Can I find a good Los Angeles bagel at... Boichik Bagels

A blast from my past could be America's bagel face of the future.

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While in kindergarten at James A. McDivitt Elementary School, I took some kind of aptitude test. I don’t remember what it was or what I scored, but apparently, I did well enough to be pulled out of class twice a week for a special learning session. As I remember, two of us received this honor: myself and Emily Winston.

Over the next few years, there were more special sessions and breakout groups for students who scored highly on these tests, and more students joined our ranks along the way. In 5th grade, we were all put together in a special class several times a week, complete with projects and homework assignments. The teachers of those classes eventually became less than enthused by my studying habits. I was removed from this special group and returned to the hoi polloi of regular classes.

My path through middle school and high school had its ups and downs. I took a few honors classes here and there. I thrived in English, while algebra and geometry nearly killed me. I finished with a solid GPA and was proud to attend Syracuse University.

And then there was Emily Winston, who had remained at that elite educational level that entire time. She was valedictorian of our graduating class and embarked on an Ivy League education at Cornell.

I lost track of Emily’s journey while I made my way through the world, initially working in NYC before moving to Los Angeles to try to become a screenwriter (a whole other story). But I thought about her often, mainly in the context of that kindergarten pairing where we were the two “special” kids destined for something bigger.

I often wondered if I stepped off the right track at an early age and never found my way back. Was I supposed to be on the same path as Emily, where I’d end up at the top of my class and do great things instead of struggling through menial office jobs? Or was it some mistake that I was put in that box to begin with? Had my eventual removal from the “smart kids” group been a course correction? Was that kindergarten test simply a statistical outlier, and I had since returned to the mean?

I eventually made peace with all this as my life and career evolved. By the time I decided to start writing a bagel newsletter, I had mostly put that existential question behind me. I’d found a new niche topic to obsess over while flexing my writing muscles. The experience has been and continues to be incredibly enjoyable, and typical of my writing career.

Then, just like that, Emily Winston came back into my life. And she was thriving.

After earning a master’s degree in transportation technology and policy at UC Irvine, she made the very obvious career choice to start making bagels.

A fellow Central New Jersey Jew, Emily grew up eating great bagels, and her absolute favorite was the iconic H&H Bagels. Unfortunately, that chain isn’t what it used to be, and her desire to find a good bagel in the Bay Area led her to start perfecting one of her own. 

“In 2010 I moved to the Bay Area and bemoaned the lack of proper bagels. When I heard that my most beloved H&H on the Upper West Side had been shut down for tax fraud, I was so distraught. I took this news like the death of a loved one I just hadn't been in contact with in a long time, and grieved, and said I didn't want to let those bagels cease to exist. And so I embarked on what became my five year quest, through trial and error, to create a bagel I longed to eat.”

The first Boichik Bagels opened in Berkeley, Calif., in 2019, and the impact was immediate. The company soon started expanding across the Bay Area, and by 2021, Emily was the face of a New York Times article proclaiming that California had better bagels than New York.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Boichik has nine locations across the Bay Area. Naturally, the question became: Where to go next? When it comes to California, the obvious answer was Los Angeles.

And so, the doors opened on the Boichik Bagels store in Los Feliz last month. And just like up north, the consensus has been highly positive (I was pleasantly shocked to hear actor Paul Scheer shout them out on a recent episode of the Doughboys podcast).

Coincidentally, I was in Los Angeles on their official opening day, so I wasn’t going to miss the chance to bring everything full circle. Because, as it turns out, no matter where my life takes me and what I do, Emily Winston is always there.

WHAT I ORDERED

• Plain bagel as-is ($3.25)

• Everything bagel with chive cream cheese ($6.00)

THE EXPERIENCE

I certainly picked the right day to visit the brand-new Boichik Bagels shop. When we arrived around 9:30 on a Sunday, there was already a sizable crowd (which never stopped trickling in). The balloons and giant bagel photo op stand out front made it feel festive, and the free samples before we even got inside were a nice touch. Sure enough, Emily was there leading the charge, greeting customers, handing out samples, and chatting up everyone she could.

Inside, we were greeted by a Los Angeles Dodgers logo-inspired bagel to set the tone. In one of my favorite touches, a photo from Emily’s Bat Mitzvah was on the wall behind the counter. I can’t think of a better mark of authenticity for a bagel shop than that.

