Second Schmears: Revisiting Bean & Bagel
Is this unassuming U District bagel spot worth further consideration?
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I resisted visiting Bean & Bagel for the longest time until finally reviewing them last June. On one hand, I couldn’t tell if it was worth the hassle. On the other hand, it has “bagel” right there in the name. Ultimately, the latter won out. And you know what? It wasn’t that bad. I know that is damning them with faint praise, but also, do you know how many times during this process I would have killed for “wasn’t that bad?”
I’ve thought about Bean & Bagel (not to be confused with Bean’s Bagels) since then. I’ve wondered if there was more to the unassuming coffee and bagel shop. They don’t do social media. There’s no sign on the building. They don’t even have a website as far as I can tell. They’re just kinda there…slinging bagels for college kids.
We’ve seen a rise in artisan bagel makers and specialized pop-up stands around Seattle in recent years. There are a lot of businesses putting in a lot of effort to convince you theirs is the best bagel to start your day with. And the competition can be fierce as neighborhoods fill up with delis, shops, and farmers market stands.
And then there’s Bean & Bagel. No promotion. No marketing. No social media presence. Just kinda there…and maybe doing a better job than half the other bagel places in town?
I knew I’d have to return to find out for sure. And so I did.
And if you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find that here.
WHAT I ORDERED
Everything bagel with plain cream cheese ($4.25)
Plain bagel as-is ($2.75)
As with all previous Second Schmear reviews, we keep things relatively simple this time around. I’ll review this version of the visit and compare it to the first trip to find out what might have changed.
First off, I just want to shout out my ordering experience. I rolled up around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday as UDub students groggily made their way to campus for morning classes. I walked up to the ordering window and the student manning the counter asked me how my morning was going with the least amount of effort I’ve ever encountered. I’m pretty sure he didn’t hear my answer (or care) and went back to finishing his task at hand. I was immediately transported back to the delis of my youth. When he finally took my order, it was with an annoyed efficiency that delighted me at my core. He didn’t want to be there. We both had better things to do. And once our transaction was complete he walked away without a word, potentially right out the back of the store, never to be seen again. A different guy eventually emerged with my order.
5 out of 5 stars. No notes.
Anyhoo, as for the bagels, we begin with the plain, which was a little on the smaller side but not by much.
The top was light golden on one side and a darker golden brown on the other, with lots of crinkles throughout. There was some scant blistering to be found. This was all very much in line with the original visit as well.
The bottom of the bagel was very firm with the slightest Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD). I ripped into the bagel and it was a tough tear in a good way. There was some crunch in the bite and I noted it was a tough chew. The interior was very doughy and rebounded only slightly after each bite.
While it wasn’t setting my world on fire, I found it to be very eatable. A slight improvement from the prior version.
On top, the everything bagel was mostly light brown with some golden brown spots. The seed hand was pretty weak, though it did include a little bit of everything. That’s consistent with the initial review as well. The top of the bagel was soft and any texture or crinkle that I noticed seemed to come from the seeds.
The bottom was very firm and knockable with a slight CRoD. This was also very consistent with the initial visit.
They layered on a very sturdy block of cream cheese, which is always appreciated. That said, the bite over-indexed on the schmear. It did have a little tang, but nothing that made it inedible. That said, it also wasn’t the most flavorful cream cheese ever.
The seasoning was garlic-forward and could have a used, what else, a little salt. Both the cream cheese flavor and garlic-focused seasoning are consistent with my previous visit.
There was a slight crunch in the bite and the bagel fully collapsed on the chew as well. The soft interior was a good juxtaposition of the exterior texture.
“You could do a lot worse,” is what I wrote while eating.
WHAT I SAID LAST TIME
“I’m not going to say that I thought these were delicious bagels, but they definitely felt like an upgrade over the wholesale-level bagels I’ve eaten at other Seattle spots. These bagels certainly seem to be made fresher and there are elements here that make it a solid “get up and go” option if you live in the neighborhood and are on your way to class or work.”
WHAT I THOUGHT THIS TIME
I’m not ready to tell you this is Seattle’s next secretly great bagel, but somehow, against the odds, I think Bean & Bagel might be Seattle’s most baseline bagel. I’m not going to rush out to visit them again, but in fairness, I finished both bagels, which doesn’t happen often these days. It wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t bad, and sometimes, that’s worth something.
I think Bean & Bagel is my new demarcation line separating Seattle’s most edible bagels from the other ones. You might be shocked to see that I’m moving them above the likes of Rubenstein and Loxsmith, but, based on recent returns, I’d prefer one of their grab-and-go options as of right now.
MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR (2/25/24)
Old Salt (Fremont]
Old Salt (Ballard)
Loxsmith (West Seattle)
Loxsmith (Beacon Hill)
Westman’s (Capitol Hill)
Westman’s (U District)
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I'd like to see you differentiate the actual bagel places from the pop-ups and the places you have to plan days in advance to get a bagel. I don't care how good Hey Bagel tastes if I have to order days in advance and drive to an appointment in a parking lot.
I can go to Bagel Oasis whenever I want, and the selection is good, and often I can even get a warm bagel.