Are bagels just sandwiches now?

So many bagel shops, and reviews of them, are about everything but the bagel

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Credit: Jack Eats Everything / Secret London

I promised a Part II to my “We hold these bagel truths to be self-evident” post, and that’s still coming. I’m still weaving my way across Europe and wanted to wait until I’m back in Seattle when I have time to drill down on my “rock-solid bagel beliefs,” especially after having so many of them tested during this trip.

As I was planning this European excursion, I did a Google search for the best bagels in Amsterdam. The results included various video reviews from influencers who had sampled the Dutch city’s wares and could claim to have found the very best. In almost every one of those videos, the opening shot was of a loaded bagel sandwich cut in half and split open so that the camera could take in the copious layers of goodness within. The point was to draw your attention to everything between the two bready slices.

“That’s all well and good,” I thought, “but what about, you know, the bagel?”

I’m writing this in London, the fifth stop on the European tour. In almost every city, I’ve eaten at least one bagel, which isn’t necessarily a sentence I’m proud to write. (Fear not, I’ve had my fill of croissants, baguettes, and pastries, too). Some cities, like Amsterdam, boasted a bagel scene that ran the gamut from trendy line-around-the-corner shops to blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bakeries. Others, like Paris, seemed to be aware of the bagel as an idea but lacked any desire to elevate it.

I’ve got plenty of reviews to come in the weeks ahead, so no spoilers yet. But wherever I went, I was forced to reckon with the notion that the bagel was mainly seen as a sandwich distribution system. In other words, even when a place had bagels in the name and highlighted bagels on its menu, it was effectively a sandwich shop.

I was already thinking about this in America. I often see our bagel shops promoted through visuals of their over-the-top sandwich presentations or artisanal ingredient designs. When someone shows you what they think is the best bagel in town, you barely see the bagel itself.

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It makes sense in a few obvious ways. One, it’s literally a bread product. It exists to be be a base for schmears and toppings. Two, a sandwich-like presentation with vibrant ingredients works a whole lot better on social media than just holding up a bagel to the camera.

If you’ve read this site long enough or are at least familiar with my rankings, you know that I don’t even consider sandwiches (unless the business focuses on them). I’m here to find the best bagels, full stop. If they also happen to make an amazing beetroot hummus-slathered, kimchi-glazed brisket and smoked salmon bagel sandwich, may it be a blessing.

That’s why the whole presentation is odd to me. You wouldn’t present someone with a hoagie (sub sandwich for non-Northeasterners) and say, “This is the best bread roll in town,” or show off a taco and tell me, “This is Seattle’s best tortilla!”

But that’s not how most people think about bagels. At least, that’s what I’ve learned. It’s all part of the bagel’s de-ethnicization process that’s been happening since Murray Lender introduced America to bad bagels. Many people now view them as a means to an end, not a product itself. I think that’s why we’re awash in mediocre bagels. And if I can get on my high horse for a second, it’s why it’s so hard to accept so many bagel rankings/reviews out there at face value.

@amsterdamfoodzOne of the best bagel spots in Amsterdam😍🥯 Have you tried it? #Amsterdamcity #amsterdamfood #amsterdamtok #foodtok #foodlover

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Of course, not everyone feels this way. Andrew Rubinstein told me that when he started Hey Bagel, he wanted his bagels to be “objects of themselves,” which I appreciated. And many other shops in Seattle and beyond pride themselves on their bagels first and foremost. The sandwiches and toppings are part of the whole package but not the complete story.

I said no spoilers, but I can tell you that even though Europe invented the bagel, they have forgotten how to make good ones. I found that in most shops I sampled, the bagel was the ingredient that received the least amount of care. You could have swapped it out for a roll and no one would have cared or noticed.

Maybe that’s the point I’m trying to get at. It’s logical to turn the bagel into a sandwich distribution system, but to sacrifice the attention and quality is to disrespect this humble bread circle and what makes a good one so incredibly good. Without that, you’re just using the bagel’s status as an emoji food to sell sandwiches.

Coincidentally, an acquaintance on Bluesky recently passed along some info on a place that proudly steams its bagels (which is a whole other article). What was interesting was their description for the business, which they said, “We’re not a bagel shop. We’re a sandwich shop that just makes bagel sandwiches…” I found that description to be incredibly honest and appreciated.

A sandwich shop that uses bagels. That aptly describes a lot of European places I’ve visited in the past two weeks. And I think that describes more than a few places back in the States as well, if they’d be willing to admit it. Perhaps it would help inform the way reviewers and influencers discuss bagels as well.

All of that said, for what it’s worth, I’m not going to eat your “steamer.” My standards aren’t high, but they do exist.

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward this link their way.