The menu boasted a solid list of flavors, including the classics and four different pumpernickel options (I need to try pumpernickel caraway salt next time). It also included a substantial collection of schmears, fish, and tuna/chicken salads. It seemed like many people were ordering The Classic (Nova lox and chive cream cheese with tomato, red onion, and capers). Of course, I got my usual.

UPON FIRST GLANCE

Credit: Cesar Schlain

Thanks to some samples at the door, I had the chance to try some of their other offerings. The pumpernickel was consistent with the smell and taste you wanted from that flavor profile. The bialy, which I had thoroughly enjoyed before, was truly authentic in texture and taste, not the “smashed bagel” version that seems trendy now. I also enjoyed a few bites of the salt-and-pepper bagel with plain cream cheese, that’s a flavor I’ve really come to like.

The look and feel of the bagels I saw were on par with what I’d expected, and the schmear application appeared “ample.” By all accounts, this seemed like the authentic bagel shop that the marketing and messaging promised.

TOP

The plain bagel was a good size and reasonably circular, with one side wider than the other. It featured a medium-large center. Depending on the side, the coloring was a light golden brown to golden brown. The top, which was covered in slight blistering, was soft but crinkly when touched and crackly when pressed.

The everything bagel was slightly bigger, featured a large center, and was very symmetrical. The coloring on top was light brown to golden brown, though that was hard to suss out due to the heavy seed hand at work. The seasoning was a potent mix and somewhat poppy seed-forward. The top was soft but firm to the touch.

BOTTOM

The bottom of the plain bagel was firm and somewhat knockable. The coloring was a lovely deep golden brown that ringed it evenly. The very blistery bottom crinkled when pressed. While it didn’t rise to the level of a Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD), there was a smattering present.

The bottom of the everything bagel was also firm and somewhat knockable and featured a dark brown ring all the way around. It, too, was very blistery. A smattering of seeds and cornmeal made their way onto the bottom as well.

INSIDE/BITE

The plain bagel offered a soft, crackly rip. Biting into it, I detected that classic bagel smell. The bite was chewy and dense but not dry. Some slight crackle from the exterior made for a nice textural balance. The bagel rebounded strongly after each bite, resetting to its initial size and density. I did note a slight maltiness that added some sweetness to the flavor.

The schmear application on the everything bagel was indeed very hefty. While I was a little worried it might overwhelm the bagel, the flavors were all impactful enough to come through. The schmear didn’t have any tang, and I really enjoyed the taste of the cream cheese and the chive bits.

The bagel itself had a chewy bite peppered with little bits of crispiness, thanks to the seeds. Its good structural integrity kept it from falling apart while remaining doughy and soft. That maltiness somewhat crept through, though it didn’t overwhelm the other flavors.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I went into this review with two things in mind. First, despite knowing Emily and getting a few freebies upon my arrival, IT’S A SHANDA INDUSTRIES CANNOT BE BOUGHT! Two, between that NY Times article and the high bar that Boichik sets for itself through its messaging, I wasn’t sure if this bagel could live up to the hype.

All of that said, I thought this was an extremely good bagel. The texture, flavor profile, and eatability were all in line with what I’d expect from a New York version. I’m not personally a big fan of the maltiness flavor, though I sense that this is part of that classic NYC bagel profile, even if it’s not something I remember from the bagels I grew up with in New Jersey.

I still have many more California bagels to eat before I can consider signing off on how the state indeed compares to NYC/NJ, but Boichik is a worthy torch carrier for the West Coast. I also like that they seem committed to classic flavors and combinations while pushing the boundaries.

Is It Good Enough For The Goys?

As always, they should be so lucky.

Just like Seattle, Los Angeles has a thriving bagel scene. And like Seattle, some popular places are doing different things and focusing on new ideas. So, I have to imagine it’s a good thing to get an authentic bagel shop there to deliver on the classics and set the right baseline.

Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?

I would think any Northeastern transplant living in LA will find a lot to like here. There’s nothing wrong with chipotle cream cheese and togarashi bagels but there’s something to be said for a place that just wants to nail the essentials and remind you of the really good bagel you grew up eating.

I had the chance to chat with Emily while I was there. When I asked if she had plans to expand beyond California, she said she had her sights set of “world domination.” So we might just see a Boichik show up in Seattle sooner or later.

You can find my full bagel rankings here.

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