I had been to the old place once and there were so many people in line and I was turned off by the small size so I never tried them. The rock hard hockey pucks were a few months ago.
I will look, thanks!! My favorite bagel places so far are
Bagel Broker
(and I really need to check out Pops, Bueller’s and some others I’ve driven past without stopping.) I will eat a Western because it’s still tasty bread even though I do not really consider it a bagel.
Thanks for the pic and yup, that’s them. @Gr8pimpin is right, Westen Bagels are more like tasty bread. Sigh. How funny Ralph’s can ship dough from NYC and Costco can’t! (Or won’t.)
Thanks for the list @Gr8pimpin.
I knew of some of them, I have had Belle’s and like them very much but $17 for a dozen? Gulp. The big surprise on your list is Abraham’s. I had not heard of them, looked them up and wow. Their bagels look awesome! The nest time I am in that area I will hit them up.
This place isn’t cheap either but the bagels are, to my taste, better than Western. These are actually chewy and the poppyseed is richly covered in poppy seeds (I hate it when folks skimp on that.)
Yes! My sister just told me about this place last week. She loved it but I trust her opinion far less than yours I passed by a couple times… yeah I need to check it out.
As for Belle’s, aren’t they cheaper than Brooklyn Bagel Bakery? I thought it was like $19-20 for a dozen for a 3oz “fun size” bagel,
Abraham was an I&Joy turned Manhattan turned Abraham (like NYB&D) but I think they are similar to I&Joy.
That is my one pet peeve with Abraham too. Sometimes they are too light. I think toppings fall off in the bin. I am a salt bagel lover so if a place doesn’t use the coarse salt, or there are only a few flecks of salt it really chaps my hide LOL .
Come to think of it that is another thing I did not like a about Brooklyn Bagel Bakery, is that salt/poppy thing. The salt was like table salt, and who the hell mixes it with poppyseeds anyway? That’s something I would expect to see from Brooklyn Iowa not Brooklyn New York.
On one hand - no bagels? That’s awful! On the other hand - wow the other items look fabulous!
As for California Eatery, it’s owned by the same folks who own “Donut Hut” in Burbank. So when you enter, to the right is a huge display of donuts. To the center - the bagels. When I was there, they had just opened and when I asked if they had day old or frozen, the sweet gal just blinked at me. It may be different now.
I love donuts but don’t buy too many of them - or I’d be as wide as I am tall! But, Donut Hut had made a few “best of” lists and I was in the area so I checked them out and I liked them. Oddly enough what I first liked was that, in the parking lot, by the trash can? A giant empty flour bag. Not a mix or a blend - just flour. Which means they are a from scratch place. They did not have a buttermilk bar (which is my fav) but we got a few classics (my husband is a cake doughnut fan) and the blueberry cake donut? Yummy.
Did a search and found this video which is a tad too hip for me (they talk about how Instagramable it is and I duck from all cameras) but it does give you a good feel for the place and the doughnuts. It’s seven minutes long so if you don’t want to watch just know they say the place is excellent for classic donuts (no unicorn doughnuts) and, the prices are good. The Best Donuts In Los Angeles - The Doughnut Hut Burbank - Stranger To My City - YouTube
Wow! Passed this place a million times. Who’d a thunk it? Thanks so much! Before I get back on my low carb I need to OD on carbs like bagels and donuts. LOL
Well, there are tons of lists. But it had appeared on enough, and was close, I was willing to give it a shot. If you want new wave, cool cutting edge doughnuts - I’d say don’t go there. But if you want classics, done well, with some fun choices that won’t break the bank - sure. Yes. Get some for me too : )
As for California Eatery, I confess, I haven’t had their “real” food, so I can’t help (sorry!). It’s a perfect (for me) girlfriend meet up place as we can go, get coffee and catch up. And then if we want to add on a snack (for me, plain poppyseed bagel for the win) or a smoothie and then nab bags of baked goods to take home to our hubbies - it’s all doable. And they have parking!
My sister and her SO just ate there. He’s a regular and says their egg dishes, crepes, and waffles are good. She said she was looking at the other tables when she was there… lots of good looking sandwiches. Though she loved the donuts and cronuts.
Not sure about my sister as a source, except for sweets, so YMMV.
I went this morning and had half a salt and a half of a “bialy” UN-toasted with cream cheese.
Perfect. Bagel was crispy on the outside, chewy inside but Not doughy. Nice dousing of coarse salt. The “bialy” was crispy on the top, slightly crunchy on the bottom. When Abraham is on their game and you get them fresh, they are hard for me to beat.
Okay, now I have to go and have breakfast there! Thanks for the update!
So funny, years ago, if you told me that I’d be happy about a bakers dozen bagels for $12, I’d have said you were nutty. But that’s the price for a bakers dozen at California Eatery. Order Online | California Eatery
And as a comparison? Bialy’s Bagels, my old go to place in University Heights that recently changed owners, is now $13 for a bakers dozen. In Ohio. With cheaper rents. Wowza.
But, Brooklyn Bagel doesn’t give you a bakers dozen and their bagels are only 3oz. So they are exceptionally pricey. And I think they are over $19 per dozen, aren’t they? I thought they were like $1.60 each with no special dozen pricing.
BTW, Brooklyn Bagels bialys seemed like remembered them from back east with the onion piled in the middle. Abraham and NYB&D have a thing they call a bialy but it’s really not. Still good though.
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