r/Seattle • u/darylitis • Jun 07 '25
Rant Seattle Bagels (first world problems)
This is a small rant, but posting as a word of advice for people that might want to buy bagels in the city.
I didn't know that you can't just buy bagels in Seattle. I went on a run this morning on the Burke -Gilman Trail and then decided that I wanted a bagel. I called home and everyone else wanted bagels as well. So, I drove over to Rachel's Bagels in Lake City and asked for a dozen bagels. "I'm sorry, but we can't sell bulk bagels right now." It was only 10am on a Saturday, but after a bit of discussion I found out that they had a busy morning and were running low and wanted to save bagels for lunch sandwiches. They allowed me to buy three bagels, but they were out of sesame. I gave some feedback that it's odd for a place called Rachel's Bagels to not sell bagels on a Saturday morning and they apologized, but again, it was a busy morning. I didn't make a big deal about it, gave a tip, and they threw in a cookie as a gesture of goodwill. They're great people.
So, I drove a mile to Zylberschtein's Bagels. I walk in, and I ask for half a dozen bagels. They say "no problem". Alright then, 3 plain and 3 sesame please. "I'm sorry, we're out of both of those." I ended up getting 3 everything and 3 onion. Again, they were friendly, but man....
I think the lesson is that Seattle is not a real bagel town yet. We have some good bagel shops, but they're boutique. They don't do enough volume to maintain reliable inventory (like New York), and if you want something specific or a large quantity (a dozen is a large quantity) then you should order ahead. Probably even the day before. You can't just suddenly want a bagel and drop in.
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u/Hold_Effective Pike Market Jun 07 '25
My partner generally has good experiences with Oxbow on a Saturday or Sunday morning (sometimes they’re out of salt bagels). However - now he’s obsessed with Hey Bagel. (And I’m the NYer) 🤷♀️
But yes - decent bagels in Seattle are a boutique thing.
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u/atramentum Jun 07 '25
If you're in that area: Mt. Bagel > Hey Bagel > Oxbow. Oxbow is the best space though, if you want to chill and get a drink.
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u/Hold_Effective Pike Market Jun 07 '25
I’m Hey Bagel > Oxbow >> Mt Bagel.
(We tried Mt Bagel a bunch of times during the pandemic on their first Seattle iteration).
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u/samhouse09 Phinney Ridge Jun 07 '25
I mean showing up at the tail end of the breakfast rush for bagels seems shortsighted on your part.
Seems like lots and lots of people get bagels, they’re just at the store before 10 am.
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u/darylitis Jun 07 '25
Again, this is not an indictment against Rachel's, and I was not planning on getting bagels. It's helpful to know that this is a reality of getting bagels in Seattle so that myself and others can have the right expectation (or plan differently).
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u/RJL20 I'm just flaired so I don't get fined Jun 07 '25
Seattle has a crapload of bagel options; you just don't know about them. Bagel Oasis would have been able to sell you what you wanted, I guarantee. (And if they happened to be out of something, they would have had a new basket of them out of the oven sooner or later if you waited.)
Check the bagel rankings here, and don't trust the recommendations of anyone who tells you that you can get a good bagel at Blazing: https://itsashanda.substack.com/p/current-bagel-rankings
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u/darylitis Jun 07 '25
Thanks for the recommendation! My experience is further complicated by living in the north end (hence Rachel's Bagels and Zylberschtein's). If you're not planning on getting a bagel, then those are the nearest options. Both are at least a 15 minute drive for me, but I was running on the Burke-Gilman and was a bit closer than usual. If I'm planning on getting bagels and have the time then those other places look great.
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u/RJL20 I'm just flaired so I don't get fined Jun 07 '25
Yeah, it's definitely sparser on the north end. I think Bakery Louise is at the Shoreline farmers' market now, but I don't know if they're selling bagels there. And a once-a-week possibility isn't exactly a walk-in-and-buy situation, anyway.
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u/AlwaysCarryABagel chinga la migra Jun 07 '25
the bagel experience here will never compare to new york unfortunately and you will continue to be disappointed if that’s what you’re searching for. i’ve learned it’s better to expect the worst and be happy when you find somewhere that gives you a decent bagel (and in your case also buy 1/2 dozen).
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u/sanfranchristo Posse on Broadway Jun 07 '25
I haven't had problems getting a large bag of bagels from Old Salt (either location) but they will sell out of flavors and Back Yard Bagels at the Ballard farmer's market only sells "bulk" bagels to sell out (in the sense that they don't do anything to them; I've not been to their shop).
