Can I find a good Seattle bagel at... Bagel Oasis

A Seattle bagel with crunch? Is that legal?

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.

Crunch.

It’s one of the quintessential sensations that you want when eating a bagel. It also happens to be one of the hardest aspects to find in the wild without toasting (which you shouldn’t have to).

Good luck getting any crunch out of a supermarket bagel. The same goes for most of the bagels you find at the local cafe or bagel shop. Turns out, during this campaign, I’ve come to realize it’s pretty friggin’ hard to find at literally any bagel place.

Short of the fact that almost every bagel place I’ve been to so far doesn’t put salt on their everything bagels, the most fascinating trend I’ve noticed is that all of their bagels have been described as crunchy when the reality is anything but.

The specific qualms have varied but the one constant that I found across Zylberschtein's, Rachel’s, Westman’s, Eltana, and Loxsmith is that crunch is essentially nonexistent.

It’s a shame because I think a lot of people have gotten accustomed to eating bagels that lack any kind of crispy or crunchy texture and they’re missing out on a vital part of the experience. The satisfying crunch of the first bite. The crispy bottom maintaining the integrity of the bagel while you eat. The way the crunches interplay with the schmears. It’s integral to a good bagel, and yet, it seems to be the first thing to go.

Another thing all of those aforementioned bagel places have in common is they all tend to show up on the lists of “best bagels in Seattle.” That’s part of why they’ve all been disappointing in one way or another. However, having stepped off the beaten path of “best bagels” in town, and realized that better bagels exist off of it, I feel like I can definitively say that all of those lists and rankings and top picks are bullshit, based either on sheer laziness, a lack of good bagel understanding, or preference given to certain restauranteurs and bagel purveyors in the food industry.

Because as soon as I took one bite from my Bagel Oasis bagel, it was fundamentally clear that it was a better bagel than any of those previous ones and it wasn’t even close.

Let’s back up for a second.

Unlike most of the previous entries, I can’t really uncover too much about Bagel Oasis’s history. The Ravenna bagel spot has seemingly gotten lost in the shuffle, tucked away in a corner of North Seattle since it opened in 1988. There are no articles about them on Eater Seattle (other than a mention of when they helped with restaurant worker relief during the pandemic). There are no Seattle Met pieces about proposed expansion or pop-ups. I can’t find any interviews with the owner discussing the keys to a good bagel and why theirs is better.

They’re just out there, making bagels, doing their thing, all the while watching Seattle whip itself into a frenzy over other bagel places that come and go.

There’s instantly something charming about it. Back east, the best bagel places were always the unassuming ones. Tiny mom & pops tucked in suburban shopping centers off Route 9. Nothing fancy. Charmingly old-fashioned. Less interested in Instagram-worthy decor than making sure the bagel baskets are always stocked. It’s workmanlike and efficient and lowkey and exactly what you want out of the neighborhood bagel shop.

Of course, the bagels themselves still have to be good to keep people coming back, right? And they do. The Ravenna locals are apparently fiercely loyal to their bagel spot. So let’s talk about why that appears to be the case.

And if you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find that here.

WHAT I ORDERED

• Untoasted everything bagel with scallion cream cheese.

• Untoasted plain bagel as-is.

• Untoasted sesame bagel as-is.

THE EXPERIENCE

As alluded to above, something was charming about the unassuming residential location for Bagel Oasis. It does feel like it’s tucked away from the busy retail hubs where so many of the previous bagel shops can be found. And yet, there was a healthy and consistent line of customers the whole time I was there on Saturday.

There’s definitely a bit of an East Coast suburban restaurant vibe happening inside, which I say in positive terms. The setup, booths, and menu board all reminded me of pizza places and sandwich shops I frequented as a kid.

One thing I loved was that the bagels are front and center on the counter. You can peruse the baskets to see what looks fresh and what’s running low. That’s also how I ended up ordering the extra sesame bagel as it simply looked too perfectly golden brown to pass up.

UPON FIRST GLANCE

The first thing that struck me about the everything bagel was the coloring. Not of the seeds but of the bagel itself. That dark brown isn’t something you tend to see a lot out here and it was a welcome sight. The sign of potential crispiness ahead, though I was ready to be burned like I had so many times before. I was also excited to see some bubbles rippling across the top of the bagel.

The plain, I will admit, seemed to go the other direction. It was so light by comparison it almost appeared to be undercooked. With that in mind, I could help but notice the sesame bagel looked pretty perfect by comparison with a deep golden brown bake on the top. My wariness about the plain caused me to consider the sesame just in case.

TOP

On the first bite into the everything bagel, the crunchiness was confirmed. Hallelujah! A bagel with actual crunch to it in Seattle! Miracles do happen! It should be noted it wasn’t an overwhelming crunch, it maintained a chewy bagelness, but that texture really made the difference.

Sadly, the everything mix once again did not include salt, which, as usual, allowed some of the other seeds and seasonings to overwhelm the bagel. This time it was the garlic and onion. One day I will solve this salt-less mystery.

One bite into the plain definitely confirmed that it was indeed underbaked compared to its counterparts. That said, one thing I really liked about the bagel was that when I pressed it, it started to crack. I’ve never seen another Seattle bagel do that. It requires the exterior of the bagel to have true crispiness that even stands up to a lesser bake.

As for the sesame, the top was extremely crunchy and bubbly. The sesame distribution was solid and ample. Definitely the best-looking and best bite of the bunch.

One little bonus thing I noticed was that, on the sesame bagel, the inner ring of the bagel was really soft, which was a nice touch to compliment the crunchy top.

INSIDE

One thing all three of the bagels shared was a soft interior. The plain was probably the fluffiest, which was interesting, but all three maintained a soft counterbalance to the crunchy exterior.

The scallion cream cheese actually had some scallion flavor to it, which is something that hasn’t usually come through on this journey. So kudos on that.

BOTTOM

Just like the top of the bagels, the bottoms offered some solid crunchiness that helped make the bite so enjoyable. There really is something about a bagel with a crunchy bottom that ties the room together, so to speak.

The plain bagel was less crunchy on the bottom given the bake, but the other two gave a good crunch on both sides, which led to a very balanced bite overall.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m just gonna level with you. Between all of the bagels I’ve reviewed for this newsletter, and the other bagels that I’ve eaten around town, this is the best bagel in Seattle until someone proves otherwise. You can take all your lists of the best bagels in Seattle that don’t include Bagel Oasis on them and shove’m. Because if you’re going to tell me any of those previous spots offer a better bagel than this, I would say you’re either a liar or you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Fight me.

The journey continues and there are many more bagels to eat, but the bar has officially been set, Seattle.

Is It Good Enough For The Goys?

Goes without saying that the goys would love this place. They’re a neighborhood favorite for a reason and while the locals seem to be just fine with the word not getting out, I hope more people make the trip to Ravenna to check them out.

Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?

I’m gonna say yes. Whereas Loxsmith is where I’d take my mom if she were in town and wanted lox, Bagel Oasis is where I’m taking my mom for a good bagel (as of now). Granted, you’ll want to make sure you give that day’s batches a good look and try to avoid the ones that look a little too light. But if you see a batch that’s golden brown, bubbly, and looking crispy, you’re gonna go home happy.

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my Seattle 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 the link their way.