Can I find a good Seattle bagel at... Bloom Bistro & Grocery

Bean's Bagels puts down roots in Georgetown with Seattle's newest 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.

Credit: Bloom Bistro & Grocery

Marisa Figueroa opened the initial version of Bloom Bistro in White Center just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Despite saying at the time that it was the “culmination of over a decade of working in the food industry,” it unfortunately closed soon after.

Turns out, that culmination was still ahead. Figueroa just had a few more doors left to open.

First came Electric Habitat, which sold small-batch, hand-crafted pickles and hot sauces. Figueroa and wife/co-owner Miranda eventually started making bagels and selling them at farmer’s markets under the name Bean’s Bagels.

That business was a hit and by the time 2024 rolled around, there was a Kickstarter and plans for a new Bloom Bistro in Georgetown.

“When the space that we are opening Bloom Bistro in opened up, it just called to me,” Figueroa told me when we spoke in February. “I knew that this was where I would want to open a brick-and-mortar if I were to do it. So I contacted the building owners, and I was like, this is my idea of what I want to do. I want to open a bagel shop. I want to have a little grocery section and a community hub. The building owners, they loved it, and they were on board, so it kind of just fell in my lap. I manifested it in a lot of ways, but it all really came together very smoothly for me.”

The Kickstarter came through, Marisa and Miranda got to work, and Bloom Bistro & Grocery opened last month at the old Carleton Ave Grocery at 6601 Carleton Ave S.

bloom_bistro

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Culmination complete.

I was a big fan of Bean’s Bagels but it was finally time to visit Bloom Bistro and find out how this new incarnation stacks up amongst Seattle’s best. Let’s find out.

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

WHAT I ORDERED

• Plain bagel ($3)

• Everything bagel with dill pickle cream cheese ($5)

THE EXPERIENCE

While the neighborhood around Bloom Bistro is evolving and modernizing, the building is a throwback to a bygone era. It’s a great thing to have a bagel shop and grocery there to anchor the residential hub. It reminded me a little bit of Mt. Bagel’s location in that way.

While a work in progress, the interior is warm and friendly. The bagels are all laid out when you walk in behind the glass counter and get a front-row view of the schmearing process that happens after you order. There’s a small grocery area to the side and some tables to sit and enjoy your meal.

I should note that I was there to pick up a dozen bagels as part of my donation to the Bloom Bistro Kickstarter campaign. As always, It’s a Shanda Industries cannot be bought, but it wouldn’t be fair to not mention that. Of course, for the purposes of this review, we stuck to the plain and everything bagels.

UPON FIRST GLANCE

Looking over the bagels behind the glass, I liked the look of everything. Strong seed hands, good shapes and sizes, and a nice selection of flavors. It was all very much in line with what I’d seen from Bean’s Bagels so no surprise that they looked good.

As for the dill pickle cream cheese, that was a game-time decision based on the options presented to me. Normally I don’t think that’s something I would have ordered but I got swept up in the moment and couldn’t deny it. I’d never eaten dill pickle schmear before so it was bound to be a flavor adventure. They do plain and other flavors of cream cheese, FYI.

TOP

The top of the plain bagel was golden brown on one side and light brown on the other. There were lots of blisters to be seen, mostly on the darker side. The bagel itself was a good size with a tight middle. The top was soft but crinkly. The bagel depressed easily on the touch, foretelling some airiness beneath.

The top of the everything bagel also appeared to be golden brown on one end and light brown on the other. The bagel was a good size and also offered a tight middle with the cream cheese peaking through. While there was a very strong seed hand here, I could notice the strong blistering of the top underneath. There was a slight burn on the onions and garlic, which could be a good thing, and I noted a few flakes of salt. The top was soft to the touch even through the crust of the seasoning, and the bagel compressed when pushed on.

BOTTOM

The bottom of the plain bagel was firm but not hard and pressed in on the touch. The bottom of the everything bagel was firmer and somewhat knockable in places. Neither bagel exhibited any Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD).

INSIDE/BITE

The plain bagel offered a good rip with some tiny crinkles. The bite was very doughy in a good way and the bagel re-expanded afterward. The interior was extremely fluffy and airy. I did detect a slight sourdough smell. The few salt flakes helped provide a little pop of flavor and bring out the overall bagel-ness. While a very soft bagel, I did note some crinkles on the chew.

The everything bagel also offered a very doughy bite and tough chew in a good way. The bagel’s re-expansion after each bite provided some strong integrity for toppings. The addition of salt into the seasoning (AS GOD INTENDED) helped, though I would have liked to get a little more everything flavor. I picked up some onion from time to time but would have loved a little more.

The dill pickle schmear was quite the experience. I have to say…I liked it! The little pickle bits in each bite added a little crunch. It might not be everyone’s thing but it worked here, though it might have overpowered the everything seasoning flavors a little.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you like a doughy bagel, this might be the best in Seattle. It’s very sturdy and chewy and seems tailor-made for schmear and sandwich applications. I might pick some nits with the lack of texture and crunch but I also don’t think they’re going for that. The dabs of salt on all bagels make a big flavor difference and I found both bagels to be very enjoyable to eat.

Is It Good Enough For The Goys?

The goyim of Georgetown got a good one here. I’d love to have a bagel shop like this on the corner of my street. And the fact that it’s also a grocery and there are plans for even more means the neighborhood just got a great addition.

Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?

If you grew up eating big, chewy bagels, you’ll find a nostalgic jolt out of these. Those who need some crunch in their bagel experience might not be feeling it, but I’d definitely put these among Seattle’s better bagels regardless. The freshly made cream cheese is worth a try as well, whether you want to be adventurous and do the dill pickle or stick to the classics.

MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR (5/12/24)

1. Hey Bagel

2. Bagel Oasis

3. Little Market

4. Old Salt (Fremont]

5. Mt.Bagel

6. Backyard Bagel (formerly Aaron’s Bagels)

7. Old Salt (Ballard)

8. Bloom Bistro (formerly Bean’s Bagels)

9. Salmonberry Goods

10. Oxbow

11. Bean & Bagel

12. Loxsmith (West Seattle)

13. Rubinstein

14. Loxsmith (Beacon Hill)

15. Zylberschtein’s

16. Sully Eats

17. Rachel’s

18. Macrina

19. Westman’s (Capitol Hill)

20. Grateful Bread

21. Eltana

22. Westman’s (U District)

23. Blazing Bagels

24. Einstein Bros. Bagels

25. Dingfelder’s

26. Kelly’s Cannoli

27. Bagelbop

OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS (5/12/24)

1. The Bagelry (Bellingham)

2. Howdy Bagel (Tacoma)

3. The Cottage Bakery (Edmonds)

4. Coquette Bake Shop (Bainbridge Island)

5. Rubinstein Bagels (Redmond)

6. Good Bagels Cafe (Anacortes)

7. Mustard Seed Baking Co. (Stanwood)

8. Blazing Bagels (Redmond)

9. Otherside Bagel Co. (Bellingham)

10. Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Mt. Vernon)

11. Woodinville Bagel Bakery (Woodinville)

12. B’s Bagels & Butters (Gig Harbor)

13. Big Apple Bagels (Bellevue)

14. Bruchelle’s Bagel Bistro (Covington)

MY NEW YORK AREA BAGEL RANKINGS (12/11/23)

1. BO’s Bagels

2. Ess-a-Bagel

3. O’Bagel (Hoboken)

4. Murray’s Bagels

5. Russ & Daughters

6. H&H Bagels

7. Black Seed Bagels

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? Please forward the link their way.