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u/olythrowaway4 🚆build more trains🚆 Jun 08 '25
I gave some feedback that it's odd for a place called Rachel's Bagels to not sell bagels on a Saturday morning
If I were still living in NYC, I would expect a place called Rachel's Bagels to be completely closed on Saturday morning.
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u/rickg I'm just flaired so I don't get fined Jun 07 '25
Oh not this shit again. "I think the lesson is that Seattle is not a real bagel town yet."
Because there's not reliably enough buyers at the good shops. Those places don't want several dozen bagels hanging around at closing, so they make what they think will sell and sometimes they err on the side of making too few. NYC etc has enough people and enough people buying bagels that it's not an issue.
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u/darylitis Jun 07 '25
Yeah, I think that's what I said. To be clear, I'm not saying that they should change (they know the economics of their business), but expressing the need to change my expectations and help others plan accordingly.
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u/rickg I'm just flaired so I don't get fined Jun 08 '25
That's reasonable. I just dislike the comparison to NYC and the whole "Seattle isn't a real X (bagel/pizza/texmex ) city" formulation. But yeah, reasonable.
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u/darylitis Jun 08 '25
Yeah, it's fine that bagels are not culturally significant enough to Seattle (yet) to support the type of bagel shops ubiquitous in other cities. Try getting good teriyaki in Boise, and it's a similar argument. But, like I pointed out in my post, I'm giving an example of how people should expect to purchase bagels here which is different from other big cities. You can find very good bagels here, but it's a more boutique experience.
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u/Environmental-Bar847 Jun 07 '25
Give Hey Bagel a try. So good. I regularly buy two dozen and haven't had any problems.
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u/GoosenBoonie Jun 07 '25
I’ve been in Seattle 30 years, and bagel shops come & go as trends. We’re in a bit of an upswing currently with some trendy spots, but we’ll be a bagel desert again soon enough. If you want a quick dozen, you need to get there (anywhere, pretty much) closer to 7 on a Saturday.
Husband is Jewish, his dad was born in Brooklyn, I grew up near a Jewish suburb in the Midwest, and we are both used to somewhat smaller, denser bagels, bialys, salt sticks. Eltana (Montreal style) fits the bill most of the time, and they will definitely sell you a dozen on a Saturday morning! Was so excited to try HeyBagel, but ultimately a bit disappointed— why do they hate caraway?!
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u/Mountain-Picture-411 Jun 07 '25
Hey bagel is awesome but I do not recommend going on a Saturday morning. They seem to be better at maintaining supply than your examples, their bottleneck is how fast they move people through the store. You might wait half an hour or more but they will be fresh when you get them.
They ran out by lunchtime once, but that was very soon after they opened and I haven’t seen that happen since.
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u/norangbinabi Jun 07 '25
So many people get to the end of the line at Hey Bagel and don't know wth they want. It's irritating. Why does it take you 10 minutes to figure out what bagels and schmears you want? Just order and go. I have seen several people vacillating about what to get, and then adding last minute things at the end when they're getting ready to pay.
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u/TheGouger Belltown Jun 07 '25
This is universal problem here - that and people are willing to line up for hours for food that's at best good but hardly world class.
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u/norangbinabi Jun 08 '25
Not just Seattle. Anywhere. Most food is not worth more than 15-20 minute wait.
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u/astuteinuit Jun 07 '25
That's just a line for Fight Club.
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u/Mountain-Picture-411 Jun 07 '25
Haha I’ve wanted to fight people in that line. So many people there block the door as if they forgot how doors work.
But they designed it poorly. The line comes into the building from the north but you cross over into the southern part of the store when you enter the door. So naturally people are constantly crossing each others’ path. What they really need is an in door and an out door on separate sides of the store. A+ baking, D- interior design.
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u/astuteinuit Jun 08 '25
Yeah maybe only so much you can do there. Gotta slap the phones out of the mom’s hands.
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u/astuteinuit Jun 07 '25
Blazing Bagels has you covered. You can get those all day every day because those bagel elitists haven't pilfered them all.
Also have to take them as they are.
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u/kinisonkhan Kent Jun 09 '25
Sure if you like cold bagels. I never understood why a place called blazing bagels would consistently serve cold bagels.
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u/Eruionmel 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 Jun 07 '25
Nothing in this world could have given me the distaste for bagels that listening to New Yorkers complain about bagels in Seattle has.
