the night getting them through the back door in St. Louis, seeing the Vietnamese guy in Quebec at the wood fired place, the first time at my friend's house when his Mom served them with cream cheese and jam. Jam on a bagel? Oy vey!

I'm a traditionalist and love poppy seed toasted with cream cheese.

Other memories, anyone remember the Tasajara Cook book? They have a bagel recipe that's not traditional but divine. Made this recipe in my nephew's wood fired oven in his pizza restaurant in Tucson, (Vero Amore) and they were the tastiest things around.

Recently tried a recipe someone sent me for "Montreal Style Bagels" and hands down, these are much better than I've had in Montreal, Quebec or Eltana.

Anyone who wants it let me know.

[rcallner]

I can't personally vouch, but a food-loving coworker claims the bagels here are outstanding, with requisite modest size yet substantial chew. http://eltana.com/

[rcallner]

Bagel Oasis, hands down, for flavor, size, mouth feel. (I went to high school in Philly and visited parents in NY for 30+ years, if east coast cred is required.)

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Bagel Oasis
2112 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115

[JayDK]

I agree. Maybe because I'm from St. Louis and Bagel Oasis is the closest local bagel to the ones we remember and I'd suspect the Philly bagel is the same. Probably the kids who grow up near Zatz will probably compare their bagels with with they grew up with. (Don't talk to me about Zatz or Eltana!)

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Bagel Oasis
2112 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115

[mrnelso]

I am confused. Twenty years ago, or so, a bagel shop opened in what I perceive to have been that very location, and I said to myself "Bagels - alright" and stopped in for one or two.
When I bit into that sorry hunk of compressed Wonder Bread, I knew all I needed to know, and I never went back.

So what's with all the praise? did some white knight rescue them (in which case, I will re-visit), or is this just another cruel hoax?

[rcallner]

Not a hoax on my part. I sincerely believe in the consistent superlative quality of Bagel Oasis bagels.

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Bagel Oasis
2112 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115

[LemonyRoux]

Drive 90 minutes north to The Bagelry on Railroad Ave. in Bellingham. Or you can drive 3 hours south to Kenny & Zuke's in Portland for the best bialy I've had in the NW.

[JayDK]

Did you see the Leson blog on bagels today?
She stole my idea of "bagel memories" with no credit.
Rat!

[breadparty]

I just had a pretty good bagel at the Seattle Bagel Bakery downtown. I've walked by a million times and never noticed them. Not bad.

[The Chowhound Team]

This Greater Seattle board is narrowly focused on where to eat in the Seattle area. Please confine your replies to discussion of bagels in the area; general reminiscences, discussion of bagel shops elsewhere, and recipes are off topic for this board. If you wish to discuss recipes, please start a thread on the Home Cooking board (you may include a link to thread in a post here).

[terrier]

Eltana is the only decent bagel I've had here.

Bagel Oasis is the only other edible bagel I've had here.

"My Coffee House" used to get H&H bagels shipped to them but they're long gone.

I bring back a dozen bagels from Terrace Bagels or the Bagel Hole in Brooklyn every time I fly back home. Always the same order - 4 egg, 4 everything, 3 poppy, 2 sesame.

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Bagel Oasis
2112 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115

[Brunhilde]

H&H will ship overnight! My old boss at Wamu (he was from Brooklyn) would order them for our staff meetings. I like them! (Okay except honestly I would be breaking out the jar of kosher salt I kept in my desk to try to adhere to the outside. I have a problem.)

[Thiebaud]

Yep, and they used to sell them at My Coffee House in Madison Park, which unfortunately is now defunct. (And before that, at a kind of crazy store/cafe in Madison Park that I can't remember the name of and that is also now defunct. They sold a hodgepodge of things that they liked. It was next to a video store.)

Other than that, the best bagel I've had here by far is from Blazing Bagels. They're also sold in PCC stores.

[equinoise]

What do you think of Zatz a Better Bagel vs. Bagel Oasis (besides the hopelessly corny name)?

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Bagel Oasis
2112 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115

[terrier]

I can finally comment on this having recently moved to West Seattle and tried Zatz.

Bagel Oasis is much better than Zatz. Zatz bagels are too big and bread-like - the usual Seattle bagel maladies. Eltana is still setting the bar for bagels locally, though, and blows Bagel Oasis away.

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Bagel Oasis
2112 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115

[fredstorm]

Eltana I agree on - best bagel in town.

[Brunhilde]

According to my friend from New York, I'm not allowed to have an opinion on bagels since I'm from Northern California (so I told him he wasn't allowed to tell me what made good sourdough bread or weed, ha), but since he's not here...

I love everything bagels. But not all are created equal. SALT. There needs to be that pretzel salt in the everything with the garlic and the onions and the seeds. And by seeds I mean sesame and poppy, keep the sunflower seeds off.

Los Bagels in Arcata, CA actually put out shakers of extra "everything" (which they refer to as Slug Slime) so you can make your bagels extra everything-y. I love that place. Favorite bagel ever.

In Seattle? Bagel Oasis I guess. They're the only ones that have a bagel-like texture (as opposed to Grateful Break and the bagel shop at Pike Place Market) and they do put salt in their everything topping. I just wish there was more of the everything on their everything bagels.

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Pike Place Market
1501 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101

Bagel Oasis
2112 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115

[MarvinE]

I'm a big fan of Montreal style bagels. Would really appreciate a copy of the recipe you have.
I have also tried Kossars Bialys . . . do you know anyone who has a better bialy?

[darielle4]

I'm very interested in getting recipe. Recently tried recipe from Montreal and can't believe there's better.
Thanks,