Can I find a good Seattle bagel at... Aaron's Bagels
Can a delivery-only bagel match up against the brick-and-mortars?
Welcome to It’s A Shanda, one Northeastern Jew’s quest to find a decent bagel in Seattle (and beyond). If you’re interested in taking this journey with me, make sure you subscribe so you never miss a review. If you want to ensure I review any specific bagels (or want to let me know why I’m wrong), you can email me at seanmatthewkeeley@gmail.com.
I started this bagel journey with the understanding that I was looking to recapture a feeling. The sense memory of what it was like to walk into the bagel shops of my youth.
However, that idea was at odds with the fact that Mt. Bagel, my presumptive champion before they moved away, was an entirely online experience, devoid of any tangible sensations that make the bagel ordering experience what it is.
I suppose that, in the end, a great bagel is a great bagel, no matter how you get it. And we’ve certainly visited plenty of Seattle brick-and-mortar shops that failed to recapture anything resembling what I love about the bagel experience, let alone offer a good bagel with cream cheese.
The internet opened up a world of possibilities to us all and the pandemic helped usher in a new era of small-batch baked goods businesses. I recently had a chance to try the pop-up bagel taking over Tacoma, but there are plenty of like-minded bagel makers purveying right here in Seattle. Whether it’s a weekend pop-up or online order deliveries, you don’t have to settle for the bagel shop down the street anymore, so long as you don’t mind a little wait.
Among the small batch online bagelries that have popped up recently is Aaron’s Bagels. Per their website, owners Aaron and Emily are “Ballard locals trying to make Seattle's best bagel.”
The best I can tell they started selling their wares late last year and they seem to have built a following already. Their charming packaging helps them to stand out and you can mix and match several flavors, including plain (which they call “naked”), everything, salt, poppy seed, and jalapeno cheddar. They also have several schmears and you can throw in some Caffe Vita coffee while you’re at it.
The bells and whistles all make it an enjoyable ordering experience, but as mentioned above, ultimately, it all comes down to the bagels themselves.
WHAT I ORDERED
Everything bagel as is
Plain bagel as is
THE EXPERIENCE
When I placed my order for bagels on their website, I was provided with a handful of upcoming days on which they could be delivered. The earliest date possible was a week or so out so I went with that. After they had to reschedule my order, I got a 10% off discount, which was appreciated, and I eventually got my box of bagels hand-delivered.
I ordered six bagels in total and they arrived in a charming box along with some instructions on how to best store them. I ordered two plain, two everything, a salt, and a “Salish Sea Greens” bagel, which appears to be a specialty that comes and goes from the menu. For the purposes of the review, as always, I chose one plain and one everything. But I did appreciate the presentation, which resembled the kind of display usually reserved for high-end cupcakes.
I did forget to order cream cheese, so both reviews are based on the bagels as is. But as you’ll see, I imagine that the bagels hold up pretty well to cream cheese application.
UPON FIRST GLANCE
I really liked the coloring on both bagels. An intense golden brown that you love to see. The plain had a really interesting swirling design that implied an authentic hand-rolled bagel. It also indicated some interesting bites ahead, taking advantage of those texture points.
The seed hand was strong with the everything bagel. And, dare I say, I think I spotted some salt on there.
TOP
The plain bagel top featured that swirling design that was certainly intriguing. It was soft to the touch, however, and I didn’t get much crispness from the exterior.
The same goes for the everything bagel, which hid its golden coloring under a steady seed hand.
BOTTOM
Both bottoms matched the tops in terms of softness. They also both featured some of that same golden brownness that we like to see. There were also some exciting crannies on both bottoms, implying some textural intrigue. The bottom of the everything bagel incorporated some good seeding, which is always welcome.
INSIDE/BITE
The plain bagel offered a soft and doughy center. While it didn’t have much in the way of crunch, it was a pleasant bite. There was a hint of crispness, likely from the ways the swirled dough baked on the exterior, but the lack of crunch was offset by a firm interior that maintained integrity very well. It wasn’t pillowy by any means, but it had an enjoyable “give” factor while chewing.
The interior of the bagel had a slight sourdough smell and I actually felt like the combination of the texture, smell, and slight crispness reminded me at times of a soft pretzel. Perhaps not exactly what I want when eating a bagel, but also not unpleasant like other sourdough bagels have been.
The everything bagel also didn’t have much crunch but featured the same soft-but-not-pillowy interior and slight pretzel-y smell. Couple that with the everything seasoning, which did indeed include salt (THANK YOU JEEBUS) and it was a delicious bite.
The sturdiness of the bagel was what really stood out to me. I’ve eaten a lot of bagels on this journey that have soft interiors that seemingly melt in your mouth (not in a good way). I’ve also eaten a lot of bagels with a dense or stale interior that makes them inedible. But this bagel is different in that it maintains a stalwart interior that is also enjoyable to bite into. What it creates is a pretty ideal schmear and sandwich application base. You could probably load this bagel up with a slew of items and it would maintain its integrity while also being an appealing bite. It’s a rare balance.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I truly didn’t know what to expect from Aaron’s Bagels. I feel like the small-batch bagel delivery business model has the potential to go really well or really badly. It would be easy to put the onus on making everything Instagram-worthy without worrying as much about the quality.
But that’s not the case here. There’s very clearly a lot of care put into making a good bagel. I might quibble over some aspects, but at the end of the day, this is one of the better bagels I’ve had in Seattle, and I’d have no problem saying it’s better than many of the highly regarded bagel shops in town.
Is It Good Enough For The Goys?
Absolutely. There are certainly a lot of options out there for bagel runs and catering needs. But I think a place like Aaron’s Bagels acts like a good alternative for special occasions, especially for the Seattle-based bagel lover in your life. I have to imagine all the people who message me to say Rachel’s, Eltana, and Blazing Bagels are, in fact, good and would benefit from trying these ones out.
Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?
I’m gonna level with you, my fellow Northeastern Jews. I don’t usually like it when people send me bagels from New York. They’re either mass-produced or watered-down versions of a once-good bagel (Hi, Zabar’s) or they simply don’t travel well. I’d much rather get something local like a box of Aaron’s Bagels delivered to my doorstep. I’d encourage those of you here in the PNW to give them a shot, too. (And they also do pop-ups).
MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR
Aaron’s Bagels
OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS
Howdy Bagel (Tacoma)
Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Mt. Vernon, Whidbey Island)
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