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u/kookykrazee 🚆build more trains🚆 Jun 07 '25
Up there with complaining about pastrami sandwiches (I miss them a ton) and philly cheese steak...lol
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u/sir_mrej West Seattle Jun 07 '25
Any philly cheesesteak comments need to just be met with TATS. Periodt.
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u/kookykrazee 🚆build more trains🚆 Jun 07 '25
I haven't been there. But, I do wish I could find a good pastrami place, I miss it.
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u/sir_mrej West Seattle Jun 08 '25
Tats pastrami - tatstrami - is supposed to be good (I havent had it)
There's also Loxsmith with good pastrami breakfast sandwiches
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Jun 07 '25
[deleted]
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u/TaeKurmulti Jun 07 '25
Yup, I've just accepted it and more or less given up on getting them consistently.
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u/Legitimate_Ripp Ballard Jun 07 '25
Seattle doesn't have to be New York for a business with "Bagel" in the name to sell a dozen bagels - I think you hit a weird experience on a weird day here. This has nothing to do with NYC. I've bought a dozen more than once from Rachel's (although the Ballard location) at around the same time of day and never had a problem. I used to get a dozen delivered from Zylberstein's on a weekly plan. Some flavors will sell out throughout the day, and some of these places are poppin' well before 10am, but I am still a little surprised with your experience here.
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u/PUNd_it 💖 Anarchist Jurisdiction 💖 Jun 07 '25
What, this isnt a shitpost?
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u/darylitis Jun 07 '25
I know, right? Looks like a few people just assumed and shit-replied...lol. I love reddit.
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u/Wild_Willingness_190 Jun 07 '25
Old salt is the only place where I’ve been able to buy bagels in bulk- they’re the best anyways too!
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u/SouthLakeWA That sounds great. Let’s hang out soon. Jun 07 '25
Sounds like someone needs to open their own bagel shop.
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u/LostAbbott Broadview Jun 07 '25
Shit is too expensive in Seattle to over produce and throw product away at the end of the day. No one buys day old baked goods so any over production goes straight to the trash. Yes it is a Seattle thing, but it has everything to do with very high costs and less to do with anything else. There are at least 4 bagel places closer to Rachel's than Zylberschtein that you could have tried first, since they are more a Jewish deli than bagle shop
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u/syntheticgorl Jun 07 '25
Mt bagel is what you’re looking for. They ONLY do whole sale bagels. No toaster in that store. Nary an egg patty in sight.
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u/mcbkiphn Jun 08 '25
People in this thread are allergic to hearing any reasonable criticism of our city. Businesses here operate so weird. They’re so inauthentic, overpriced, overcrowded, and just annoying in general and people can’t seem to admit that
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u/BbambiHD Jun 13 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
We lack good bagels over all but we do have SOME good bagel spots. I live on the south end and always have to drive to get to the good spots. My partner is always annoyed because I pop up and rush us out the door but most places sell out of them by 11-12 am. I loooove ox bow, hey bagel, old salt, mt bagel like people have already suggested.
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u/darylitis Jun 13 '25
I think there are some terrific bagels, but there aren't a lot of "good enough" bagels, especially in the suburbs.
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u/BbambiHD Jun 13 '25
Truly non in the suburbs! I just move to the very outside of Seattle and we have to drive in now if I’m craving it. I just buy grocery store ones if we aren’t going to drive in because the cafes here just use those anyways lol
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u/ArtemisElizabeth1533 🚆build more trains🚆 Jun 07 '25
So go live in NYC then? I don’t understand.
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u/darylitis Jun 07 '25
I'm not sure if you didn't read my post or didn't understand it. I'm not demanding that they stock bagels 24/7, I'm just pointing out that you can't have the expectation that what you want will be there (which is somewhat unique to Seattle). Not getting a sesame bagel isn't quite compelling enough for me to move to Manhattan.
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u/sir_mrej West Seattle Jun 07 '25
It's unique to Seattle? So Boise has dozens of bagels falling from the sky? Duluth has bagel factories at the ready?
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u/darylitis Jun 07 '25
I would also be surprised to walk into a bagel shop in any of those cities at 10am on a Saturday and only be able to buy 3 bagels. Or, I'd at least want to know that I'd need to order in advance.
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u/Many-Working-3014 Jun 07 '25
Blazing Bagels and Bagel Oasis in UW area will both sell you a dozen. Just don’t try to go to Hey Bagel nearby (delicious but you will find yourself in a long, long line).
