Where to find a good bialy in Seattle
Where to find a good bialy in Seattle
The bagel's cousin is hard to find, especially if you want an authentic one.
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“Some people are like, ‘Well, why doesn't everybody do bialys?’ Well, my opinion is if you're a bagel shop and you don't do bialys, you're not a bagel shop. And a lot of people go, ‘What kind of bialys do you have?’ I’m like, bialys.”
That was one of my favorite quotes from my interview with Bagel Oasis owner Peter Ryan. One, because I feel like it summed up his Northeastern ethos perfectly. Two, it speaks to a really interesting idea about how we discuss the modern bagel experience.
Most places that sell bagels in Seattle do not sell bialys. A staple of the traditional “appetizing store” and bagel shop, the demands that come with making authentic bialys tend to fall outside of what most modern bagel places can do. Sometimes that’s purposeful, like Mt. Bagel’s six-bagel menu. Other times, even when the shop is trying out different things, it’s for the best that they stick to bagels.
“I've watched all my competitors try to make one and it's laughable,” said Ryan. “I mean, Spot Bagel back in the day made bialy sticks. I'm like, what are you supposed to do with that? They would take dough and roll it in onion and poppy seeds and call it a bialy.”
I have to admit that while I had my fair share of bialys growing up, they were never my preferred Saturday morning bread product. I enjoyed the ritual of slicing a bagel, spreading the schmear, and tearing into it too much to give that up. But I could appreciate the appeal.
The one thing I know for sure is that a bialy is not a bagel, as Ryan alluded to. If you ever find yourself eating a bialy and thinking “This is just a smushed bagel with some onions in the middle,” you’re not eating a bialy. My fear, of course, is that Middle America has been inundated with faux-bialys to the point where people have complete misunderstandings about the bread roll and how it should feel and taste (and then I remember that it’s entirely possible Middle America doesn’t even know what a bialy is).
Like bagels, bialys made their way here courtesy of Polish immigrants. Specifically, ones hailing from the city of Białystok. Per NYC bialy institution Kossar’s, the word bialy is actually shortened from “Bialystoker Kuchen,” Yiddish for “little bread from Bialystok.”
Whereas many people might assume the bialy is a type of bagel, it’s better to think of it like a cousin. Whereas a bagel is boiled and then baked, bialys are just baked. Instead of the traditional bagel hole, the bialy center is depressed and traditionally filled with cooked onions. Other ingredients like poppy seeds or garlic, often join the onions there. While bagels are often shiny and tearable, bialys are matte and crusty.
Of course, there’s a fine line with maintaining traditions, modern tastes, and commerce. Try as Ryan might to maintain the order of things, bialymakers are bound to experiment with different flavors. Just like how we live in a world now full of jalapeno cheddar and rosemary salt bagels, it would be unreasonable to assume modern bialys won’t evolve as well.
We can appreciate what a bialy is “supposed to be” while also keeping an open mind for what’s possible, especially if it tastes good.
So now that I’ve got you craving a hot bialy fresh out of the oven, the question is where to find one in Seattle. Paid subscribers get the answer below…
As far as I can tell, only five places regularly offer bialys for sale as of February 2024.
Hey Bagel - Andrew Rubinstein’s burgeoning bagel biz keeps things simple with five bagel flavors but he’s quickly expanding his bialy offerings. He started with a caramelized onion & gruyere bialy (which I’ve had and is very good) and recently added a za'atar & red onion bialy to the mix. They’ll run you $3.10 each.
Bagel Oasis - Peter Ryan talks a big bialy game but he backs it up. Bagel Oasis serves up hand-rolled bialys on the daily for $2.80 each and $27 for a dozen.
Loxsmith - Both Loxsmith locations have the bialy on their menu. Oddly, if you go to the Delridge spot, it’ll cost you $2.50. If you go to the Beacon Hill shop, it’ll run you $3.00. They also do specials, such as the uni butter bialy, that you need to keep an eye out for.
Blazing Bagels - The local bagel chain has roughly 897 types of bagels, so it only makes sense they’d also have some bialys. According to their website, they offer a cheese bialy and onion bialy. It’s a little hard to tell but they either go for $2.75 or $3.00.
Zylberschtein's - Very recently, Zylberschtein's threw their hat in the ring with bialys available all week long. I didn’t see a price on the menu but bagels are $2.85 each.
Along with those spots, some Seattle bagel purveyors also dabble in the bialyed arts from time to time.
Aaron’s Bagels makes bialys on occasion and throws some interesting flavors on them, including the Garlic Chili Crisp. Keep an eye on their socials for updates.
Rubinstein Bagels has been doing some bialy specials out of their Remond location, though many of the ones featured in their Instagram posts look more like miniature gourmet flatbread pizzas (they even use the hashtag #bagelpizza in one post, so…).
Macrina also does a “bialy egg sandwich” which consists of a “brioche bialy baked with roasted sweet onions and poppy seeds, layered with two fried eggs, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, fresh basil, and Dijon.” That certainly sounds interesting but I think that don’t think it counts for our discussion.
If you happen to find another bialy around Seattle, let me know and I’ll add it to the list. And let me know what you think about the bialys above. There’s a good chance there’s a ranking in our future…
Happy Bialying!
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