Can I find a good Seattle bagel at... Backyard Bagel
Can I find a good Seattle bagel at... Backyard Bagel
What started as a pandemic hobby has become a full-fledged bagel shop.
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 make sure I review any specific bagels (or want to let me know why I’m wrong), you can email me at seanmatthewkeeley@gmail.com.
A little over a year ago I ordered a charming box of bagels off the internet from Aaron’s Bagels and discovered that this startup was serving some of the best in town.
A few months later I met with owner Aaron Emas at the industrial kitchen he was cooking out of to learn more about this pandemic hobby turned full-fledged bagel business.
In the months that followed, I watched Aaron’s Bagels come into its own at farmer’s markets across Seattle, cementing its place as a valued member of the Seattle bagel scene and racking up long lines wherever they set up shop.
The transformation from Aaron’s Bagels to Backyard Bagel preceded the inevitable: Their first brick-and-mortar location, which is set to open on Wednesday, July 17 at 4310 Fremont Ave. N in Fremont.
I can’t help but feel a little bit like Vince Vaughn at the end of Swingers… “Our little baby’s all growns up.”
While I’ve reviewed them twice before, I’m going to treat this like a first-timer since it’s under a new name and as part of their store offerings. Not to mention that the experience of ordering from the shop creates an entirely new dynamic worth discussing. So let’s get into it.
And if you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find that here.
WHAT I ORDERED
Plain bagel ($3.00)
Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese ($5.50)
Jalapeño Cheddar bagel ($3.00)
THE EXPERIENCE
When I first lived in Seattle I lived in Fremont. In fact, I lived just a few blocks from Backyard Bagel’s location. I would have killed for this place back then. North Fremont was always a cool mini-neighborhood but now, thanks to Uneeda Burger, Reuben’s Brews, Daybreak Records, Backyard, and other places, it’s a bona fide hangout spot.
Backyard is located on the street level of a new mixed-use complex in what’s become a very walkable stretch of the neighborhood. The exterior space feels new without being gaudy in that way so much new construction can. There’s a cute row of tables outside to enjoy the sunny summer days.
Before you walk in, you’re greeted with the best piece of signage any bagel place can ever have. A neon “Hot Bagels” sign. An absolutely spot-on choice.
Inside, the aesthetic is clean, spartan, and bright. Flowers and plants dot many of the surfaces to give it some vibrancy. The bagel baskets greet you on the back wall and the counter space splits with food to the left and coffee to the right.
While it was a soft opening, it’s clear there was a palpable buzz in the community. A steady stream of people kept showing up. The staff was incredibly friendly even while working out the kinks that come with opening a new store.
UPON FIRST GLANCE
Just looking at the bagels in the baskets as I ordered, they looked the part. It seemed like they’d gotten a good bake, the coloring was on point, and they seemed to be a solid size. I wasn’t surprised as I’ve long liked Emas’s bagels and the way he bakes them. I didn’t detect any drop-off due to the change in operation.
TOP
The top of the plain bagel was a beautiful golden brown full of blisters. The bagel itself was a good size overall with a medium-tight center. The top was soft to the touch with some crinkling. Overall, a really nice-looking bagel from above.
As for the everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, a shout-out to the fact that they cut it in half, which is something of a lost art around these parts. A bit more bulbous than the plain, this one had a softer top.
There was a very strong seed hand at work here, with some good-looking black sesame. Overall, it looked garlic- and onion-forward.
BOTTOM
One note I had for the plain bagel is that the bottom was very flat, giving it a dome-like shape overall. That said, the bottom was very firm, if not knockable. There was no Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD) present.
As always appreciated, the everything bottom was covered in seasoning as well, though this side was more poppy seed-heavy. Not that I was complaining. The bottom was firm to the touch and there was no CRoD present.
INSIDE/BITE
The plain bagel offered a soft rip to start. I noted some nice textural bits thanks to the crispiness of the exterior. The interior was pillowy but not too airy or dense. The bagel had a decent rebound after each bite as well. I also detected little wisps of salt, which really helped elevate the flavor and eating experience.