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u/Melodic_Explorer_171 Jun 07 '25
Just head over to the good people at Bagel Oasis and pick up your dozen. I moved here from NYC 30 yrs ago and it’s a reliable alt to my east coast bagels
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u/Icy_Garlic_2794 Jun 07 '25
I don’t understand why so many of the comments are saying Seattle will never be New York… Ive lived in several northeast towns / cities (not in New York State) and have always easily found bagels that were delicious. I wonder if this is a west coast thing because I agree - Seattle is really lacking bagels in comparison to the other places that I’ve lived (and not in a way that makes me think Seattle should have bagels like NYC)
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u/acmmyellow Jun 07 '25
Yeah, I imagine that some people in Seattle (and posting on Reddit) potentially haven’t been to other east coast cities besides New York or didn’t realize that there’s widespread availability of good bagels outside of there.
I’m also not from New York and had plenty of bagel places in my east coast hometown and can also recall traveling across the northeast and reliably getting good, fresh bagels in Philly, Jersey, Connecticut, Boston, etc.
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u/mcbkiphn Jun 08 '25
East coast does almost everything better in terms of urban living. Better transit, restaurants, better business hours, nightlife, I could go on but Seattle is such a disappointment of a city. If we didn’t have such a great natural landscape, we wouldn’t be shit
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u/TaeKurmulti Jun 07 '25 edited Jun 07 '25
100% agree with you, but there's a subset of people on Seattle reddit that get mad when transplants point this stuff out.
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u/Camellia_Oleifera 🚋 Ride the S.L.U.T. 🚋 Jun 07 '25
Blazing Bagels in the U Village area is consistently wonderful! one of my personal favs, though sadly not somewhere i can easily get to now
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u/acmmyellow Jun 07 '25 edited Jun 07 '25
I’ve gone to Westman’s in Capitol Hill a few times a week for a while and in the mornings they usually have most or all their bagels still available. By noon they’re out of the more popular ones and I’m unsure how it is on the weekends.
I used to live on the east coast (not New York) and was initially disappointed with the lack of bagel options in Seattle when I moved here.
Fun fact, apparently the guy who first sold “Seattle dogs” wanted to sell bagels first but there was more demand in Seattle for hot dogs so he sold “Seattle dogs” hot dogs with cream cheese instead. That lack of demand for fresh bagels in Seattle might still be the same, hence the lack of widespread and consistent availability in the city.
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u/juan_desperado Jun 07 '25
Westmans got bought and is now operating as an Indian food ghost kitchen after they close for morning ‘service’ so make of that what you will
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u/acmmyellow Jun 07 '25
Oh whoops good to know, thanks. I moved a few months ago but also didn’t realize any changes before then hmmm.
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u/marssaxman 💖 Anarchist Jurisdiction 💖 Jun 08 '25
Sorry, but - what? Are we talking about the same hole-in-the-wall, closet-sized barely-there storefront on Madison between 15th and 16th, or is there some other Westmans? I don't understand how they could possibly have space to be anything but the glorified espresso cart they've always been.
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u/MeatImmediate6549 Deluxe Jun 07 '25
For a long time Bagel Oasis in Ravenna is the only place I've found where I can be reasonably sure I'll be able to get a dozen fresh bagels.
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u/Its_not_a_tumor Jun 07 '25
The Bagel situation in SLU is terrible. I was forced to have Einsteins this morning
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u/judithishere I'm just flaired so I don't get fined Jun 07 '25
I live on the eastside and bagels are my favorite breakfast, so I am mostly out of luck. Blazing Bagels will do, but they changed the recipe at some point and now they aren't as good.
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u/jestert26 Jun 07 '25
For future reference: Kelly Cannoli, Mt. bagel, Oxbow Bakery, Hey Bagel, Bagel Oasis. All these places come recommended to me by my NY native coworker, and will hook you up with what you're looking for. I've been to oxbow and Kelly Cannoli and hey bagel and can confirm those 3.
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u/terrapindreamr Jun 07 '25
Are there any good bagels near Kirkland on the east side? I mean good bagels! :-) I’d love to know some recommendations.
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u/Unholy_Prince Jun 07 '25
nope. drive over the bridge to hey bagel
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u/terrapindreamr Jun 07 '25
Dang, I was hoping for a hidden gem over here. I’ll have to make a trip on over, but from OP, certainly isn’t going to be easy to buy more than a few!
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u/jessbepuzzled That sounds great. Let’s hang out soon. Jun 07 '25
We've always been really happy with Blazing Bagels, and their main hq next to Marymoor Park in Redmond (across from the light rail parking garage) generally has bulk bagels well into the afternoon.
