I’d posted some personal preferences upthread. I don’t have a “favorite”, as such, and I like the differences that different bagels styles bring to the table. We eat a lot of bagels from Bagelsaurus because (a) we like them a lot, and (b) they are the most convenient for us to get to. Mariposa is next in line. We actually prefer their unusual pretzel-like quality, and their smaller size, but they’re harder for us to get to in the mornings. There was a time when I was nearish Central Square in the early mornings, and I’d routinely get bagels from them for breakfast, but my morning whereabouts are different now, so convenience has dictated fewer bagels from them.
Forge bagels are new to me. I Iiked them a lot on this recent comparison test, but since both the bakery and Diesel Cafe are harder to get to for me, I suspect I won’t eat them as often. I also like Mamaleh’s bagels, but again convenience has dictated fewer of their bagels for us.
I liked Iggy’s (characterless) and Somerville (moist and heavy crumb) the least, but both are fine in a pinch.
Thanks, everybody, for liking, and “liking”, the post. I had fun doing it, and happened to have a bit of time on my hands this week. If others can contribute stats and pics of bagels from other sources, it would be great.
@fooddabbler, an inspiring post, thanks so much for taking the time! Reminds me a bit of fourunder’s amazing posts about meat back in the golden days of Chowhound.
I might as well chime in seeing I’m a bagel lover. It’s pretty hard to beat Rosenfelds’. Katz’s is ok if you’re in the neighborhood. On the South Shore, Atlantic Bagel in Hingham is decent. Their bagels make a good sandwich, has good chew and lots of variety. In a pinch Gunther Toodie’s isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.
I’ll take mine not toasted (don’t ruin a good bagel), with a good schmeer!
Enjoy,
CocoDan
@fooddabbler Great post! Wish you could do another comparison with the bagel places further away from the city in this post (Brooklyn Waters, Levend, Exodus, Rosenfeld, etc)!
Finally made it to Rosenfeld’s, and came away very pleased with the everything, great texture, excellent spice mix and coverage. This is a thowback - just bagels, no fancy coffee drinks. Reminds me of the dearly departed King Bagel near Coolidge Corner where we used to make 2 AM bagel runs when we were pulling all-nighters in college. Thanks!
I can’t seem to find my post, but somewhere I posted that Moody’s in Waltham was making bagels. We went this morning for a pork roll breakfast sandwich, and there were no bagels in sight. They are still making donuts and muffins, and are selling some pastries from A&J King Bakery in Salem. Just thought I’d set the record straight.
If you are even on the North Shore. Abraham’s Bagels in Newburyport is open after closing for a year because of a fire. Really good, the line moves fast too!
There’s a new bagel place in Georgetown that makes their own: Best Bagels on Main Street. Large, a little doughier than Abrahams. The sell ridiculously large bagel sandwiches too.
@sunnyday you are officially my (bagel) hero. We had an unfortunate lunch at the Framingham Beer Works when we spotted Brooklyn Water Bagels across the way. I checked on HO and sure enough I found your review. Upon seeing the bagels I promptly switched from half dozen to a Baker’s dozen. I got a bunch of everything, sesame, garlic, and onion plus some scallion cream cheese which was of the airy, whipped variety. We had a couple of the everything for dinner along with some white bean and veggie soup and we both loved them. I like mine untoasted, B favors toasted. Either way, they were dense, chewy, slightly crisp exterior. It’s now our favorite bagel in the Boston area. Too bad it’s a half hour to Framingham from Arlington. Boy am I glad I bought a dozen. Most of them went into the freezer so we will make them last as long as we can. Thanks again for the tip.
By the way, I did encounter the cranky owner. Honestly, she looks like she should be a curator of an art gallery. She’s probably cranky because she’s slinging bagels instead (which to me is just as noble as art but then again, I am bagel obsessed).
Thanks for taking one for the team on this; the yelp reviews look really not promising so we never tried it. Do try Jack’s Abby next time you are around Natick/Framingham; it’s only a 10 min drive from Brooklyn Water Bagels and the food is consistently great there.
And I’m glad you enjoyed BWB, cranky owner and all! Their bagels are truly a great thing of beauty and it’s a shame that the location is so far away. But then again, they still do brisk business during the weekdays when I stopped in on the way to work, so perhaps the location isn’t so bad after all.
I can mention here that I did not find excellent bagels at the new Harvard Square spot Black Sheep Bagels on JFK. The bagels here are nearly as costly as Bagelsaurus but have pretty much no flavor to them. Disappointing.
I also never mentioned that a few weeks back I made it to Brooklyn Water Bagels in Framingham, and the offerings there were pretty darn good!
Having just moved to Newton Center, I’ve become a fan of Rosenfeld’s. Better than Katz’s. IMHO. Their bialy’s are good, but next time I’m in NYC, I’ll stock up on some bialy’s from Kosar’s.
Boston Magazine named Exodus Bagels “Best Bagels” in the 2018 Best of Boston edition. Any intel from this crowd? I see a mention but no details upthread. Pictures on their website look quite fabulous.
Boston Magazine’s “Best …” can be a bit unreliable. They seem to feel they have to spread the recognition around, rather like a kindergarten teacher might want every child to feel special. Bagelsaurus won their award in '15 and '16, and they may have felt they should give someone else the award this time (rather like they usually award “Best Cheese” to Formaggio Kitchen, but every once in a while they branch out, once even awarding Whole Foods).
Despite that, Exodus does look good. Very out-of-the-way, though, for me unfortunately.
Exodus Bagels are excellent! My only complaint is that they don’t offer a lot spread. They do have lox and their homemade cream cheeses are delicious! The only other Bagels I like are from the New York Water Bagel Co on the Natick/Framingham border near Rt 9 and Walmart and McDonalds. I never liked Bagelsaurus, because they taste like sour dough and I don’t think bagels should taste like sour dough.
I know you guys know your bagels…