The everything bagel came with a very substantial cream cheese application. You could very easily open it up and eat each half individually and not feel like you were missing any schmear. Between the seasoning and the scallion, it made for a very flavorful bite. I didn’t get a ton of texture from the exterior but the bagel ate very well overall. There was a medium rebound once again as the interior held its own against the moisture of the cream cheese. I also noted some salt in the everything mix (AS GOD INTENDED).
The cream cheese itself seemed whipped, which isn’t my preference. I prefer a schmear with a little more weight. That said, I did like the scallion flavor, though the substantial everything seasoning is the star (ironically this is flipped from how I felt the last time).
As a bonus, I also ordered a jalapeño cheddar bagel. I am planning on doing a Seattle jalapeño cheddar roundup at some point but I couldn’t resist ordering one now as these looked pretty good. I gotta say, between the good cheese-to-jalapeño ratio, the solid-but-not-overpowering cheese flavor, spicy-but-not-too-spicy jalapeños, and the high quality of the bagel itself, this might be the best jalapeño cheddar bagel I’ve ever had? The gauntlet has been thrown down for sure.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I came into this review expecting Backyard Bagel to maintain the quality that preceded it as Aaron’s Bagels. I was not disappointed. They’ve evolved their recipe over time but I think they’ve arrived at a good place. The plain bagel held its own and made me want to eat another one, which is some of the highest praise I can give. The cream cheese wasn’t my vibe, but I appreciated that I got a lot of bold flavor out of everything I ate. Somehow, there’s something to be said for an everything bagel that packs a punch, and that’s what I got here.
Is It Good Enough For The Goys?
The goyim have been chowing down on these bagels for months at Seattle farmers markets and I have no doubt they’ll be lining up in Fremont from now on as well. The menu is simple but boasts a solid collection of bagel flavors, schmear options, and sandwiches. One of the sandwiches even has micro basil on it. The goyim LOVE micro basil.
Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?
I’ve had Aaron’s Bagels/Backyard Bagel near the top of my Seattle rankings since I first tried them. That remains the case. I’m thrilled that Fremont has this bagel to call its own and it’s an exciting time for bagel fans in that part of the city.
MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR (7/15/24)
Hey Bagel - 1st visit
Bloom Bistro - 1st visit
Loxsmith Bagels (West Seattle) - 1st visit
Sully Eats - 1st visit
Rachel's Bagels & Burritos - 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit
Macrina Bakery - 1st visit
Eltana (Wallingford) - 1st visit
Westman’s (U District) - 1st visit
Blazing Bagels (Ravenna) - 1st visit
Einstein Bros. Bagels (U Village) - 1st visit
Dingfelder’s - 1st visit
Kelly’s Cannoli - 1st visit
Bagelbop - 1st visit
OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS (6/3/24)
The Bagelry (Bellingham)
Howdy Bagel (Tacoma)
The Cottage Bakery (Edmonds)
Shawn’s Cafe & Bakery (Mercer Island)
Coquette Bake Shop (Bainbridge Island)
Caffe Vino Olio (Vashon Island)
Rubinstein Bagels (Redmond)
Good Bagels Cafe (Anacortes)
Mustard Seed Baking Co. (Stanwood)
Blazing Bagels (Redmond)
Otherside Bagel Co. (Bellingham)
Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Mt. Vernon)
Woodinville Bagel Bakery (Woodinville)
Big Apple Bagels (Bellevue)
You can find my full rankings here.
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? Forward this link their way.
Great suggestion! Also, thanks, Sean, for adding the jalapeno cheese bagel this time. I feel some guilt about my love of these.
Thanks for all the thorough bagel reviews. Very insightful and fun to read. May I make a suggestion? As you list your rankings at the end, could you add the neighborhood locations of the ones that don’t have them already? I live in West Seattle, a bagel desert, so if I venture across the bridge, I can find me some bagels without having to reopen and reread multiple reviews.