bagles have gotten too big. to much insides.

try a Montreal bagel for comparison

Thank you! Finally, someone else who gets what a New York bagel is.

Bagel Deli on Capitol Hill is my backup.

Sadly, you are absolutely correct. I have never understood why no-one in this city can even come close to producing a decent bagel.

the bagelry from bellingham does a pretty decent job. but what about biayls? decent ones are darn near impossible to find east of the hudson.
i would also add that frozen bagels from h&h found in town are lousy...even h&h isn't what it used to be.

You Nancy, could start a nifty separate blog just for first-coasters who miss the pizza and bagels of back home. Locals may feel slighted by the winless record, but they also may never have tasted the volcanic ambrosia of melting cheese on and crispy and yet chewy ny pizza, bagel or pizza-bagel.

Amen to BOBPET - Give me a Montreal bagel over NYC bagels any day of the week.

I would agree with you Nancy ... bagels in Seattle do not even come close to those of New York or Montreal. I lived in both cities and have had the best both cities can offer.

I must admit I have not yet tried Bagel Oasis so I will not pass judgment on those bagels at this time.

Call it Seattle Style Bagels and I'll accept it for what it is and I won't complain, call it New York style (or any other style) and if it doesn't measure up I will complain and argue until I turn blue in the face. Do as you advertise or don't advertise.

Ever since the Bagel Oasis location in Fremont closed, I've been doing without too often. Perhaps we can get the remaining Bagel Oasis to deliver?

In the end, bagels can't be choosers. Nice one Nancy.

Back in the day, walking into Bernie's Bagels was like walking into the Long Island bagel shop I worked in during college. The smells, the tastes, everything. Sadly BB is no more.

Hands down the best bagels are to be purchased at the Bagelry in Bellingham. These wonderfully chewey-on-the-inside and just-right-crunchy-exterior gems are heavenly. A quick runner up is Bagel Oasis, and I lament the Fremont shop closing a couple of years ago.

Having grown up in Brooklyn, I can safely say we no longer have any real bagels here in Seattle. Oh, the Bagel Boys were good, Spot was better, and then there was Brueggers. Bernie's were too big. Nope, I don't know of the perfect bagel here anymore.

What about bialy's. That doesn't exist here. Sigh.

Several years ago I finally gave up hope for ever finding a decent bagel in Seattle. As I already bake bread, and understand what a bagel is (not a Jewish sweet roll as an ex MIL thought), I started baking my own (expat from Joisey). Never bigger than 4 ounces, as opposed to local steroid version, and benefiting from boiling before baking, I bake onion bagels for myself. My wife gets raisin cinnimon bagels (no added sugar). Just tell me where to deliver them, and you can decide if I bake the best local bagels!

Not quite, Nancy. The Bagel Deli on 15th in Capitol Hill gets our vote as the best bagels. Give it a try.

My friend is pregnant (with twins) and the only thing she is craving is bagels. Clearly, this presents a problem! I'm considering having them shipped here overnight from NYC - any suggestions on the best new-york-bagel-shipper?

REALLY????
Genuine bagels, boiled then baked? On the West Coast?
I must try this place out.

The baked goods that pass for bagels west of the Mississippi is truly embarrassing to someone who knows what a bagel is. I will try this out when they open tomorrow morning! Thanks for the pointer.

There are no bagels in Seattle that are worth eating! Ever had a Zatz "bagel"? They are as soft as a mushy donut.

The owner of World Spice sent me to a little place across the street from her shop - the bagels there were to die for!

Love love Bagel Oasis' bagels. They're the perfect size, and nicely dense, with a real boiled taste.

But I notice they always have a 'hiring' sign up, and I've never seen the same crew there twice. Something always goes wrong at the register too...:-(

I happen to like Safeway bagels. Rather than try to market them for what they're not (NY bagels) they should market them for what they are (whatever that is). The same with turkey bacon. If you're expecting it to be like bacon you're going to be disappointed. However if you expect it to be like smoky, crispy turkey, then it's really tasty.

It's mixing metaphors but "good" is in the eye of the beholder. For those brave enough to cross the Lake, try Bigfoot Bagels in Woodinville. When you get 'em fresh, they're nice and chewy and, when toasted, great as a sandwich.

But kvetching about not finding genuine NY bagels in Seattle?!? Please ... last time I checked, we're not in New York. This is like going to, say, Paris and complaining that the McDonald's isn't *exactly* like where you came from.

But I'll bite on the pizza thing: if I want greasy cardboard, I'll have a slice of New York-style pizza.

Bagel Oasis? the only time i was there, i ordered a sweet bagel with cream cheese, and the clerk cut my bagel in half with a knife that had obviously just cut an onion bagel. I tasted onion with every bite. Never went again. Are they worth another try really?

I'm suprised no one mentioned Noah's, either positively or negatively. I'm not an expert on bagels or east coast cuisine, but it seems like a pretty good bagel. Am I naive?

try Mikie's Brooklyn Bagels in Renton. AWESOME! and closest to authentic that this Long Island girl has seen in a while!

Oh... here is a quest straight out of Monty Python.. as we seek the holy bagel. :)

Having recently moved from Philadelphia... I have been seeking two or three things in Issaquah that I now realize are exception rather than the rule.

1) a decent bagel where they are boiled and not simply a soft white bread with a hard top. I have tried the QFC, Safeway, Fred Meyers (I hoped he was a good Jewish boy.. but Oh.. found out it's just Krogers by a different name). In the phonebook, they still list Bernie's bagels. My daughter and I attempted to find their location. But it's now a spa. Usually, you go to the spa after eating the bagel due to guilt. Finally, we ended up at Goldberg's deli and bought some bagels and knishes. They were okay.. but still a little chewy.

2) do they believe in a good soft pretzel here that you can put a good hearty mustard on... not something from CorporateBun or the Auntie Ann mall contraption... one sold by a street vendor... 3 pretzels for a dollar. Works well as a cheap breakfast.

3) a real local ruit and vegetable stand- I have been to Pikes Market and that is pretty close to Reading Terminal. However, we had local corner fruit and veggie places like Produce Junction ( a half bushel of apples for $3) But I don't want to drive from Issaquah to buy tasty veggies. I have schlepped to Newcastle Fruit and Veggie on Cold Creek and they are pretty good. I went to the Issaquah Farmers market and it was more market than farm in May.

Now, I do want to say there are many positive things in the Seattle area that I do appreciate and enjoy. P.S. I love Montreal, however, I never thought their bagels were famous. I knew their smoked meats were.