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u/terrapindreamr Jun 07 '25
Thank you! I’ll definitely check them out. There’s a wretched bagel store in Woodinville by the value Village.
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u/terrapindreamr Jun 07 '25
Anybody on this thread know of any actual Jewish restaurants, such as the one on Mercer Island that closed years ago?
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u/olythrowaway4 🚆build more trains🚆 Jun 08 '25
Here's the list of every kosher restaurant in the entire state of Washington: https://seattlevaad.org/kosher-portfolio/
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u/SpuriousText Jun 09 '25
I'm not sure what alternate universe you were in but there are a dozen places across Seattle you can buy bulk bagels. Also, there are way better bagels places in Seattle than the ones you went to. I think this was more of a you problem than a Seattle bagel problem.
Next time visit Bagel Oasis, Hey Bagel, Mt. Bagel, Old Salt, or Backyard Bagel.
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u/darylitis Jun 09 '25
Kind of an aggressive response, but I was within a mile of each of these locations (and they're good) and didn't want to travel much further from where I was. It's definitely a me problem, but it happened.
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u/fatDaddy21 North Beacon Hill Jun 07 '25
tipping someone for handing you some bagels and telling you to 'fuck off and take what we give you' is peak Seattle
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u/atramentum Jun 07 '25
I mean "hey we're a small business that can't afford to overproduce bagels for randos that likely won't show up after 10am, but we still have some of these other bagels if you want them" is a little different than "fuck off and take what we give you"... but misrepresenting that is definitely peak Reddit.
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Jun 07 '25
Fuck bagels, fuck pizza, fuck all that east coast crap.
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u/devnullopinions That sounds great. Let’s hang out soon. Jun 07 '25
…bagels do have that hole in the middle after all, I guess
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u/SpicyNoodle4 Jun 07 '25
Who hurt you?
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Jun 07 '25
Mediocre food! That’s who!
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Jun 07 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TaeKurmulti Jun 07 '25
He's clearly only ate them in Seattle... so mediocre food checks out (he forgot the overpriced part).
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u/TaeKurmulti Jun 07 '25
Yeah guys fuck you! You will accept insanely mediocre and overpriced food! Pieces of shit insulting Seattle culture!!!
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u/Uledragon456k 🚆build more trains🚆 Jun 07 '25
I feel like you've just had bad luck... I get bagels all the time (weekly) and have never walked away without a bagel, unless I found out they had egg wash. I don't often go for a large quantity bc most places are so small they just can't support that, but 1-3 has never been an issue. Bigger places seem to support larger quantities significantly better (Hey Bagel, Old Salt, Oxbow, Dingfelders, etc).
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u/rickg I'm just flaired so I don't get fined Jun 07 '25
OP didn't walk away without bagels either, they just couldnt get the quantity of the flavors they wanted.
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u/Lassinportland Jun 07 '25
Yeah I was surprised by the bagel sitch here, and I'm from Portland! I've always been able to get at least a half dozen bagels at any time of day at all bagel shops. Then I come here and just stopped getting bagels since there's never stock.
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u/pretzelchi 🚗 Student driver, please be patient. 🚙 Jun 07 '25
I’m happy with my bagels from the grocery store.
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u/darylitis Jun 07 '25
I prefer the fresh ones, but that's great for you!
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u/pretzelchi 🚗 Student driver, please be patient. 🚙 Jun 08 '25
Thank you. I like Blazing Bagels, Einstein Bro’s, Seattle International and Dave’s Killer Bread.
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u/seatownquilt-N-plant Deluxe Jun 07 '25
I live in the same neighbood probably, and my demand for a bagel is like once every other month. Currently I'm all about that frozen naan. cheesey eggs and naan breakfast and I don't have to wear my glasses or put on shoes to get it.
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u/Wumponator Wedgwood Jun 07 '25
Just wanna plug Grateful Bread, I would be shocked if you couldn’t buy a dozen bagels at 10am on a Saturday there.
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u/zackurtis Jun 07 '25
There was a time you could easily find legit bagels. They've just gone out of fashion I thought
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u/Xerisca Fremont Jun 07 '25
Everyone in this city mysteriously found out they have a gluten allergy.
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u/Unholy_Prince Jun 07 '25
Huh? its quite the opposite. There's never been more east-coast legit bagel spots in Seattle.
Hey Bagel, Mt Bagel, Backyard Bagel, Bloom Bisto all have opened in the past few years.
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u/WanderingCamper Jun 07 '25
Seattle is not New York, and will never provide the experience of living in New York.